Chapter 65

  Audrey

  Our group swiftly passed over the city wall as the silver moon illuminated the night sky. Its light had always comforted me, even before I met Aurora, but I couldn’t let my guard down as I dipped in and out of the shadows with Lydia. The others ran along the rooftops, any sound? muted by Leah’s wind magic. It would’ve been easy enough for her to fly us all the way to the heart of the city, but being in the open sky was risky. All it would take is one curious citizen or suspicious guard, and we’d lose the element of surprise.

  Along the way to the castle, we only had to stop twice for passing guard patrols, and it wasn’t until the lamplight faded out of view completely that we moved. Once we arrived at the castle’s outer wall, I paused for a moment. Lydia did as well, and I turned to look at her with a frown.

  “Do you sense the divine power too?” I asked, and she nodded. The stella's color was weak and not as vibrant as mine or Lydia's. Even the Emperor's stella was dyed a bloody red. But this seemed… dull gray in comparison.

  “It’s likely someone from the church… We shouldn’t need to worry about it. The church has always been a neutral entity.” My girlfriend explained. “I wonder why they are in the castle, though.” Before we could dwell on it for too long, Luke caught my attention.

  “Audrey?” he prompted.

  “On it!” I extended my senses through the shadows and into the castle. More guards patrolled through the halls, and small groups of servants went about their nightly duties. The Duke seemed to be in his office, despite the late hour, and I didn’t sense Sasha or Victoria nearby. Thank the goddess nothing went wrong. I had watched my sister’s group leave earlier this morning, but it was still possible the duke had dragged them back.

  “Everything is normal,” I confirmed, and Luke nodded in response.

  “Once we get over this wall, anything could happen.” He said. “Watch out for each other.” One by one, Abel, Lucia, Anthony, Hailey, Yuzuki, Yuuichi and his warriors, and Leah, who carried Koyuki on her back, all nodded, ending with Lydia and me. The wolf pup had whined relentlessly when we had tried to leave her behind at headquarters, even growling threateningly at anyone who tried to stop her from following us. Truthfully, I had felt guilty for leaving her alone the whole time we had been in Yamada, so I broke under her begging eyes. Luke had no choice but to allow it, if only because we didn’t have time to placate the wolf. Koyuki was a good girl who would listen to our commands and take care of herself, so I wasn’t too worried.

  After everyone took a moment to gather themselves, I watched as they all scaled the wall with various magics, with Luke and Abel being the last ones to go. Everything seemed to go according to plan… That was until the princes crossed over the wall, and the screeching sound of an alarm went off across the entire area.

  “Damn! An alarm spell?!” Luke cursed as his feet hit the grass on the other side. I had sensed the mana in the wall, but assumed it was the usual strengthening magic that was so common among fortifications, and I hadn’t been the only one. Lydia looked just as panicked as I felt.

  “Why did it only go off for you two?” Lydia cried out.

  “We don’t have time to worry about that! We’ve got incoming!” Abel said, drawing his sword. The other knights all did the same, with the magic-focused ones in our group stepping back while preparing spells. Shouts rang out from all around us as the guards of the castle all rushed to meet us in the courtyard. Plenty of them appeared to have just rolled out of bed, but the deadly look in their gazes was all the same.

  “Intruders! Prepare for battle!” One of our enemies shouted before charging at us. With a flash of light, the pendant around my neck changed shape and appeared in my hand as a shining silver blade. The sight made a few of the knights hesitate, but not for long.

  “Surrender, and you’ll be spared!” Luke yelled, but the knights ignored his words as they crashed into us. Swords and magic clashed, but the difference in skill became obvious as our group cut through the center of the enemy forces. “We’ll have to force our way through!”

  I danced through the battlefield; the moonlight reflecting off my twilight blade as I worked on disarming the attackers. My sword could cut through ordinary metal, and even blocking would end with their weapons in pieces. After that, all it took was some subtle shadow magic to trip them onto the ground.

  Our aim wasn’t to kill everyone in the castle. Doing so would make us no better than the man we were trying to defeat. We would spare our enemies as long as they surrendered and lost the will to fight. Sadly, casualties were completely unavoidable as the fighting continued, but I had to focus.

  “We’ll stay behind and secure the prisoners!” Yuuichi shouted to Luke above the clashing of steel. “The rest of you need to move on! We can’t risk the Duke escaping!” Luke hesitated, but then nodded grimly.

  “Audrey, clear us a path!” he ordered, and I raised a hand.

