Auden had regrets. A lot of them.

He stood alone, watching the smouldering remnants of the pyre that had consumed Shinatzai Zen. The flames had long since died, leaving behind a bed of ash and charred wood. Everyone else had gone, their whispered farewells carried off by the night breeze, but Auden remained.

Cloaked in ebony, his hood pulled low to obscure his features, he was indistinguishable from the shadows pooling in the dark corners of Crepusculum. His head hung low, eyes fixated on a single flickering ember struggling to survive in the ashes.

The heat was fading, but its presence lingered-just like the ghost of the man who had once been among the greatest mages the sanctum had ever known. Shinatzai Zen had been powerful, wise, and cunning. If someone like him could fall, what chance did Auden have? He was nothing more than a shadow now, pulled between forces beyond his control.

His chest tightened with the weight of his failures. He had become a slave in more ways than one, and standing there cloaked in darkness, he could no longer deny it. The snake had coiled itself around his life, slowly tightening its grip, and yet, somehow, he had survived its wrath-a feat few could claim. But at what cost? Each bargain he made chipped away at him, leaving pieces of the man he used to be scattered like the ash in front of him.

It had all started with the Luna Pearl.

The snake had chosen him because he was the only one who could wield it, the only one able to bear the Pearl's weight without succumbing. That had given Auden a sliver of power, just enough leverage to negotiate, to make deals. It was the only reason he was still alive. The snake had no tolerance for weakness, and Auden had come close to being devoured by its venom more times than he cared to remember.

There were moments when he'd felt the snake's fury gnaw at his soul, its venom threatening to consume him entirely. But he'd survived, barely. He'd learned to bend just enough, to endure the crushing weight without breaking. The Luna Pearl had become both his lifeline and his chain, binding him to the snake while keeping him useful-valuable, even. But that value came at a steep price. Every favour earned, every deal struck, was another link in the chain that bound him tighter to the snake's will.

He hadn't wanted it to come to this. Once, he had believed in something. He had stood for something. But those days were long gone, burned away like the pyre before him.

A gust of cold wind swept past him, stirring the ashes and bringing goosebumps to his arms. Auden pulled his cloak tighter around himself. The ember he had been watching flickered one last time before the wind snuffed it out, leaving nothing but cold, grey remnants.

A raspy voice, like the scraping of sandpaper on rough stone, whispered next to him. "It's about time we move on, young master. Lord Gan won't be pleased if we're gone too long."

Auden exhaled slowly, his breath fogging in the cold air. He didn't need to turn around to know who had spoken. It was the Pasuzu, the creature Gan had sent to trail him, to 'protect' him, as the snake had so lovingly put it. But Auden knew better. The snake knew nothing of love. He should have listened to his sister.

"I need to see Hannah before I leave," Auden said, his voice low, still staring at the dead pyre.

"Well then, better get moving," Pasuzu hissed. "The longer we waste, the worse it gets."

Auden knew there was no escaping the path he had chosen-or perhaps the path that had chosen him.

"Stay here," Auden ordered, his tone sharp.

"But I-" the Pasuzu began to protest.

"Stay. Here," Auden repeated, more firmly this time.

With that, he turned, the dark folds of his cloak sweeping behind him as he walked away. He might be a slave now, but once, he had been a Heir-he still remembered how to command, even in the shadow of what he had become.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

The sanctum grounds stretched out before Auden, dimly illuminated by the flickering yellow lanterns lining the dark corridors. The once vibrant place now felt hollow, its grand halls and open walkways bare. Most of his relatives were still in mourning-some for the loss of Shinatazai, others for the fall of this prosperous mage clan.

As he made his way deeper into the maze of corridors, his senses sharpened, every sound amplified. A low murmuring from up ahead made him duck behind a column. From his hiding place, he saw two figures approaching, cloaked in shadows, gliding an inch above the gravel. They moved with eerie grace, their faces voids of darkness. The whispers between them were too guttural, too twisted to be human, the language foreign even to him. He frowned in confusion as he traced their path.

In the distance, near the Sun Tower, he saw another pair of them, Night Walkers-creatures of darkness that had never before been stationed in the sanctum. His eyes narrowed as he watched them change shifts with the ones at the barricade near the main gate. Since when does the sanctum need Night Walkers to guard it?

