The Queen's quarters were in the opposite side of the part of the Palace Nyxis was in. It took a few minutes for him to set the archive's doors back to their original, unbothered state and for him to trudge out of that corridor and join the stream of servants going to the central part of the Palace.

Now that he was down on the ground, he looked up to the tallest spire and laughed to himself. He had now become one of the insects the gods watched from the heavens.

He shook his head. Focus. He had an urgent message to relay to someone. What he learned in the archive swirled in his head, complementing each of his footfalls against the stone floor. It was a good distraction from the ringing in his ears.

Tobin Canraren. The name went on and on in his mind, flashing a familiar face in his memory. A boy with orange curls and a smile too wide for anyone to handle without smiling right back. He was a shepherd in the Commons.

I do not have a family name. Or at least, I do not want to tell you.

That's the last thing his friend said about the topic of his last name. Why was everyone keen on not telling Nyxis anything? Was it a sport?

If memory serves, Tobin had roceeded on inviting Nyxis on to a little game—to guess his last name in exchange for a ring of lemper cheese. It looked like Tobin owed Nyxis exactly that.

It's not like Nyxis had the guts to tell his friend, though. What would it look like if Nyxis dropped it out of the blue, with him being a member of the Royal family, telling a seemingly random shepherd from the Commons that he's the actual King of Cardina while painting the family Nyxis belonged to as a set of power-hungry thieves? A disaster, that's what.

What had his ancestors been doing while the Canraren clan was ruling the territory? Were they the ones who were shepherds? The tome didn't highlight it or maybe Nyxis was just too winded to keep reading that tracking tome.

He figured the Helgase family should know first before he went to Tobin. That's how he was tearing through the carpeted corridors characteristic of the eastern wing. It was a direct signal that he was nearing the Queen's quarters.

The number of servants streaming past him dwindled the deeper he went into the hallway. At the end stood a set of ornate doors and behind those would his mother be. It was a weird concept his father had, to decorate the Queen's chambers like a Festival altar and proceed to mistreat the one who would be living in it.

Nyxis took a deep breath and steeled his already-frayed nerves. Here goes nothing. It's either his mother would accept the news or laugh and call him a lunatic. Worse, she would have him dragged to the courtyard and flogged to death for trying to spread heresy.

I am always on your side. The words she spoke to him from a long time ago flashed in his memory. It's enough to send a soothing calm in his system. His mother would believe him. She would help him. She always did.

He pushed the heavy doors open. There wasn't a single creak in the hinges and the doors swung inside in a smooth whizz. Three different doors leading to three different rooms stood in front and on opposite sides of the small lobby behind the facade. The corners were decorated with drawers featuring hand-carved motifs of festoons, flowers, and women's bodies and faces. Atop each table sat vases of sempervivum among other more colorful and more unique blossoms.

Nyxis frowned. Where was she? It would be a waste of time and energy if she was at the office at this point in the day. He turned around and found no servants to ask. The windows outside told him it was already nighttime so what if she was on her way to his rooms instead?

He oscillated by the lobby, unsure of what to do. Should he go back? Should he wait for her here?

A flash of light caught his eye. It came from the gap underneath the door to his left. What was that? He approached it, just in time for another flash of light to shine. It died not a second after. He knitted his eyebrows. What was going on inside?

With his heart pounding in his head, he gripped the knob and cranked it down. A rush of magic-filled air slapped his face, enough to send his hair back from his forehead. The room was dark, illuminated only by a ball of light shining in the middle. His mother stood near it, her back to the door. She didn't appear to have heard him open the door for even just a crack.

Nyxis was about to poke his head and call for his mother's attention when a deep but shrill voice spoke. So, you have called to me. He pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle a gasp. That voice...

Something about it made his insides shake with fear. Was it because of the authority laced in its tone or the fact that an unprecedented magic pulsing in the center of the light? What was his mother doing?

"I would rather say you have reached out and I took you for your offer," the Queen replied, matching the voice's flat tone. Nyxis had never known his mother sounding like that. It was almost she was a completely different person. "What are your terms?"

The voice hummed, thinking. What do you want?

"I want to seize power," the Queen replied. "This madness has got to stop. If I do not do something, it would not."

A brave soul, the voice replied. How do you plan on going about that?

"I need something to dispose of the King," his mother replied. Nyxis's stomach sank to his feet. His mother wanted to do what? "Without the consequences of getting rid of my kin, of course. I am sure you have found a workaround with that?"

The voice chuckled. You are wise, I will give you that, it said. You have my attention. I might have just the thing you are asking for.

The Queen's shoulders perked up. She was interested. Nyxis shook his head, wanting desperately to pull her out of this mess before it backfired on any of them. "What is it?"

Pledge your form to me, the voice said almost like it was merely ordering ale from a tavern counter. That way, I can take control of it and I will be the one doing the dirty work for you. There will be no consequences pinned on you. How does that sound?

The Queen didn't waste a breath. "What would I need to give you in return for this?"

That will be included in the deal, the voice said. When you let me control your form from time to time, it means I can do whatever I want with it using your face. In a way, it's more like pledging your territory to my cause.

The Queen didn't speak. It sounded like a trap to Nyxis. Still, he didn't want to ruin things for his mother more than he already did.

Finally, the Queen raised her head to level her gaze into the light. "You have a deal," she said. "Do what you have to do to get what you want. But I will get to decide when to get you to do what I want."