  “Yes, Sir!” A massive wave of water appeared before me, then crashed down over the remaining castle guards. The force swept the last line of enemies off their feet, smashing them against the stone walls. Our group sprinted across the courtyard and toward the castle’s main building, leaving the Yamadians behind to defeat the remnants of the initial attack and start tying up those who surrendered. I glanced back at Yuzuki, who was using her plant magic to restrain several people, and she met my gaze with a gentle smile.

  “Do not worry about us; fulfill your duty,” my friend said, and I nodded resolutely before we disappeared from view.

  Luckily, there was a lull in the enemy reinforcements. There were only so many people in the castle after all, so other than a few quick encounters with smaller squads of guards, our sprint to the Duke’s office was unobstructed.

  Yet, when we burst through the office doors, the man was nowhere to be seen. It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over our flames of revenge.

  “That bastard…” Abel growled before turning on his heel. “I know exactly where he is.” We followed him back through the halls to the large, ornate doors that led into the throne room, and paused. Blocking the hallway were two dozen knights in the red and black of the new royal guard, and at the head of the formation stood a man with sky-blue hair. His hand rested on the hilt of the sheathed sword at his hip.

  “You have finally come,” he said to the two princes. A scar ran down the left side of his face, and I could tell by the way he held herself that he was no amateur. But why does he look so familiar…? “Is my foolish daughter with you?” As if answering my question, the reason became obvious.

  “Father…” Lucia stepped forward. The two stared at each other for a tense moment before the man sighed.

  “I'm disappointed in you, Lucia.” The man said, “I would never have agreed to let you become the Princess’s personal knight if I had known your personal feelings would lead you to betray our house’s duty to the crown.” Pain flickered across my friend’s face at her father’s harsh words, but she quickly composed herself.

  “The feeling is mutual, Father.” Lucia said. “How could you support the man that sold our kingdom to the empire?”

  “Our duty is to protect the throne, regardless of who sits upon it.”

  “What are you saying?” my friend asked in disbelief. “Do you even hear yourself?” Her father did not respond, only stared at his daughter with an unreadable expression.

  “You have chosen your path, then?” He finally said, the hand resting on his sword, tensing.

  “Do we really need to fight?” Lucia’s voice was quiet as her head fell.

  “Will you surrender their Royal Highnesses to me?”

  “Of course not!”

  “Then show me your resolve!” The man challenged, his blade sliding free of its sheath and catching the lamplight in the hall. Lucia followed suit and took a ready stance. Her bangs had fallen across her face earlier, obscuring her expression. Yet, when she finally met her father’s gaze again, her brown eyes blazed with determination that couldn’t quite mask the sorrow underneath.

  Without exchanging further words, they both rushed forward, their blades screeching as they clashed. With the battle started, the rest of the royal guard rushed towards us, leaving Lucia to her father. I prepared my magic, but a shockwave of ice exploded from beside me, blasting the royal guard and flooding the hall with a cold mist.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Luke said calmly, his eyes never leaving the enemies who appeared to be mostly unharmed from his attack. These knights were the best the new royal guard had to offer, after all. Most of them had blocked the ice with their own magic, and the few that hadn’t reacted in time only had a few dents in their armor.

  “They’re tough.” I said, almost impressed. The power I sensed from Luke just then was on par with Abel’s lightning, even if it did lack the raw destructive force. One of the enemy knights leading the charge blurred with a burst of wind magic and appeared before me, his sword poised to take my life with a swift strike to the neck. “You’re almost as fast as Cass.” I remarked casually, but still didn’t move.

  Right before he made contact, a shimmering barrier made of golden light intercepted his sword. The weapon half-disappearing into the magic before reappearing at his back, the tip of his own blade slicing into his blind-spot. It happened so fast it was almost impossible to track, and even Lucia and her father paused their duel to gape at the sight.

  “Audrey…” Lydia said, sounding almost disappointed for some reason.

  “What?” I asked innocently, glancing over my shoulder at her. “Aren’t you curious just how strong they are?”

  “Did you not hear brother?” I pouted at her rebuke but turned back to the knight, who had retreated after taking his own attack and was now watching us warily. His hesitation spread to the rest of his squad as well, creating an awkward standoff.

  “Fine. Now isn’t the time…” I gathered my mana and stella together, then released it into the shadows. Dark tendrils extended from the darkness at our enemies' feet, then swiped all the royal guards into the wall hard enough to crack the stone. A handful of them struggled back to their feet with ragged breaths, including the man who had attacked me, but the rest collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

  “Go, Your Highnesses,” Anthony said, moving to guard against the remaining knights. “Hailey and I will stay and support Dame Lucia. The rest of you have to save strength for the proper fight.”