A shiver ran down his spine as he realised how things had changed in his absence. Guardian Mages used to protect this place. Now... He trailed off, watching as the Night Walkers took their positions. Have they run out of Guardians? Or have they given up on them because of me?

He shook his head, guilt flickering through him. He had never asked to be the heir. He had never asked to be deceived by Zen, to be entangled in the web of dark magic that had led to this. The weight of everything felt crushing, but he couldn't dwell on it. Not tonight. It he wanted to set at least one thing right, he had to move fast.

He prepared to move again but that's when the sound of loud footsteps echoed down the corridor emerged. Auden ducked behind a pillar, pressing himself against the cool stone. A troop of Guardian Mages marched past, their crimson and ebony uniforms standing out against the darkness.

They looked quite young, their movements out of sync. Their breathy chuckles and whispered voices of excitement filled the air as they passed. They were blissfully oblivious to the sanctity of the place. These were probationers. Auden noticed that they lacked the shoulder sashes of fully graduated Guardians. Two more Night Walkers accompanying them and it looked so much like they were herding cattle.

Once they had gone, Auden continued his journey, his steps quick and light as he passed through the winding walkways. The sanctum felt foreign to him now, a shell of what it had once been. Yet, despite the changes, his feet carried him with certainty toward the west wing of the southern tower. He knew where he needed to go.

The tower loomed ahead of him, its cylindrical shape rising tall against the night sky. Seven floors, two wings-he had spent years of his life in this place. As his eyes found the terrace hatch, memories of his last time here flooded his mind. It had been with the snake spirit, and Ada had fought him there. Their battle had torn through the place, causing untold damage, but he had never returned to see the aftermath.

With a deep breath, he leaped up, his cloak billowing around him as he moved swiftly, his boots barely making a sound against the roof tiles. He was a shadow, darting across the red tiles until he reached the hatch. With practiced ease, he slid inside, landing silently on the polished wooden floor.

The chamber was dark, the once-pristine space now a wreck. Dust covered every surface, and the air was thick with the smell of ash. The wooden floor was splintered in places, and cracks marred the stone walls. Bookshelves had collapsed, their contents strewn across the room-parchments half-burned, pages scattered, the remnants of knowledge turned to ash.

Auden's heart sank as he took in the sight. He didn't remember how it had happened, the destruction. He knelt down, pushing aside charred wood and burnt parchment as he rummaged through the debris. His hands brushed against a familiar crimson jute, half-burned but still recognisable. He paused, his breath catching. The pentagram.

Carefully, he lifted the jute, revealing the floor beneath. But the forbidden symbol was gone. The pentagram should be here even though he wasn't---it couldn't have just vanished like that. He frowned, his fingers tracing the empty space where it had been.

Something wasn't right.

His eyes scanned the debris, searching for the one thing that had brought him back here. And then he found it. The far wall of the room there was a small, almost imperceptible crack ran along the stone. Rising to his feet, he made his way to the wall and pressed his palm against the stone. With a quiet click, the door shifted, sliding open to reveal a narrow passageway.

Auden slipped inside, the cool air of the hidden chamber washing over him. It was a small library, the walls lined with shelves packed with ancient tomes and parchments. The books were old, their spines cracked with age, and the smell of dust and ink filled the room. This was where all his forbidden knowledge was kept-the dark magic, the secrets that had led him down this path.

His fingers brushed against the spine of a row of books till he finally reached the one he had come for. This was the book that had started it all-the one he had stolen from Ada, the one that had led him to summon Gan.

Auden sat down on the cold stone floor, flipping through the pages. There was something he needed to see, something that had been gnawing at him since forever.

Auden hadn't noticed the rain until it started drumming softly on the sanctum roof, the rhythmic patter muffled by the thick stone walls surrounding him. Each drop raced the other, tumbling through the sky to meet the earth in a quiet splash that barely registered in the quiet chamber. He sat cross-legged on the cold floor, his focus buried deep within the book he had pulled from the secret library. The soft glow of a floating candle flickered over the burned pages, casting long shadows against the cracked walls.

With the sound of the rain, something else pinned itself to his senses-distant shouts, battle cries echoing through the air, too close to be ignored. His head snapped up, attention drawn toward the sound. Curiosity tugged at him. Slowly, he closed the book, tucking it under his arm as he rose to his feet.