The voice's small laugh was laced with amusement. Deal, it said. I will reach over and get it done. You only have to say these words: I pledge myself to the Heiress.

"I pledge myself to the Heiress," the Queen said.

The air dropped notches colder as a strange hum speared from the ball of light's core, filling the room with its haunting drone. Nyxis pressed himself against the wall, shielding his face when the light became too bright to look at. Then, a shriek emanated from the room. It was the Queen.

Without thinking, Nyxis pushed himself off the wall and surged into the room. "Mom!" he cried. He caught her head before it reached the ground. Her hair had exploded from its tight updo, scattering long, thin strands all over his folded legs. "Mom, get a hold of yourself!"

Her eyes remained closed, her skin too pale. Too cold. The magic still raged in the room, spinning out of anyone's control. Nyxis cursed and began dragging his mother away. What in Pidmena's name was going on?

Then, a strong grip wrapped around his wrist. He looked down to find his mother's eyes open. Her pupils were no longer a reflection of his own.

They were pitch black, even where the whites were supposed to be.

"You fool," the Queen rasped. It was her voice but, at the same time, it wasn't. "How dare you interfere?"

Nyxis's arm suddenly flared with pain. He shoved his mother's form away, watching with twisted horror as she slammed into a desk pushed against the wall. He was a few steps away from the exit. He could go out and alert people. He couldn't leave his mother though. Whatever that voice was, it was capable of doing unthinkable things. As much as Nyxis wasn't safe, his mother wasn't either.

The fact she had called it here in the first place didn't help Nyxis's case. It's almost like she accepted that this would happen to her. It's like...

A streak of hot-white magic shot towards him. Nyxis raised his hands and conjured a shield, backing a few steps more. He cursed when the spell touched his shield and shattered it upon impact. What in Umazure—

"You will have to die," the voice bearing the Queen's face and power said. Nyxis traced the Queen's body rise from the ground as if being smacked against a desk didn't hurt. A passive expression lay on her face even though her mouth was moving. "There can never be witnesses."

She raised a hand and magic built by her palm. Then, she chanted a word lost in Nyxis's ears. A huge storm of a spell crashed into him, throwing him out of the room. He cursed, using the rest of his magic to avoid it slamming into his organs. It wasn't enough. The air was knocked out of his system the moment his back smacked against the opposite door.

Something rusty and warm trickled out of his throat as he struggled to move. His head felt like a huge bag of oshella smoke was blown into it. Dark spots marred his vision. The Queen stumbled out of the room and stood over him. There wasn't a trace of kindness in her features. "It is futile to fight, little one," she said, placing a hand in Nyxis's forehead. "I must do what I have to do. I hope you can understand that."

Nyxis gritted his teeth. He gripped his mother's wrist and hissed, "You will not have your way," he said. Then, he screamed the only potent curse he knew. The Queen shrieked as her skin combusted. Or at least, it would feel like it. He slid away from her as she stumbled away, clawing at her arms, her face, and her eyes.

Run. He needed to run. But to where? Where could he possibly hide that would never be found by this monstrosity?

His side erupted in pain, an invisible force sending him flying forward. He slammed to the ground, with him barely tucking himself in to a roll. He coughed, a rough sound gurgling in his throat. He didn't have time to think as he wiped the back of his hand against the corner of his mouth. His skin came away red.

A set of footsteps echoed behind him. Run. That's what he needed to do. He couldn't win here. Run. He has to.

He threw another spell behind him, hitting a part of the wall, sending it crashing in front of the Queen stalking towards him. That should buy him some time. He turned to the window, eyeing the thick glass separating him from the open air outside. That'd have to do.

He drew his hand back to a fist and struck, coating his knuckles with enough magic to force his way through the glass. It shattered, letting the cold evening air from outside stream past him. No time to think about that. Nyxis gripped the sill and hoisted himself up. The rocks a few paces away exploded. Out stepped the Queen, her hands lit with a different kind of magic—one Nyxis hadn't seen before.

"Where do you think you are going, little vermin?" the Queen hissed.

"Away from here," Nyxis answered, summoning more of his magic to the surface. "Hopefully."

Strong hands clawed for him as the Queen lunged. She was only able to grasp air when Nyxis launched himself off the window.

Nyxis gritted his teeth, pointing his hands to the ground as the wind pushed him down. It wasn't the safest place to test a spell he encountered while stealing a glance at the tomes Scholar Cevera read but what choice did he have?

He sent his magic forward, a spell tearing off his lips. The air shimmered and stirred. A howling sound filled his ears as the shadows danced and swirled, giving way to a gate leading to somewhere. He breathed a sigh of relief. A teleportation gate. It worked.

He slammed into it instead of the ground. His muscles sank into its influence. Anywhere. Just go anywhere. Maybe he could save Xalim some other day. For now, he needed to get far away from here.

The magic responded by gripping his limbs and wrapping over his soul. Then, it tore Nyxis apart.

The last thing he remembered as soon as he dropped into a bumpy, cobbled road was his adrenaline fading and the pain to his side increasing by a manifold. He didn't remember retching his guts out in a dim alley. He certainly didn't remember a shadow falling over his vulnerable form and the hands reaching out to claim his soul.

Nyxis Helgase merely closed his eyes and surrendered to the darkness as it ate him.