  “Right.” Luke nodded, and ran past the downed figures, with Abel, Lydia, Leah, and me right on his heels. The remaining royal guard attempted to block our path, but Hailey and Anthony blocked their attempts and stood firm in the middle of the hall. An icicle from Koyuki blasted backward one knight, who slipped by, who yipped adorably.

  “But they’re still outnumbered!” I cried out, looking back over my shoulder and catching Lucia’s gaze even as she narrowly dodged her father’s blade.

  "We'll be okay, Audrey! Trust in our abilities!” Her father's kick to her chest cut her words short, sending her rolling down the hall, but she recovered smoothly to her feet and caught her breath.

  “Do not take your eyes off your enemy!” the man said angrily. That alone nearly made me end their fight then and there, but my friend raised her hand and smiled at me.

  “I need to do this, Audrey. Go.” The calmness of her voice eased my concern enough that I nodded and finally turned the corner, leaving another set of friends fighting alone. No… they have each other.

  “They’ll be fine.” Lydia said as we sprinted after the princes.

  “Lucia has been training for this very moment. She won’t lose.” Leah added.

  “Right. Neither will we.” I replied, earning resolute nods from them both. Soon, the five of us stood before a large set of ornate wooden doors. Like the rest of the castle, it was familiar. But what had once brought me comfort now only left me feeling unsettled.

  Luke and Abel stepped forward, each pushing on a door until there was enough space for us to step through them as a group.

  Cautiously, we entered the throne room, forming a defensive formation as we moved across the long red carpet that ran to the foot of the throne’s steps. However, there was only one figure in the room, and he stood confidently before the seat of the kingdom. His short brown hair was neatly styled, with a clean-shaven face. He wore an over-embellished suit of armor, with a sword hanging at his waist.

  Thomas Rose, the man I'd once thought of as my father, looked like a charming nobleman, even with his age. Most people would be completely fooled if they weren't aware of his true character.

  "Did you think I wouldn't make preparations for you?" Duke Rose said with a smile, as if he were dealing with unruly children. "I knew your self-righteous ideals would bring you right to me. " His icy gaze swept over our group, but stopped on me, causing my body to stiffen slightly. "My daughter, come join me."

  "H-Huh?" I was shocked by his sudden invitation, and so was everyone else. We had assumed the man had figured out my true identity but hadn’t expected this. The room fell deathly silent until I realized all my friends had turned to look at me. My answer should be obvious!

  "Uh... no," I finally said with a frown. Surely, he didn't think it'd be that easy.

  "You have grown powerful. Enough that I can overlook your... resemblance to that woman." He said, making my blood boil. Yet, before I could interrupt him, he continued his despicable offer. "I am your father; it is your duty to listen to me. I will show you the true glory of House Rose—"

  Just as I was considering wrapping my shadows around his face completely, I felt a swell of mana from beside me, and a burst of lightning thundered across the room. A wall of stone broke through the tiles on the floor and blocked the lightning. The blast carved a decent chunk out of the wall, but that was it.

  “I can sense it… his mana is tainted red with the emperor’s power.” I said to my goddess, who murmured her agreement.

  “Seems like he’s been imbued with as much power as he could handle without losing his sense of self.”

  The Duke's gaze flicked to Abel, who still had blue electricity crackling across his drawn sword, and clicked his tongue.

  "Impudent brat. Just like your parents." That made all three royals bristle. Ice and Fire soon joined the circulating lightning, but when I moved to join them, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Glancing back, I saw Leah shaking her head at me.

  “They need to do this.” I bit my lip at her words and turned to find Lydia smiling at me. That charming smile that always made my heart flutter was only amplified by the powerful magic swirling around her body.

  “Please watch me, Audrey.” She asked, but then paused and looked between her brothers, who met her gaze with confident smiles. “No… Watch us as we reclaim our rightful place.” As she finished, a barrier of golden light encompassed her body, and she drew her bow back, a raging spiral of flames forming around the tip.

  “I’ll enjoy killing you. Once I do, I’m sure you’ll be happy to be reunited with your parents.” Duke Rose smirked as he drew his sword and took a ready stance.

  “Even if we die, at least we have people waiting for us.” My girlfriend said icily.

  Then, they all moved at once.

