Sebastian still felt like he was falling.

Thorian had shot the poor Stormkiller right out of the sky. Sebastian never even got the chance to give it a name. Now it was dead. Another life added to the already long list of souls lost because of him.

He'd been close to death many times before, but when he fell off the dragon's back, he thought he'd finally met his end. Had it not been for Makaela grabbing him and the others before shadowjumping them out of the sky, he'd have hit the snow like a comet, never to open his eyes again.

The entire ordeal kept him up for a week straight.

He rubbed his eyes as if trying to rid himself of the bags beneath them. His bones felt like lead as he shuffled about his room. The cold wood beneath his bare feet chilled him to his core. He ran his fingers through his shaggy hair.

After they recovered from their fall, they didn't even bother searching for House Vaya's artifact in the snow. They'd never find it. There was nothing to be found, for Sebastian knew what happened to it. His father had taken the Andhis for himself. They all had laid there in the snow, bodies shivering, lips blue, and eyes barely open. No one needed to say anything. They all knew what happened.

They had survived, but at what cost?

The Order of the Black Lotus now had six of the seven Eldenarian artifacts. Makaela still possessed the Illumio, but for how much longer? How long until Thorian stormed the Eldenarian Palace in search of it? Something told Sebastian the wait wouldn't be a lengthy one.

He was wrong when he told his father their fight would end that day. It hadn't, and it wouldn't be over anytime soon.

This was just the beginning.

Despite the man's acquisition of another artifact, he suffered a loss himself. Castle Braexus wasn't safe for him or the Order anymore. The Eldenarian Council had it locked down and secured by Eldai since they rushed it two weeks ago. No Shades returned to the castle—and Thorian hadn't tried to recover it—so it was safe to say they'd abandoned their headquarters.

They were now without a home. They, too, were vulnerable.

But that only made them more dangerous.

Sebastian wasn't looking forward to his next meeting with them. His body still ached from the last fight. He could barely cast a simple charm these days without getting a pounding headache. Makaela was experiencing the same thing—she'd just gotten out of the infirmary a few days prior.

He hadn't seen her much since they got to the palace. Most of his time was spent consorting with the council, which was finally whole again. She spent her days in the lone temple dedicated to her house of magic in the outskirts of town. Dorian, Remy, and Olivier visited her the most. They were the only ones she let near her once she was released from the palace's medical wing.

After helping them return home, the Vayans decided it was time they returned to the council. Their leader, the mysterious Madame Alizeh, arrived at the palace the day after Sebastian and the others did. They had yet to leave, opting to set up shop in the previously abandoned temple for House Vaya. Karuma Kasai and her advisors made frequent visits as well. Every seat of the council was filled now. Olivier assumed the role of head of the council for the time being.

The Prophecy of Eight warned them of war. It predicted the bloodshed and casualties they'd suffered since the Order of the Black Lotus embarked on their quest for the artifacts. This war was in full swing now. More battles would occur until they reached a resolution. More magicians would die. It was a certainty at this point.

Sebastian clenched his jaw at the thought.

He'd do whatever he could to stop that from happening, but he knew there wasn't much he could do. Sacrifices must be made if they were to defeat his father.

The man was different now. He saw it in the man's empty, black eyes. The Thorian Tedorof he once knew­—the man who raised him, the man who molded him into the person and magician he was today—had been destroyed, corrupted by the power he sought for years. Makaela told him Mauvorin entered his soul. He believed her.

She had changed as well. Lumi resided within her, much like how Mauvorin lived within his father. Parts of the girl he once knew were still there somewhere, but they were buried beneath the new power she was struggling to control. Workers around the palace often noted how she'd aimlessly wander the city for hours. She rarely spoke anymore. Only Dorian managed to get a few words out of her.

Sebastian thought it best to keep his distance.

Things were different now.

He didn't know how to feel about it. Having Imogen around helped. When the nightmares jolted him awake at night, she was there to hold him until he fell asleep again. When the stress of the council meetings made him want to explode, she listened to him rant until his throat went hoarse. She was everything he needed—and more. But he still couldn't shake the guilty feeling he got whenever that golden-eyed girl crossed his mind when he was with the ordinaire.

