Elijah and Maria

2

The day dawns quietly over the siblings' home, a rare moment of peace after their recent battle with the small monsters. Elijah and Maria, along with Koli, Pedro, and Sierra, are trying to recover, discussing what their next move should be when the unexpected happens.

Master Rolan, Lady Mira, and Elder Thorne, emissaries from the palace, arrive at their doorstep unannounced. The visitors tell the siblings that it is time for them to leave their home and take shelter at the palace for their safety, revealing that the siblings are special-more special than they ever realized, in fact, and critical to the safety of Xianlu City.

But Elijah and Maria are immediately on edge. Elijah steps forward, protective as always, and demands answers. "Who sent you? Why should we trust you?" His instincts tell him that these visitors may not have their best interests at heart. Maria, standing by her brother's side, adds, "We need time. We don't trust you yet."

Despite the calm explanations and reassurances from Lady Mira and Elder Thorne, the siblings remain suspicious. Master Rolan, with his calm but stern demeanor, tries to ease their fears by offering them time to think it over. "I understand your hesitation," he says, "but soon, you will have no choice. The danger that looms over you is closer than you think."

But Maria is still wary. "We'll let you know when we're ready," she insists. With that, the visitors leave, promising to return soon for their decision.

After Master Rolan, Lady Mira, and Elder Thorne leave the house, tension lingers in the air. Maria paces back and forth, her mind racing. She suddenly turns to Elijah, pulling a worn, leather-bound book from the shelf. "Elijah, I need you to read this," she says, handing him The Book of Manipulation, her favorite book. "If we want to know if we can trust them, we need to understand their moves. This book talks about how people can control others through words and influence."

Elijah takes the book from her but raises an eyebrow. "You really think they're trying to manipulate us?"

Maria nods, her eyes serious. "I don't know for sure, but I want to be ready. We can't just blindly follow them."

As Elijah opens the book, flipping through the pages, Koli suddenly walks into the room, an unusual look of determination on his face. Without preamble, he says, "We need to go to the palace."

Elijah and Maria both turn to him, startled. "What? Why?" Elijah asks, his voice sharp with disbelief.

Koli crosses his arms, standing his ground. "We don't have time for this! We can't stay here forever, waiting to see what happens. We're not safe. The palace will protect us."

Maria glares at Koli, frustration bubbling up inside her. "You don't know that! We can't trust them yet. We need more time to figure things out."

Elijah tries to mediate, but the disagreement escalates quickly. Koli believes they're wasting time by not going to the palace, while Maria is convinced that rushing into it could put them in more danger. Elijah finds himself caught in the middle of their heated argument.

"You don't understand, Koli!" Maria shouts. "Just because they say it's safe doesn't mean it is."

"And you're just overthinking everything like you always do!" Koli fires back. "We're running out of options, and you want to play detective."

Elijah finally slams the book shut, standing up between them. "Enough!" he yells, his voice filled with authority. "We'll figure this out, but we're not going anywhere until we all agree."

The room falls silent, but the tension remains, unresolved. Each sibling holds tightly to their own view, and no one is sure what the right decision is.