  ***

  Lydia

  I felt a little bad sidelining Audrey like that, but I truly believed that my brothers and I had to avenge our parents with our own hands. That hadn’t been my thought coming into this operation, though. At first, I believed it would be more efficient to have Audrey fight the duke alongside me, but the second I laid eyes on that bastard, my heart could no longer accept that course of action.

  Even now, Thomas Rose believed he was superior in every aspect. He was even bold enough to attempt to turn the daughter he let suffer and die within his own estate. I knew it was self-serving, but I would not be satisfied letting Audrey handle him, even if I knew she easily could.

  And this isn’t like before… I lacked power, and because of that… Mother and Father died. But not anymore.

  “Ha! You won’t use the one person who actually stands a chance against me? Do you really think ordinary people like you can take me?” the Duke boasted as he ran toward Abel. “You may have inherited your parent’s powerful magic, but if you recall…” he swung down on my brother, who blocked it. To my surprise, however, Abel was actually pushed back as the Duke smirked. “That didn’t save them, and it won’t save you.”

  Anyone else might have lost their nerve at the sight of his monstrous strength, but a smile crossed my lips as I lined up my arrow. Our enemy didn’t even glance at me as I gathered my power… dismissing me as usual. With a calm release of breath, a blazing bolt sliced cleanly over Abel’s shoulder before exploding into the duke’s raised arm, and he cried out in pain. As the smoke cleared, I couldn’t help but grin at the damage my attack had caused. When I had fought him before, my flames barely singed his clothing… but now his arm was scorched and bloody from a single blow.

  “How the hell—!” The duke began, his voice laced with pain. But he couldn’t finish as Abel pressed the attack, swinging his sword mercilessly. Unfortunately, Thomas Rose was also a skilled mage, and he quickly retreated while protecting himself with earthen walls.

  “You’ve miscalculated, Duke.” I said calmly, drawing another arrow and gathering my stella. “Audrey isn’t the only Divine Guardian here.”

  His eyes widened as another flaming arrow careened toward him, and he tried to dodge while using stone spears to weaken my attack. Just as it seemed like he would avoid it, a blast of ice from Luke hit him in the side, knocking him right back into my arrow and rocking the Throne Room with an explosion.

  “Maybe you’re stronger than I initially planned, but it doesn't matter.” His grating voice echoed from the clearing smoke. “Because you won’t be able to kill me!” Before our eyes, the blistered and burned injuries from my attacks were healing. It was much slower than what Audrey and I could do, but it was still visible as his skin mended itself.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  “What have you done?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. I couldn’t sense anything other than the overwhelming flow of the emperor’s power coming from the Duke.

  “I was in quite a state after killing your parents, so I simply found a solution.”

  “Is the emperor healing him?” I asked my goddess, whom I could feel was filled with worry.

  “That shouldn’t be possible… Xenis’s power is derived solely from war and bloodshed.” She said. “Healing is a diametrically opposed power.”

  “Lydia.” I looked back as Audrey called my name, and she pointed at the duke. “It’s faint, but I sense a source of stella separate from the emperors… It’s the same as what we sensed outside. It’s implanted in his chest.” Audrey was much more sensitive to divine power than I was, and I whirled back around just in time to block a barrage of stone spears with a barrier, glaring at the Duke.

  “Tell me what you’ve done!” I shouted, releasing an arrow in retaliation that was blocked by multiple hardened walls of stone.

  “I owe you no explanation. What good would it do you?” He asked calmly, redirecting his attacks towards Abel, who had attempted to close the distance. “Knowledge is meant for the living, and you won’t be counted among them for much longer.”

  My brother swung his sword, lightning arcing around him to shatter the oncoming projectiles until the ground beneath his feet shifted. He managed to jump away as the floor vanished into a sinkhole filled with deadly spikes.

  Luke and I didn’t stay still. Ice and fire raced across the room as we alternated arrows and spells. The barrage of attacks broke through the stone defense of our enemy, but any damage we did deal was healed in a matter of seconds.

  “Whatever is healing him has to have a limit.” I called to my brothers, and they quickly picked up on my meaning.

  “So we’ll just have to wear him down.” Abel said. “Works for me.”

  “Remember, we can’t kill him right away,” Luke added, his eyes glinting dangerously as the Duke prepared more attacks. “I’m sure he’ll be a source of useful information; death would be a mercy.” I wanted Thomas Rose dead, but I could rein in my bloodlust. For now.

