Instead of one orb this time, though, two enormous emerald bubbles surfaced from the depths. The first one opened, and Virtuoso hopped onto shore with a smirk on her face. “Hello again, princess.”

Then the second bubble yawned open. Gin stepped out, wearing a crown of gold claws and opulent, embroidered silk robes with dragons slithering up both his arms.

Aki let out an unintentional gasp.

“Hello, sister.” He hopped out of the orb as lightly as if this were a social call.

She stood as regally as she could, even though she didn’t feel the least bit royal. “What are you doing here?”

“Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“When you stole my throne and locked me in some sort of acidic waterfall prison? Not particularly. Why haven’t you killed me yet?”

Gin frowned. “Have you already forgotten? Because you made me suffer for the past ten years. Now you’ll endure the same fate.”

Aki shook her head sadly. “I didn’t want to fight you during the Blood Rift. I didn’t want you to be hurt or exiled. That was your own doing.”

Gin strode across the grotto and grabbed her arms, pinning them to her sides. Aki tried to wriggle away, but his grip was firm.

His nostrils flared as he shook her. “My own doing? After all these years, why can’t you see that the Evermore is good for our kingdom and our people?”

Aki closed her eyes for a brief moment. Her brother had always been obsessed with the Evermore.

“It’s not worth the cost,” Aki said, wrenching herself free from Gin’s grip. “It never has been and never will be. Too many lives will be lost. Not only Kichonans but all the people in the mainland kingdoms you have to slaughter in the names of war and glory. What happened to your compassion? You didn’t used to be this cruel.”

The scarred ridges on Gin’s face seemed to harden as his expression did.

Virtuoso took a step forward. Aki had almost forgotten the girl was there.

“There’s always a price,” Virtuoso said. “But leaders who are truly great aren’t afraid of paying it.”

“Besides,” Gin said to Aki, “whatever qualms I may have harbored disappeared when I gave my soul to Zomuri.”

“You gave up your soul?” Dizziness hit Aki, and she had to prop herself up against the grotto wall.

Her brother laughed. “In exchange for being invincible.”

“This is wrong,” Aki said.