He walked toward the broken window, carefully stepping over the debris on the floor. As he reached it, the cold breeze from the rainstorm swept through the chamber, sending a chill down his spine. He leaned against the shattered frame, the cool droplets of rain splattering his face as he peered down into the courtyard below.

He wasn't quite sure what he expected to see.

Whatever it was, it wasn't Hannah, training Sea with a sword.

The rain was coming down in sheets now, the soft drizzle turning into a deluge that soaked the ground beneath. Mud squished underfoot as Sea struggled to keep her balance, her dark combat boots sinking deeper into the earth with each step. Her jacket, the same deep hue as her boots, clung to her frame, drenched and heavy from the rain. Her soft nails dug into her palm as she fought to maintain her grip on the sword. Every movement she made was weighed down by exhaustion, her breath ragged and uneven.

Hannah barked orders from the side, her voice rising above the storm. She stood tall, her violet and white robes heavy against her form, thick boots tucked beneath dark pants. Golden loops attached to her belt shimmered faintly in the dim light, her skin-tight shirt split into sections of black, gold, and white. Her voice was sharp, commanding, as she scolded Sea for every mistake.

"Again!" Hannah shouted, her voice cutting through the rain. "You're not moving fast enough! Get up!"

Sea was on the ground, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she struggled to rise. Her body refused to cooperate, each limb heavy with fatigue. The rain pounded relentlessly against her skin, flooding her senses, drowning her in cold. Her heart raced, her vision blurred, her breath coming out in ragged gasps.

Two boys nearby snickered, their laughter cruel and mocking. "Look at her. She can't even hold a sword right," one jeered.

"This is why you don't bring maids to the battlefield," the other chimed in, sneering. "She belongs in the kitchen."

Hannah silenced them with a single fierce glance, her boots sloshing through the mud as she approached Sea, looming over her fallen form. Sea's fingers clawed at the mud as she tried to get up, but it was next to impossible. The relentless rain weighed her down, the exhaustion pulling her back to the ground as if the earth itself was trying to swallow her whole.

"Get up," Hannah snapped, her voice unforgiving. "I didn't bring you out here to let the mud defeat you. Fight back!"

Auden watched from the shadows, hidden from view, his heart clenching as he saw Sea struggle. She was strong, but even strength had its limits. He remembered her lips-the softness of her kiss, the gentleness she had shown him in a world where nothing was gentle. And now, here she was, being torn apart by the weight of her own limitations.

I can help her, he thought, his hand tightening around the book. His magic stirred within him, a familiar pulse, a pull toward the forbidden power he had learned to control. He shouldn't intervene. He knew that. But watching her struggle, watching her strength fade beneath the weight of the storm-he couldn't just stand by.

Auden closed his eyes for a moment, drawing in a steady breath. He began to chant softly under his breath, words of power that had been etched into his memory, the same magic he had used to summon Gan. But this time, it wasn't darkness he was calling forth-it was strength. He focused on Sea, on the pain that wracked her body, the exhaustion that gripped her. He could feel it, the way her muscles strained, the way her heart struggled to keep up.

And then, with a soft murmur of power, he released the spell.

Sea gasped, her body suddenly feeling lighter, the exhaustion slipping away. Her breath steadied, her muscles responding to her commands with newfound energy. She blinked, the rain still drenching her, but it no longer felt suffocating. The pain in her limbs dulled, and the weight of the sword in her hand seemed to lessen.

Hannah paused, her sharp eyes narrowing as she watched the change in Sea. "What are you waiting for? On your feet!" she barked, but there was a flicker of confusion in her gaze, as if she sensed something was off.

Sea pushed herself up, her movements now more fluid, more controlled. The boys who had been mocking her fell silent, their eyes widening as they saw her suddenly regain her balance, her strength. She moved with precision, her sword slicing through the air with newfound ease.

Auden smiled softly, watching from the shadows. She would be fine now. The spell would hold long enough for her to finish the session, to prove herself. The battle cries faded into the distance as the training session resumed, Sea now keeping pace with the others. He loved quiet determination that had ignited in her eyes. It made him sure she would have the boost thrive on, even when his magic wouldn't be there.

Satisfied, Auden took a step back from the window, the rain still falling hard outside. He wouldn't be able to meet with her tonight, but that was okay. She would be fine, and that was all that mattered. A genuine smile tugged at his lips, the first one he had felt in what seemed like forever.