  The three of us separated, approaching the Duke from different angles. Anytime his attention would focus on one of us, the other two would immediately move to strike, punishing our opponent for every mistake. Yet, ?only my attacks could really hurt the man. Even as Abel’s sword dug into the Duke’s body, it would only leave shallow cuts, and the burns from my brother’s lightning would disappear quickly. Luke’s ice magic left traces of frostbite, and his icicles pierced into his flesh, but they would be pushed out within moments.

  Soon enough, my brothers realized the same thing I had, and did their best to create openings for me. I landed arrow after arrow, drawing my bow in quick succession before launching a raging tempest of white and gold flames that most likely would have incinerated anyone else. The Duke’s screams of pain sounded like a lovely melody to my ears. He may have thought healing was his trump card, but that only means I don’t need to hold back. With all three of us on the offensive, Thomas Rose simply couldn’t keep up, even with his borrowed powers. He simply doesn’t have the natural ability.

  My brothers and I released our hatred and anger at the man responsible for destroying everything we knew and loved… and it was cathartic.

  “Enough!” Duke Rose finally screamed. His voice hoarse with pain, and his body charred. There was a burst of power from him, his mana and borrowed stella mixing before a shockwave exploded with him at the epicenter. The tile floor was torn into a hail of shrapnel, and I watched as my brothers were blown backwards. I had a mere moment to decide my next action.

  Thinking quickly, I created a barrier to block the blast… and stepped into it. The world blurred around me, and I appeared right above the Duke’s battered form. It was my second time teleporting myself, but I moved on instinct to achieve my goal. Gravity soon dragged me toward my target, and I landed with my heel against his face, sending him tumbling down the side of the throne’s raised dias. The Duke came to a stop right in front of the side entrance my family had once used many times, and I teleported again. Appearing directly above his batter form, I grabbed him by the collar and our eyes met. His healing had slowed tremendously, but wasn’t gone completely quite yet.

  Raising my arm, I slammed my fist into Duke Roes's face again and again as I pinned him to the ground. My barrier rippled across my skin with each impact, but the man only laughed mockingly at me, even as blood sprayed from his mouth and nose. After a long minute of this, I paused to catch my breath, my fist still raised.

  "Do you think... you've won...?" he said between ragged laughter. "I'm always... prepared..." He spat a mouthful of blood on the ground, and I frowned.

  “I’m tired of your arrogance.” I replied, preparing another round of satisfying punches. It was then I saw the icy mist seeping through the door we were in front of. My brothers had quickly recovered, albeit injured from the Duke’s last attack, and I glanced back at Luke.

  "That isn't me..." As he spoke, the cold fog rolled toward me, and I flinched back as it stung my skin through my barrier. The magic felt twisted and heavy, carrying the same bloody tint that permeated the Duke.

  I couldn't dwell on it for long because a moment later, the doors in front of me exploded into splinters, and a burst of icy shards blasted me off the duke, leaving shallow, bleeding cuts all over my body.

  I pushed myself to my feet, letting my stella flow to heal my wounds, and quickly looked for my brothers, who had also been caught in the attack. That shattered my barrier…? Abel stood to my left, his right arm hanging limply at his side, blood flowing down it from a deep gash in his shoulder. Despite that, he held his sword in his left hand while gritting his teeth. I moved to heal him, but by the time I had the thought, Audrey was already by his side, a warm, white glow emanating from her hands and into his injury, stemming the blood. Koyuki growled menacingly from her back as the icy cloud filled the room.

  To my right, Luke stood with a few shallow cuts, but mostly unharmed. He seemed to have shielded himself with his own ice, even though he was still overpowered. I sensed Leah move closer to me, and the six of us watched the obscuring cloud of icy fog, warily waiting for the Duke to appear. After a few moments, we finally heard the crunch of ice underfoot, and a shadow slowly emerged from the mist. Step by step, it became clear it wasn't the Duke approaching, and my heart stopped as the figure fully revealed itself.

  Blonde hair a few shades lighter than mine, and icy blues eyes that always looked upon her children with contrary warmth. Memories crashed over me as I stared at the woman before me.

  “M-Mother…?” I asked, pain lacing my voice. The others around me had all fallen stock-still as well, in complete shock. “Mother! Y-You’re alive!”

  Mother’s arm raised toward me, and I stepped forward. Everything else vanished… all I could see was the person I’d missed so dearly. Just like that, I became a girl who only wanted to feel her mother’s warmth once again.