He couldn't help but wonder if things could've been different for them.

Had she never joined the Order, would they have been together?

Thoughts like those were useless and painful to dwell on, but he couldn't help himself. He hoped today's council meeting would be enough to distract him from such questions. At the same time, he wanted to remain inside his room in the dark and stare at the walls.

But he couldn't. He had a job to do.

Sighing, he grabbed his black coat from the back of his bedroom door, tugged it on, and stepped out into the dewy, morning air.

#

He met Imogen, Ajax, Siren, and Remy on his way to the Eldenarian Palace. The quartet had been on their way out of the cafeteria when they found him. It was rare he ate breakfast with them. It was rare he ate any meal with them. Most of his time was spent between the council room, his bedroom, and the dueling grounds.

His most recent fight with his father urged him to expand his skills. He'd barely managed to overcome the man for more than a few seconds. When they met again, he needed to be stronger. He needed to be ready.

"You look like death," Remy told him.

"Remy!" Siren scolded. She gave Sebastian a sympathetic look. "He's exaggerating. Though, you could use a haircut."

"Maybe some facewash too?" Remy added.

Siren smacked him on the back of the head.

Sebastian kept his face forward and continued his march toward the council room. Imogen walked alongside him. He spotted her watching her intently out the corner of his eye. Scolding himself internally, he took her hand and faked a smile.

"You don't have to pretend," she said so only he could hear.

He dropped his smile.

Other than his sister, she was the only one capable of seeing through his smoke screens. It made communication—or the lack thereof—a lot easier between them. He wanted to be more open with her, more vulnerable, but the walls he'd built up were stronger than he thought. With all that happened recently, they'd gotten even stronger.

She understood, though. He was grateful for her. Truly. Without her, he'd have gone insane a long time ago.

His friends stopped at the steps of the council building. Sebastian faced them with his hands deep in his pockets.

"Keep me updated on what's going on in there, will you?" Ajax asked. "I've gotta check in on the Eldai. I keep getting reports of monsters lurking around Castle Braexus. Karuma's been getting weird sightings around Koishi too."

Sebastian nodded.

Ajax and Siren shared a kiss before the latter headed up the stairs. As House Aegeon's temporary representative, she had to get ready for the day's meeting as well. The ginger warrior headed off in the other direction once Siren entered the building.

"Make sure Sebby gets some sun." Remy hid his mouth behind his hand before half-whispering, "Your boyfriend always looks like he's seen a ghost."

Sebastian snorted.

Imogen stifled a laugh. "I'll be sure to do that."

Remy's face softened as he looked at the black-haired magician. "And cut yourself some slack, Sebby. You're doing the best you can."

While the words were meant to be encouraging, they only served as a reminder that his best might not be enough.

Dropping his eyes to the floor, he gave the boy a slow nod. Remy shuffled his feet uncomfortably before heading off, likely towards the palace's library. They'd be hard-pressed to find the boy without his nose buried in some spellbooks.

Sebastian glanced at Imogen. She said nothing, but she didn't have to. The girl stepped up to him and planted a tender kiss on his cheek. He closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the feeling of her soft lips on his skin for a moment.

"I'll come to see you after, okay?"

He nodded at her. "Okay."

With that, she turned on her heel and left him at the bottom of those steps. Once she disappeared, he faced the entrance of the Eldenarian Council building. The double doors looked more like menacing guards than anything. With a shake of his head, he walked up the white stairs.

There were more people inside than he'd seen within the building in a while. Workers from every house, bar House Tenebris milled about, carrying out their side missions given to them by their respective leaders. Robed monks from House Vaya fluttered past like the wind while rowdy battlemages engaged deep in conversation ambled past him. Magicians from House Aegeon, House Oseda, and House Doragon stopped to thank him for all his hard work. He also caught a few nods of acknowledgment—and perhaps approval—while making his trip to the main council room in the auditorium.

He said nothing to any of them.

Keeping his head down, he sped through the halls on his way to the council room. He took a back route, hoping not to come across anybody else in an effort to avoid more uncomfortable exchanges.

