A splash of crimson splattered the emerald grass in a violent 'thwack' as Elijah recoiled. Bile rose up in his throat, perhaps mixed with the half-digested contents of his dinner as he started, dumbstruck at the grizzly scene in front of him. 

"It had to be done," Ezra said solemnly, lowering his hand as he glanced at his younger brother. "You know that right?"

Elijah remained quiet, unable to look away from the mink's lifeless body lying limply against a large rock. 

"I...how...the chicks are still dead," Elijah shook his head, ashamed of the thickness in his voice. "It's....what..."

"Yes, but now he can hurt them no more," Ezra said. "This is the second time he had attacked the chickens. He would keep returning till he murdered them. No matter how much they tried to secure it."

"But...it's not...going to bring them back is it?"

Ezra sighed and stood up straight. "No, but it paid for its crimes."

Elijah remained quiet for several minutes, his heart-wrenching in pain at the sight of the unmoving creature. "At the end of the day...it didn't change anything, did it? The chicks are dead...and now the mink is too."

He almost regretted the words the moment he had uttered them. Trying to question Ezra had never been a good idea, but he couldn't help it. He waited for Ezra to chide him, however, he was quiet for so long that Elijah had to force himself to glance at him.

"El," Ezra began as he took a deep breath, his eyes darting between the now dead creature on the floor and his ten-year-old brother. "El... justice is a hollow concept. It...it doesn't always make sense. It's not always black and white. In fact...justice doesn't exist at all."

Elijah furrowed his eyebrows, gazing intently at his brother. "If it doesn't exist...why do we even have law in the first place? What is dad doing...making all those decisions? Trying to keep the country lawful? Trying to make a transparent judiciary?"

Ezra smirked. "You're such a nerd. Judiciary."

Elijah felt his cheeks burning and scowled. "You know what I mean."

"I do, and to tell you the truth, the courts aren't doing 'justice' they are simply taking revenge for the victim. Balancing the scales. Did you kill that guy? You'll be killed as well. That's all that is. There is no 'justice'. Nothing that can actually make things right. The scars remain. Justice is an illusion."

Elijah sighed and leaned against the cold stone wall, his eyes fixed on the floor in front of him. There were barely any lights illuminating the dark room he sat in, to complement his darker thoughts.

He was the child in the prophecy. Ezekiel had only been a scapegoat. Should he feel grateful? That his father preferred to sacrifice the bastard instead of himself? Perhaps. Then why did he feel so disgusted?

His thoughts wandered adrift, a sharp knock on the door snapping him back to reality. He sat still for a few seconds before he finally rose to his feet and made his way reluctantly to the door.

He opened it half an inch, his heart failing at the sight of the familiar majestic beauty beyond it.

"Castalia..." He whispered the words at the tip of his tongue like a harsh caress. He opened the door further, reminding himself to breathe as he gazed at her. Her light hair was longer, her skin paler. She looked weak, which didn't surprise him. Her eyes, however, were as clear and blue as he remembered.

"Elijah," she spoke in a soft breath and Elijah seemed to lose all of his. His heart seemed to swell before he felt the strangling hold of the ring on his finger.

"I just...wanted to see you," she said, her eyes fixed in his. "How...how are you holding up? I heard about your grandfather. I'm...I'm so sorry."

Elijah was quiet for a while before he nodded. "I'm...I'm okay. He...he...chose it."

He was ashamed of how thick his voice suddenly sounded. From the memory of his grandfather drinking the black nectar, the memory of Castalia in his arms, the memory of breaking up with her.

"You should come in," he said, taking a step back. Castalia stood still for a while, biting her lip and sighing softly before she seemed to make her decision and stepped in.

He shut the door behind her, taking moment to gaze at her. " I didn't know you were here."

She hugged herself, stroking her arm as she answered without looking at him, "Azure made a deal with us. Since he saved so many of us...we will help him with the Ultimaria."

"Saved you?" Elijah asked, surprised. "What...what happened?"

"The infestation started in the Isle first before moving to Ophelia. We...we lost a few fairies."

"Oh," Elijah's heart seized. What if he had lost her? "That...that sounds awful. I'm so sorry."

She was quiet for a while before she took a deep breath. "It's been hard on everyone."

"Some more than others," Elijah said, subconsciously finding himself leaning into her. Elijah sighed, his heart skipping a beat as her familiar scent wafted to his nostrils. "Would you like to...take a walk?"

The words were out of his mouth before he had himself fully comprehended them. He was sure she would refuse. He would've refused himself if he were in her place. 

She looked up at him for a few seconds, as if contemplating his words before she nodded finally. 

Elijah's heart skipped a beat, a strange assurance to the fact that he was in fact still alive. He led her outside the room, shutting the door behind him as they made their way down the dark staircase. 

The castle itself was eerily quiet today, no sound except their own footsteps on the cold stone floor. Elijah felt detached from reality, his own life centuries away. 

"Would you mind telling me, how it happened?" Castalia asked softly as they descended to the lower floor. 

"He drank poison," Elijah said, his voice sounding like a stranger's in his ears. He wondered if his lack of tears was due to denial. Or shock. "In front of us."

Castalia sighed. "That sounds traumatic," Elijah could feel her warmth close to him, their arms almost brushing together as all the feelings he had tried so hard to bury started to resurface. "Who do you mean by 'us'?"

"Ezekiel and I," Elijah said, a pang of guilt in his chest. He supposed he should be grateful that his father had tried to spare him, but somehow, he couldn't help but feel betrayed. It was strange to feel betrayed on behalf of someone he had hated his entire life. 

"Oh," Castalia remained quiet, although by her tone alone Elijah could tell she wanted to say something more. 

They reached the castle grounds after a while, the inky darkness almost similar to inside the Sognare. It was like everything around them these days was always dark. A premonition of how close the war had got. 

"Do you remember, the Eskinao tree? The prophecy carved into it?" Elijah asked. 

Castalia's eyes widened and she nodded fervently. The memories of them strolling in the valley in the Sognare felt so distant that it was almost intangible. And yet in his heart, Elijah knew it to be true. 

"There was a child mentioned there. The one to sacrifice himself for the Ultimaria. To save Obscura. The child I had thought was Zeke," Elijah sighed. "It was me. And my dad conspired so that Ezekiel could take my place instead."

Castalia gaped at him for a few seconds, enough to make Elijah regret his decision of telling her. Why was he telling her anyway? Did he seek sympathy? Understanding? Forgiveness?

"So...he..Ezekiel, will have to sacrifice himself?" she shook her head. "How exactly-"

Elijah knew something was wrong even before he felt it. An eerie tingling sensation, as if they were being watched by sinister forces. Castalia must have felt it to for she stopped talking immediately, turning around so that she was no longer facing him. Elijah followed her gaze as a short gasp escaped her throat and he quickly realized why. 

Vazihas. 

Not just one, but what felt like hundreds of them. Encircling the grounds to the east, closing in on the Sognare. A massive black mass, ready to engulf everything. 

And it was then that Elijah realized how close the war truly was. 

"Eli," Castalia whispered, taking a step towards him and turning her eyes towards the sky. A small whisper escaped her lips, "Look. Up."

Elijah did as he was told, his heart seizing at the currently tiny beam of light streaking through the sky and towards them. Plummeting towards Obscura to push it towards destruction. 

The war was here.