  I didn’t notice the tattered gown she wore, nor the way her limbs moved limply. It wasn’t until I was close— To close to react, that our eyes met, and I saw… Nothing. My mother’s eyes were dull and lifeless, missing the love and spirit I was so used to seeing. My mind finally refocused, and what I saw through my mana sense would haunt me for the rest of my life. My mother was bound in layers of the emperor's tainted power, and all of it was coalescing on her hand pointed straight at my chest.

  There was a burst of freezing magic.

  Then a scream.

  ***

  Thomas Rose

  I staggered through the darkness, leaning against the rough stone wall for support. When I’d taken over the castle, I’d repurposed the secret tunnels that had long served the previous royal family as emergency escape routes. Using my earth magic to change them had been simple, and made the new passages exclusive to my knowledge. Using the distraction from my trump card, I deemed it a necessary sacrifice to retreat for the time being.

  That bratty princess is also a divine guardian?! What nonsense!

  Rage fueled my broken body as I limped away from the throne room, but I was even more upset I wouldn’t be able to watch what came next. It was a stroke of luck to find Bella still clinging to life in the rubble after our fight three years ago… Even in her state, the woman had resisted the emperor’s power until the very end. It’s a shame I won’t get to watch them kill each other.

  I considered it a sweet twist of destiny that the Venyth bloodline would end by their own hands. I had no doubt those foolish children would hesitate to harm one of their own, and it will be their downfall. Affection only creates weakness, after all. My father’s ceaseless words rang in my mind, and I groaned in pain.

  Just then, I heard a piercing scream echo down the tunnel behind me, and the agony faded for a moment as I laughed in triumph. I just need to get to the basement and siphon more power from that saintess… Once I was healed and my artifact implant was recharged, I could figure out how to deal with the thing Cecelia had left behind. If I couldn’t turn her to my side, then I’d simply kill the girl, but I was confident once those royal nuisances were out of the way, I could make the brat see reason.

  As I planned my next moves, I turned a corner, then paused. Ahead of me, the darkness gave way to the light of a magic lamp, and a figure blocked my path.

  “I’m here to help, Father.” the voice of my loyal daughter reached me, and I grinned. I didn’t even stop to consider how she knew about these passages.

  “Take me to the dungeon.” I ordered. My magic and physical strength were both exhausted, but Sasha had inherited my same attribute, so her presence would be incredibly helpful. She may have once held affection for her so-called sibling, but I had passed my father’s teaching to her as well. “You are proving to be quite useful, Sasha—” I began as she moved closer, but my words were cut off as I coughed out a mouthful of blood.

  “I didn’t say I was here to help you.”

  Slowly, I looked down to find a dagger buried into my chest. The emperor’s power that reinforced my body had been severely weakened by the earlier fight, and while the blade hadn’t quite pierced my heart yet, it would if I didn’t do something.

  “How… could you?!” I asked in anger, trying to back away. The girl didn’t say anything, and her green eyes held no emotion as she met my gaze. “You dare… betray House Rose?”

  “It was you who betrayed our family first.” her icy words were accompanied by the sensation of my back being pierced by multiple stone spears, and with nowhere to go, my daughter plunged the dagger up to hilt as I gasped for breath. “You devoted everything to make House Rose the greatest in history… You did despicable things, and even sacrificed your own family for that singular purpose.” She spoke calmly as she pushed me against the wall, and I slowly sank to the floor. “It was all for nothing, Father. We will only be remembered as villains… A temporary obstacle in the path of the true heroes.” she leaned in as my vision grew dark. My jaw wouldn’t move, and the cold ground seemed to leech the warmth from my body. “You were wrong, father… and you deserve this.”

  As she finally stepped back, I could only look up at the girl. There was anger and resentment clearly etched across her face, but the last thing I saw before everything went dark was the sight of my daughter with tears streaming down her face.

  Ah… What have I done…?

  “Goodbye, Father.”

  ***

  “-mas. Thomas, can’t I have your answer?” I blinked, suddenly finding a beautiful girl with striking red hair and blue eyes pointing a wooden sword at my throat. The cold tunnel had disappeared, and we were now back in the academy’s training grounds.

  “I apologize; I got lost in my thoughts.” I said sheepishly. “What were you saying?”

  “You’re unbelievable, Thomas Rose!” Cecelia cried out in frustration, but even that made her look incredible to me. “I just proposed we elope, and you zone out like that?” As the memory came flooding back to me, I was filled with the same irritation and jealousy I had felt in that moment… but then it all vanished.