He passed by a courtyard in between two abandoned rooms. Standing within the enclosed garden were Makaela and Dorian. They stood inches away from each, speaking in hushed tones as they held hands.

Sebastian found himself watching from behind the corner, his face reddening as they continued their conversation. A few seconds later, Dorian sniffed the air. The werewolf turned his head in his direction, prompting him to flatten his back against the wall. Sebastian cursed under his breath. He prayed they didn't realize it was him.

"Sebastian?"

Shit.

Shouting curses at himself in his head, he stepped out into the open. He rubbed his neck sheepishly and mumbled an apology.

Makaela peered at him curiously. Her eyes had returned to normal, but the godliness still radiated off her like rays from a burning sun. Her usually untamable hair had been designed in an intricate array of braids across her hairline before spilling down her back in neat ringlets intertwined with gold coils.

She was as beautiful as ever.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

He was getting tired of this question. Still, he answered with a shrug.

"We'll figure out a way to beat him," she said after a while. Things were as bleak as ever. For all their sakes, he hoped she was right.

Rubbing the goosebumps on his neck, he jerked a thumb at the rest of the corridor behind him. "I've got a council meeting to get to. We'll, er, catch up later."

She opened her mouth to reply but instead decided to simply nod.

Jamming his hands back into his pockets, he turned and continued his journey.

#

Upon stepping inside the council room, Sebastian knew something was off.

Everyone else sat in their seats, stares trained on him as he cut through the center of the expansive chamber. As he looked for his chair, he discovered the change—the black throne of House Tenebris stood in the center of the semi-circle of royal seats. House Lumai's was to its right while House Brynir was to its left.

He arched an eyebrow at Olivier.

"Who moved my chair?"

"We had a discussion before you arrived," the Lumaian said.

"You started the meeting without me?"

Olivier chuckled. "No, Sebastian."

Catherine smiled at him. "While we waited for you to arrive, the topic of who should lead—or continue to lead—the council came up. We all agreed to let Olivier remain in power, but..."

"...but I had another idea," Olivier finished. He gestured at the black throne in the middle. "Please, Sebastian, have a seat."

He didn't move. "No."

"No?"

"I failed. The mission on Castle Braexus did nothing but force the Shades into hiding. I went to Lumi's tower and couldn't stop my father from stealing House Vaya's artifact." Madame Alizeh's expression hardened at the mention of her house's stolen relic. Sebastian shook his head. "I'm not ready for this."

"For once, the Order of the Black Lotus is on the back foot," Chieftain Naidini argued. "Because of you, we took their base. Their forces are scattered without a place to convene. We've got eyes everywhere in search of their next base. If they make a move, we'll know."

"You also saved Makaela," Siren added. "She's the key to taking defeating them. We still have the Illumio. If we keep that safe, Thorian won't be able to complete his plan."

"Or, rather, Mauvorin's plan," Madame Alizeh said.

The council nodded.

"You're also the first person I've ever seen ride a Stormkiller," Karuma said. "My magicians brought me something today that they wanted you to have." She stood up from her seat and retrieved the object that'd been hiding behind her red and gold throne. She pulled the cover off it, revealing a sparkling egg that seemed to be made of opaque ice.

Sebastian stared at it in awe.

"The Stormkiller's cave had this in it. It trusted you, for whatever reason. I'm sure it would've wanted you to take care of its offspring in its absence."

He approached Karuma's chair and took the egg. It was cold to the touch. Containing his excitement, he thanked the woman. He didn't know the first thing about raising dragons, but he'd do his best to take care of the Stormkiller's baby. It was the least he could do.

He took another look at his seat.

"The dragon knew it," Olivier said. "We know it too. It's about time you did as well."

Sebastian couldn't help but feel like they were wrong about him. Maybe the prophecy got it all wrong and he wasn't the King. But then Jorgen's words echoed in his ears. The memory of him overcoming his father—even if it was for a few moments—replayed in his head. He remembered the vision he shared with his mother. He lifted his chin proudly.

No.

The prophecy wasn't wrong. They never were.

This was his destiny.

He took his place on that black throne. With his dragon egg sitting atop his lap, he took a long look around the room. A relaxed breath left his lips. The rest of the council smiled at him. For once, he smiled back.