Third-person POV

The palace gates came into view slowly as Electra and Irina approached, and even before they got close enough to be stopped, something already felt off. It wasn’t the structure itself, because the palace stood just as tall and imposing as it always had, with its wide gates, stone walls, and guards stationed at every point like they were meant to keep danger out. If anything, it looked exactly the way a place like this was supposed to look, but the moment the guards at the entrance noticed who was walking toward them, everything changed in a way that could not be ignored.

They froze.

It wasn’t subtle, and it wasn’t something that could be mistaken for discipline or alertness. It was fear, plain and clear, the kind that showed itself even when someone tried to hide it. Their hands tightened around their weapons, but not in a way that suggested they were ready to fight. It looked more like they didn’t know what to do with themselves. One of them even took a small step back before quickly correcting himself, as if he hoped no one would notice.

Irina noticed.

She slowed down just slightly, her eyes moving from one guard to another before turning her head toward Electra with a look that was both curious and suspicious at the same time. "Alright," she said under her breath, her tone low but clear enough to carry her confusion. "What exactly did you do to them?"

Electra didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she looked ahead, her gaze settling on the guards who were still trying, and failing, to look composed. There was something almost amusing about the way they stood there, like they were caught between running away and standing their ground, and neither option seemed like a good one to them.

A small laugh slipped out of her before she even thought about stopping it.

"They’re weak," Electra said simply, her voice calm, almost dismissive, like she didn’t think they were worth more than that one word. "That’s all."

Irina frowned slightly, clearly not satisfied with that answer, but before she could say anything else, Electra stepped forward again, closing the distance between them and the gate. As she did, her eyes stayed on the guards, and there was something deliberate in the way she held their gaze. It wasn’t just looking, it was almost like she was testing them, pushing just enough to see how they would react.

The reaction was immediate.

One of the guards swallowed hard, his grip tightening even more as Electra got closer, and another shifted his stance like he was bracing himself for something. Electra tilted her head slightly, and for a brief second, there was a faint flicker of something in her eyes, something that wasn’t entirely normal. It was subtle, but it was enough.

Enough to make them flinch.

That was all it took.

Without a word, without even trying to stop her, they stepped aside. The gate was no longer blocked, and the path into the palace was open like it had always been meant to be that way.

Electra walked past them without slowing down, her expression calm, almost bored, like none of it mattered. Irina followed closely behind, but she didn’t miss the way the guards avoided looking directly at Electra as she passed. It wasn’t respect, it was just fear.

As soon as they crossed into the palace grounds, something shifted.

Electra felt it before she could even process it, a sudden, sharp feeling that hit her without warning. It wasn’t pain, not exactly, but it was close enough to make her stop for a fraction of a second. It felt like something heavy had pressed against her chest, like the air around her had changed in a way she couldn’t explain.

Dread.

That was the only word that came close to describing it.

It was strange, unfamiliar, and gone just as quickly as it came, but it left something behind. A feeling, a thought, something that told her that something wasn’t right.

Something had happened. She didn’t know what it was, she couldn’t see it, and she didn’t understand where the feeling had come from, but she knew it wasn’t random. It was too sudden, too sharp, and too real to be nothing.

Irina noticed the slight pause in her steps and frowned. "What is it?" she asked, her tone shifting slightly as she studied Electra’s face.

Electra didn’t answer right away. She looked ahead, her eyes scanning the palace grounds like she was expecting to see something out of place, but everything looked normal, too normal.

"I don’t know," she said finally, her voice quieter than before but still steady. "Something feels... wrong."

Irina’s expression changed slightly at that, her brows pulling together as she glanced around as well. For a moment, she didn’t say anything, like she was trying to figure out if she felt it too or if this was just Electra being Electra.

Then she exhaled slowly.

"I’ve never liked this place," Irina admitted, her voice low as she looked toward the main building. "There’s always been something off about it."

She paused briefly before adding, "But today... it feels worse."

Electra turned her head slightly to look at her, her gaze sharp but calm. "Worse how?"

Irina shook her head slightly, like she didn’t have the right words for it. "Like something is about to go wrong," she said finally. "Something really bad."

The words lingered between them, and for a moment, neither of them moved.

Electra studied her for a second longer before letting out a breath and stepping forward again. "Whatever it is," she said, her tone returning to its usual calm confidence, "I’ll handle it. I won’t let anything happen to you."

Irina scoffed immediately. "Please," she said, rolling her eyes slightly as she followed her. "I don’t need you to protect me."

Electra didn’t react to the tone, but there was a faint shift in her expression, something subtle that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "You should be more worried about yourself," Irina added, her voice a little firmer now.

Electra didn’t respond to that. Instead, she kept walking, her steps steady as she led the way toward the part of the palace she had been to just hours before. Jella’s wing.

Her mind was already set on what she had come here to do. She needed to find her father. She needed to see him, to understand something, anything, about the man who was supposed to be connected to her by blood. It didn’t matter that she didn’t remember him. It didn’t matter that she didn’t feel anything for him.

He was still important.

He had to be.

As they moved deeper into the palace, the atmosphere didn’t get better. If anything, it got heavier. The hallways were quieter than they should have been, and the few people they passed looked tense, like they were trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

Then they heard it.

Noise.

It wasn’t loud enough to be chaotic, but it wasn’t quiet either. Voices, hurried footsteps, and the kind of movement that didn’t belong in a place that was supposed to be controlled and orderly. It was coming from the opposite direction of Jella’s quarters, and the more they paid attention, the clearer it became that something was happening.

Electra slowed down slightly, her eyes narrowing just a little as she focused on the direction of the sound.

"That doesn’t sound normal," Irina said, her tone shifting again as she looked ahead.

Electra didn’t answer, but she could feel it.

That same strange feeling from earlier came back, stronger this time, like it was pulling her toward something she couldn’t see yet. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t small, and for some reason, she needed to see it.

Without saying anything, she changed direction slightly, heading straight toward the source of the noise, and Irina followed without question.

As they got closer, the scene started to take shape. Guards were gathered outside a specific door, more than there should have been, and their usual strict posture was gone. They looked tense, unsettled, like something had shaken them in a way they weren’t prepared for, and then she saw her.

Jella stood among them, her posture straight, her face controlled, but there was something in her expression that didn’t match the rest of her composure. It was subtle, almost hidden, but it was there, and then the door opened.

For a moment, everything seemed to slow down. Two guards stepped out first, followed by others, and then something else.

A body.

It was being carried carefully, but there was no mistaking it. The way it hung, the way it didn’t move, the way the guards handled it with a strange mix of urgency and caution.

Blood. Even from a distance, it was visible, dark, staining, and impossible to ignore.

Electra didn’t recognize the man.

She couldn’t see his face clearly from where she stood, and even if she could, it wouldn’t have meant anything to her. He was just another stranger, another person she had no connection to, no memory of, but the moment she saw him, something inside her reacted.

A pain in her chest that came out of nowhere, strong enough to make her stop completely. Her hand moved instinctively, pressing lightly against her chest as if that would make it go away, but it didn’t. The feeling stayed, lingering in a way that didn’t make sense.

She didn’t understand it. She didn’t know why it hurt, but she knew, without a doubt, that whatever she was looking at... mattered.