Astra Fracta

Chapter 14: Between Law and Curiosity.

The night air stayed quiet for a moment after Tiva lifted her hands toward the sky and muttered dramatically, “What kind of fate is this?” The torches along the castle walls flickered in the soft wind, and the courtyard felt strangely calm despite everything that had happened in the last few hours. I rubbed the back of my neck, trying not to laugh at Tiva’s misery while also wondering how we had somehow gone from being prisoners in the dungeon to standing outside the castle with the Count’s own sister discussing ancient ruins and dragons.

Tiva, however, clearly had no intention of calming down. She slowly lowered her hands from the sky, her violet eyes narrowing slightly as she stared at Vespera with exaggerated suspicion. “No, seriously,” she continued, gesturing between the castle behind us and the woman standing calmly in front of us, “I just want to understand the logic of the universe here. One sibling runs the kingdom like a walking rulebook carved in stone, and the other one apparently sneaks into dungeons at night to rescue criminals so she can interview them about magical ruins. I’m starting to think fate has a personal grudge against us.”

Vespera didn’t look offended. If anything, the faintest hint of amusement flickered across her face. She shifted her weight slightly, folding her arms as she considered Tiva’s dramatic complaint with the calm patience of someone who had heard far stranger things before. “If it comforts you,” she replied evenly, “the feeling is mutual. From my perspective, the universe has just delivered three people who have already explored the exact place I’ve been trying to study for years.”

Leora stepped forward then, her expression composed but thoughtful as she looked between the two siblings’ interests that were clearly about to collide sooner or later. “The forbidden zone isn’t simply a curiosity,” she explained carefully, her voice calm and analytical as she spoke. “The forest itself behaves unnaturally once you pass the outer boundary. The density of the trees increases rapidly, the air becomes thicker with ambient magic, and the terrain begins to change in ways that don’t follow natural geography. It feels less like a forest and more like a boundary designed to discourage exploration.”

Vespera’s eyes sharpened with interest.

“And the ruins?” she asked.

Leora nodded slightly, clearly shifting into the same quiet explanatory tone she used whenever she was organizing information. “They appear older than the current kingdom by several centuries. The stone formations suggest they were part of a circular structure originally, possibly a protective barrier or a ritual site. The dragon’s presence may not be coincidence. Creatures like that often remain near places where ancient magic is concentrated.”

Tiva leaned toward me slowly, her expression halfway between disbelief and exhaustion. “You see what’s happening, right?” she whispered under her breath. “They’ve already forgotten we almost died in that forest. Now it’s a research discussion.”

I shrugged slightly. “Technically we didn’t die.”

“That’s not the point.”

Before the conversation could continue any further, a new sound echoed across the courtyard.

Footsteps.

Heavy ones this time.

The kind that carried authority even before the person arrived.

Tiva froze instantly. Her ears twitched slightly as she turned her head toward the castle entrance, and the dramatic irritation on her face shifted into something closer to resigned dread.

“…Oh no,” she muttered quietly.

I followed her gaze.

The tall doors leading from the inner halls of the castle had opened again, and a figure was stepping out into the torchlight.

Magnus Valemont.

Even from a distance, his presence was unmistakable. He walked across the courtyard with the same controlled precision he had displayed earlier in the judgment chamber, his posture straight, his expression calm in that unsettling way that suggested he was already aware of everything happening around him.

Tiva leaned toward me again, whispering just loud enough for Leora to hear.

“There he is,” she murmured with theatrical despair. “The face of dust, rules, and eternal disappointment himself.”

Leora sighed softly beside us.

Magnus stopped a few steps away from the group, his gaze moving slowly across the scene. First he looked at me, then Tiva, then Leora… and finally his eyes settled on Vespera.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then Magnus said quietly, “You released them.”

Two words.

Nothing more.

Vespera didn’t move. She simply met his gaze with the same calm composure she had maintained all night.

“Yes.”

Another pause stretched between them.

“They were detained,” Magnus said.

“I noticed,” Vespera replied.

Magnus’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You had no authority.”

Vespera tilted her head just slightly, as if considering whether that statement deserved a serious answer.

“Actually,” she said calmly, “I did.”

Tiva leaned closer to me again.

“They’ve started,” she whispered.

Leora nudged her arm. “Quiet.”

Tiva crossed her arms but kept watching the siblings with intense curiosity.

Leora finally stepped forward a little, her voice calm and measured as she addressed Magnus directly. “With respect, Count Valemont, the situation in the forest escalated in ways that were not entirely foreseeable. The dragon’s presence suggests the area contains magical structures far older than the kingdom itself. If that is the case, the forbidden zone may not simply be dangerous—it may be historically significant.”

Magnus glanced at her briefly.

“Still forbidden.”

Leora didn’t lose her composure. Instead she continued calmly, explaining the terrain changes, the structure of the ruins, and the magical disturbances we had encountered. Her voice remained steady and analytical, almost like she was presenting a report rather than defending herself in front of the most stubborn man in the kingdom.

Tiva leaned toward me again and whispered with a grin, “They sound like philosophers arguing about reality while we’re standing here waiting to see if we’re getting executed.”

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from laughing.

Meanwhile the real argument continued.

Magnus listened silently until Leora finished explaining the ruins.

Then he spoke again.

“Law remains.”

Two words again.

Vespera exhaled slowly through her nose, clearly reaching the end of her patience. She stepped forward slightly, placing herself directly between Magnus and the rest of us.

“You’re missing the obvious point,” she said calmly. “Punishing them doesn’t solve anything. Understanding what they found might.”

Magnus didn’t respond.

“The forest has been sealed for decades,” she continued. “No one studies it, no one documents it, and no one questions what’s actually inside. If ancient structures exist there, ignoring them isn’t responsible governance—it’s negligence.”

Magnus looked at her.

“No.”

That was his entire reply.

Tiva leaned toward me again.

“I swear he communicates using fewer words than a stone wall.”

Leora quietly pressed a hand to her forehead.

Vespera didn’t back down.

Instead she crossed her arms and met her brother’s gaze with equal stubbornness.

“Fine,” she said. “Then we’ll do this the simple way.”

Magnus waited.

“They’re under my supervision now,” she continued calmly. “I’ll handle the consequences. I’ll monitor them, and I’ll make sure they don’t interfere with castle affairs.”

Magnus stared at her.

“No.”

Vespera smiled slightly.

“That wasn’t a request.”

For a moment the courtyard fell completely silent except for the faint crackling of the torches along the wall.

Then Tiva leaned back slightly and whispered to me with a grin,

“…This is the most entertaining argument I’ve seen all week.”

And somehow, I had the strange feeling it was only just beginning.

End of chapter 14.