  “Do you love me? Truly?” I asked weakly, and the tip of her wooden blade fell away from me, her face etched with disbelief and a slight blush.

  “Of course I do. I love you with all my heart.” Her words struck me, not with the cold force of my father’s hand, but with the warm embrace of genuine affection.

  “Let’s do it.” I finally said.

  “Wait, really?” She asked, and I laughed even as I began to cry.

  “Yes. I want to experience the love you promised me… even if I know now I’m undeserving.” I whispered. “Even if it’s too late.”

  “It’s never too late.” Cecelia said, holding out her hand. I took it gently and let her pull me to my feet. “Where should we go? We’ll need to hide from our families…”

  I squeezed her hand in mine and smiled.

  “Anywhere is fine, as long as I’m with you. Because I’ve always loved you, Cecelia.”

  As her face faded from view, and the dream slowly vanished, I only had one thought.

  If only I could've seen the truth back then.

  I’m sorry, Cecelia.

  ***

  Sasha

  I watched as the final breath left my father, with the name of Audrey’s mother his last word, and did my best to stem my tears. It was foolish to feel such emotion over the man who tormented my family so much… But even if he was the villain; he was still part of that family.

  I could hear faint shouts from the tunnel leading to the throne room, and knew my sisters were still there fighting. I did not know what had happened for my father to escape the two of them, and I’d honestly hoped it wouldn’t come to this. Nevertheless, I had waited in this tunnel for the slight chance he managed to get away, and my plan had paid off.

  Still, it would be best if my sister did not see me here. I had promised not to get involved, after all. I didn’t want her to be disappointed in me. With that thought in mind, I turned on my heel, leaving the dagger buried in my father’s corpse. My hands were stained with his blood, but wiping it off proved difficult until I emerged from the secret passage and into the moonlight. This exit led just outside the castle walls, and I sighed in relief to be in the fresh air.

  “My lady.” A voice spoke from behind me, causing me to nearly shriek in surprise, but I turned to find Sir Strauss standing there with a coy smile on his face.

  “How did you—” I started, but he cut me off.

  "As the youngest knight ever to enter the order and a sword prodigy… did you really think I wouldn’t notice you sneaking out of the safe house??” I could only bite my lip at that and look away sheepishly. “We should return before Her Grace and Anne wake up and find you missing,” he said, but then gently took my wrist and examined my bloodied hands. “Are you hurt?”

  I only shook my head slowly, not having the energy to start a quarrel with him right now. A tingle ran through my body as he retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and dampened it with his water magic.

  “It must have been hard… Let’s get you cleaned up, then we’ll head back.” Carefully, he scrubbed the sin I had just committed from my skin, then returned the cloth to his pocket. With his hand still holding mine, he led the way, and I followed quietly behind him, a strange emotion stirring in my chest.

  ***

  Lydia

  What just happened?

  My ears were ringing as I struggled to sit up. My body ached all over, but when I patted myself, I couldn’t find any major injuries. Looking up, I saw a strange situation. Audrey was standing with arms outstretched. I could sense she was yelling something at me, tears and worry on her face, but the ringing in my head made it impossible to decipher.

  It was then my eyes landed on my mother, who was bound in Audrey’s shadows. Why are they fighting? Ice magic crawled over the shadows, freezing and shattering them in succession while my girlfriend fought to keep my mother restrained. My brothers both lay unconscious nearby.

  Then everything came back to me. The lifeless gaze of my mother as she attacked me, and then… Leah shouting my name as she pushed me away, shielding me with her own body.

  “L-Leah…? Leah?!” I cried out, turning my head frantically until I saw her. My attendant lay motionless a few feet away from me, and I scrambled to her side. When I took her in my arms, she felt cold. The entire right side of her body was frosted with ice, and her face was blue.

  She wasn’t breathing.

  “No! Please!” I screamed. I channeled my fire magic into a warming aura around us, melting the ice from her. When I tried to use my holy magic to heal her, I was met with a strong resistance. The emperor’s stella had infected her wounds… I remembered Audrey telling me the same thing had prevented her from healing me before.

  “Leah! Please don’t leave me!” I wept as I pushed my stella to its limit, trying to overcome the power fighting against me. It was slow, but I could sense it starting to work.

  But I still couldn’t feel a pulse.

  Her chest didn’t rise and fall with the breath of life.

  “Leah… Please…” I begged and pleaded. My goddess said nothing as I prayed for a way to save my older sister.

