After Daylan’s strike, silence settled over the place, broken only by the wind drifting through the hot air as everyone waited in tense anticipation.
In an instant, the captain collapsed to the ground, his body going limp like a rag. Daylan’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden, unexpected sight.
Silver rushed over and lifted the limp form.
"You’ve outdone yourself, Master."
"Is he dead?"
"Yes, Master, but not completely. He’ll return once a new leader takes charge of the organization—only to serve that leader."
Unlike the Titans, Margret Rhys created the captains to serve the organization’s leaders exclusively, trusting in her bloodline’s ability to produce responsible and accountable protectors of both the organization and the family’s heritage.
However, to Silver’s knowledge, so leaders exploited the captains for personal gain, which tarnished the reputation of both the organization and the Rhys family.
That’s why Jose Rhys took it upon himself to create beings like the captains—creatures ant to serve all those with Rhys blood, the Titans. Unfortunately, though they could outlive an average human, they weren’t as strong and were not destined to live forever.
Daylan turned to Astara and dora, but unfortunately, dora was still in a daze. To make matters worse, Daylan had destroyed the only source that could have answered the questions she had desperately sought.
He began to ntally berate himself, barely hearing a word Silver said. He couldn’t believe he had ruined one of Astara’s only chances to learn about her family. In that mont, he felt more like a traitor than a hero.
"May I help her, Master?" Platinum asked as she walked toward Astara.
"You can? Yes... yes, do it," Daylan blurted out.
Platinum gave a firm nod, then calmly knocked Astara out, catching her in her arms before carrying her inside to rest.
Daylan sighed, remaining outside with dora as they watched the Titans quietly file in.
"You did your best, Day."
"You think so?" He turned to her, and smiled.
I knew he tried—he just wasn’t pleased with the outco. Unless more captains were sent after them—which would most likely end in their deaths or sothing just as tragic—they’d have to find a way to extract answers from the captains during the war, an almost impossible task.
The only other option was to wait until he sohow beca the leader of the Phantom by default, once his mother was defeated, and then question the captains once they were resurrected to serve him.
"Have you considered asking Silver? If the captains were there, then the Titans must’ve been too, right?"
Daylan turned to her, eyes sparkling—he’d been so lost in thought that the idea hadn’t even crossed his mind. Overco with excitent and gratitude, he pulled dora into a hug and kissed her gently on the forehead.
dora’s expression suddenly darkened. "Dude, respect yourself."
Daylan just laughed, pulled her out of the hug, and kissed her forehead again before dragging her inside—while she tried to hide a soft smile.
The mont they stepped into the house, Daylan fired off the question, demanding a simple yes or no—did they know anything about the royal family and the organization?
"Yes, Master. There are quite a few. I can tell you about them, if you wish."
Daylan was thrilled to hear it, but he shook his head, insisting that Silver speak only when Astara was awake.
They all knew how secretive Astara was, especially when it ca to sensitive matters like this. Daylan wanted her to be awake first—and if she chose to let him and dora hear it too, then so be it. He believed it was her right to decide who got to know and who didn’t.
His words were well received, and with a deep breath, he stretched in relief—only then realizing the incredible feat he and dora had just pulled off. He pulled her into another embrace and congratulated her, but by then, dora was already growing tired of his sudden burst of enthusiasm.
dora brushed off his odd behavior and took a seat with the Titans, where she began asking questions to get to know them better.
Daylan shot them a lazy glance before taking his seat. That’s when it hit him—he was completely exhausted, yet sohow still brimming with energy. dora’s healing magic must have been the reason. The sudden burst of enthusiasm he’d been feeling... It was just a side effect.
All it took was the relaxation of his limbs, and sleep claid him. By the ti the others noticed, Daylan was already fast asleep on the sofa.
anwhile, dora’s conversation with the Titans carried on uninterrupted.
Among the three, Silver was the most talkative. Gold, despite being labeled the caretaker, hadn’t been given the ability to speak at all. Still, its capacity for care was unmatched—it expressed everything through action, not words.
As the strongest among them, Platinum was given certain restrictions and enhanced protective instincts to ensure she would never attack a Rhys—even in her berserk state.
She was the only Titan infused with a trace of Jose’s blood, which explained the absence of any monstrous traits in her. It also granted her the unique ability to recognize a Rhys by their blood, not just through facial recognition or mind control.
As their conversation continued, Astara finally awoke from her slumber. Rubbing her eyes, she walked into the living room and found dora casually chatting with the Titans, while Daylan lay fast asleep on the sofa, completely unaware.
The mont dora saw her, she jumped to her feet to check on her—and just like that, the commotion was enough to jolt Daylan awake from his sleep.
Daylan shifted on the sofa, stretching lazily as Astara stood with a puzzled expression. She couldn’t understand how things had ended up so calm and careless—the last thing she rembered was Daylan and dora being attacked by Gold and Platinum.
Daylan simply leaned back and relaxed, waiting for the mont. Astara’s expression changed as she finally pieced together what had happened earlier that day.
And just as he expected, the mont realization hit her, she froze—then shook herself back to reality.
"Where’s the captain? What happened to him?"
"We realized his presence stirred sothing within you, so it was only natural to want to capture him alive. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. We tried—but he ended up dead," dora said softly, watching as Astara’s eyes grew hollow, as if all hope had slipped away.
"But Silver and the others seem to have a good idea about anything you might need."
Astara’s eyes suddenly filled with hope, but then her gaze snapped to the left, landing on Daylan—who was lounging carelessly on the sofa.
From the look in her eyes, Daylan knew he’d made the right call by insisting they wait for her to decide who would learn about her family affairs.
"Don’t worry, they didn’t tell us anything. I told them to wait for you. Ask them anything you want. Dora and I will give you so privacy."
Daylan turned to dora, gestured for her to follow, and then headed outside the house.
Without waiting for Astara’s reaction, they stepped outside and stood before the misfits who had returned to the scorched land.
They simply observed as the won clung tightly to their children, clearly afraid of their presence.
"Why do you think she doesn’t want us to know? Is it about trust?"
Daylan smirked. "No, I doubt it’s about trust. I think she just doesn’t know how to share her burdens. Maybe she feels like she’d be a bother."
Daylan shifted the conversation away from Astara and toward the misfits before them.
He didn’t want them to dwell on Astara—he wasn’t sure exactly how dora felt about her decisions, but it was clear their bond ran deeper than Astara realized, and dora knew that too.
Still, Daylan didn’t want dora to harbor any resentnt toward Astara, especially not in this situation. If anyone understood Astara, it was him.
Before long, Silver stepped outside and inford them the conversation was over—they could co back in.
When they returned inside, they noticed Astara had gone to her room. dora moved to check on her, but Daylan gently stopped her, suggesting they give her so privacy—for now.
Intrigued by human emotions, Silver began asking Daylan and dora a series of questions—curious about why they made certain choices, like the ones they’d just made.
While intrigued by their answers, Silver still couldn’t understand why they weren’t applying logic. To Silver, the most effective way to understand what Astara was going through was to learn exactly what she was trying to hide—only then would understanding her beco easier.
Even so, Daylan and dora explained that such things weren’t always necessary—that sotis, understanding didn’t require knowing everything. But it felt like talking to a wall. No matter how they phrased it, Silver still couldn’t grasp their perspective.
As their conversation continued, Astara finally erged from her room, wearing a faint smile—though her eyes betrayed the tears she had shed.
"Let’s finish this. Let’s bring Giselle down. And... thank you all for your help."
She turned to Daylan.
"You’ve kept your end of the bargain. Now it’s my turn—to help you get your revenge."
She smiled.
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