  “You can’t leave me too…” I sobbed, hunched over her body. “You promised to stay by my side forever…”

  The thought of never hearing her voice tease me again filled me with an indescribable rage and sadness. My mind and heart wouldn’t accept this.

  “No. I'm not going to allow it. Pressing my palm to her cheek, I glared down at my sleeping attendant. "I am your employer, Leah." You are required to listen to me, so wake up!”

  I released all of my stella at once, ignoring the feeling of losing control as I focused on mending Leah’s body. I don’t care what it costs… I will save you.

  “L-Lydia!” Audrey shouted at me. “You can’t! If you go too far—!”

  “If it means saving her, I’ll gladly turn into a spirit.” I said. My body already beginning to glow as my stella ran rampant, but I maintained my focus on Leah. “I’m sorry, Audrey… I love you. But I won’t lose her.”

  “We can find another way!” My girlfriend cried, still struggling to keep my brainwashed mother at bay without hurting her.

  “How?” I asked calmly, meeting her blue eyes. As we stared tensely at one another, I suddenly heard a whimper, and I turned to see Koyuki limping toward me. One of her legs seemed to be hurt, but the wolf pup moved onward until she leaned against me. She nuzzled her head against my arm, and I laughed weakly. “Are you comforting me? Thank you, little pup.”

  But then suddenly, the wolf licked at Leah’s face, and I felt the bloody stella resisting me weaken. My eyes widened as my healing became more effective on Leah’s unconscious body… and I felt the slightest beat of her heart.

  “How did you do that…?” I asked Koyuki, who only continued to lick at Leah’s figure.

  “She’s absorbing the stella.” Azure said, sounding dumbstruck.

  “Is that even possible?!” I asked in surprise. My holy magic had returned some color to Leah’s face now.

  “I’ve never seen it before… I’m not sure.” My goddess said.

  I shook my head. It didn’t matter how we could figure it out later. All I knew was that whatever Koyuki was doing, it allowed me to save Leah, and that’s all I cared about.

  “Is this dangerous for you?” I asked the little wolf, who yipped to reassure me. Still, I could see that something was affecting Koyuki as her breathing became more and more labored. Eventually, I had to stop her. “That’s enough. You did enough. I don’t want you to hurt either.” I said, pulling the fur ball gently back.

  I could now feel Leah’s heart, and she was breathing again. I longed for her to open those serious brown eyes, but that could wait. Gently, I laid her back on the ground, leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead.

  “Thank you for protecting me.” I whispered, then stood and wiped my tears away.

  “Is she…?” Audrey asked, glancing at me with worry.

  “Leah’s fine… I healed her, somehow. It was thanks to Koyuki.” I said, looking down at the wolf, who lay next to Leah to rest.

  I went to check on my brothers, who had just been knocked out and seemed to be in no danger. I still gave them both a wave of healing magic, just to be safe, and they soon stirred.

  “Is everyone alright?” Luke asked slowly, getting to his feet.

  “We almost lost Leah… but everyone’s fine now.” I said with a small smile.

  “That bastard.” Abel cursed, staring at our mother, who was still fighting against Audrey’s magic. “I’m going to kill him slowly for this.”

  The three of us stood beside Audrey, who had a bit of sweat on her brow from the prolonged effort.

  “Is there a way to save her?” I asked quietly, but Audrey bit her lip with hesitation.

  “Back on the frontline, I tried several times to undo the Emperor’s hold on the soldiers… Every time I tried, they died instantly.” Her words filled me with piercing grief, and just as I grappled with the worst possibility, she continued. “But I hadn’t awakened my artifact back then, and my control over stella has grown much stronger…” She paused and met my gaze with a hopeful smile. “Plus, you’re here as well. Maybe together—”

  “Let’s do it.” I cut in immediately, seizing the hope Audrey was offering. "We must try… If there is any possibility, we should."

  After my brothers nodded their agreement, I took Audrey’s hand in mine, and stepped closer to Mother. She thrashed and mindlessly released her ice magic in an attempt to escape the shadows binding her.

  “Mother, It’s okay.” I whispered, reaching out for her. “It’s me. It’s your Lydia… Please let us try to save you.” My hand stung from the biting cold as I touched her cheek, but I countered it with my fire magic. I stared into those lifeless eyes and smiled.

  By some miracle, Mother actually settled down, and Audrey and I shared a surprised glance. Maybe some part of her is still in there…

  It only reinforced our determination as Audrey and I circulated our stella and worked together.

  It was unexpected, but I would do anything to save even one more member of my precious family.