The chalice was full, and several stray drops slithered down the edges, getting stuck on the sharp crevices.

“Frenese!”

“Sleep, slumber, go back below.”

Finishing the incantation, they waited for the moving red light to disappear, and for the heavy atmosphere to dissipate.

Vina licked a trail of sweat that was going down her face. Her chest was still beating like crazy, but now that the summon was over, so was the danger.

“It’s finally over.” Bermu said.

Vina wanted to respond that they still had to find Syon’s mages, and that only after beating them, it would be truly over, but she didn’t want to ruin his parade. For now.

“I’ll get the chalice.” Taking a step outside the protective circle, he entered the formation.

She waited, but Bermu only took a few more steps before stopping abruptly. “I…”

“Bermu?” Vina asked, unconsciously gripping the staff with force.

The guy opened his mouth, closed it, and licked his lips. He was sweating a lot. “I-is there something to eat? I-I’m so hungry…”

Vina’s eyes widened. She didn’t need to order anything. All the mages still inside activated the staffs and the formation again.

Bermu didn’t say anything about their reaction, turning and pressing his palms against his stomach. “Why does it feel so empty? I… I don’t want to feel hungry…”

He sank his fingers inside the stomach, and started pushing his hand inside. “What is… what is the thing making me feel hungry?” Pulling his hand out, a string of guts was being held. “Not enough…”

“I can still feel the hunger eating me from inside.” Shoving the hand once again, Bermu rummaged inside himself, searching for the origin of the hunger.

Vina was panicking. They had been trying all the spells the formation possessed for dealing with these cases. Not only that, the safety measures for the Mergifari should’ve kicked in once Bermu impaled himself. But they didn’t.

“Not here…” Bermu said again, this time, pulling out his stomach, desperation in his voice. “Maybe… maybe the hunger is not down there…” Raising his bloody fingers, he pressed them against his eyes. “Maybe this hunger hides in the brain…”

“Stop!” Vina screamed.

It was for nothing.

…

Silence swept over the Selection Room. Kartal looked at Sirius Tarius. His previous smile had disappeared, replaced by a frown.

The Director moved her hand, reaching inside the illusion, intending to grab Bermu.

The illusion shattered, stopping the official mages from overseeing the pocket dimension.

“No!” A woman shouted. Kartal recognized her. Frillis Coaltheno, Bermu’s mother. “Did… did you get him?”

The Director didn’t answer, but turned her head toward the list of mages who were already out.

The last names were Ethra Graham and Alrai Siberetti, not Bermu Coaltheno.

Frillis slowly fell into her seat, not before glaring at Sirius Tarius. She couldn’t confront him, at least not while the Director was in the room.

But that didn’t change reality.

Her son was dead. Her son was dead, under the team Sirius assembled.

And that wasn’t all.

The novice mages on the formation didn’t notice, all busy paying attention to Bermu’s gruesome actions, but the official mages did.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

The book was opening.

…

Velvet was starting to grow suspicious. She had taken care of Ethra and Alrai, well, Alrai was mostly a team effort, but she refused to call it that, considering the victory her own feat. Not shared with anyone else.

Now, Dianthus, healed once again, had restricted himself to evading her chains while stopping her from getting away, putting her in a standstill. He was starting to act like a very annoying flea.

At first, she thought it was a very insistent way of recruitment, but, the longer it dragged on, the more worried she became.

Dianthus' actions made no sense. He seemed adamant about Velvet remaining where she was.

I’m wasting magic trying to catch him… She called her chains back, storing them, and stared at Dianthus in silence.

Sensing Velvet’s resignation, he couldn’t help but poke at it. “Where did all that dominance you were showing previously go? Was it a charade? Would you prefer me to be on the attack?”

She laughed, pissed off. “What do you mean, be on the attack? The same way you came here, just to be clapped by everyone? Your victories are just due to attrition.”

“Really? I would love to see you fight those two dudes alone, saying… What was the thing you said? Oh, yeah.” Dianthus cleared his throat, and separated his arms, making a dramatic pose.

Then, using a low, malicious, sensual voice, he quoted. "Tell me, guys. You've entered this maze with 206 bones each. Now… with how many do you want to get out? Personally, I hope you don't black out until I double them."

Velvet smile flinched. “I don’t talk like that.”

"Yes you do. Shut up, I’m not done. Ejem.” He continued quoting Velvet. “Don't worry, I won't break your fingers, so that you two can hold hands in the hospital."

“I barely broke anything. And I was just being dramatic.” She then shook her head. “Stop trying to distract me.”

“Not my fault you’re easy to distract. Oh.” Dianthus looked up, from one side of the sky to another. “Time’s up.”

Velvet saw Dianthus’ demeanor change, as if he was another person. His previous relaxed smile had grown a dangerous edge, and his posture had straightened.

Feeling on guard, she squinted at him, taking a step back. “Time for what?”

“I’m not telling.” He said, before laughing. “Just kidding. I need your cooperation, which is gonna be impossible unless I give you what you want.”

“So, let me tell you a story.”

…

After Dianthus told Velvet the prophecy, she stood quiet, pondering about it.

“You could’ve stopped it.” She said. “Just by telling the Director about what would happen before entering the pocket dimension.”

“And then what?”

“And then no one dies?”

Dianthus laughed. “For someone so merciless, you’re still very innocent. It's kinda cute, in a messed up way. No, I mean, after all that. How to explain the reason behind knowing about the future?”

“You’re the Chosen One, say it was a prophecy.”

“My point. I am the Chosen One, not the Prophet. Do you know where prophets end? Sealed in towers, so that their prophecies don’t end in the hands of their keeper’s enemies.”

Velvet understood Dianthus’ refusal to explain his actions, but that brewed another question. “What makes you think I won’t sell you? Or are you simply going to kill me once this ends?”

He scoffed, mocking Velvet. “Chains related to lucid dreams. Survivor of the surface collapse in Casrey. You have secrets. Not interesting enough to make the big figures move, but, if you sell me out, we will sink together.” Rummaging through his clothes, Dianthus pulled out some kind of file, resembling the ones Kartal gave her about the fifteen mages, tossing it to Velvet. “Until you can match gazes with the Mergifari’s big shots, you should never, ever break character. Because that’s when your freedom ends.”

The file had her name. Velvet went through the pages, her blood running cold.

Almost everything about her was there. When and where her Esca was opened, all the spells, knowledge and artifacts she possessed, weakness and strengths, details no one should know...

The few things that weren’t depicted were: anything about the Chained Man (it only said lucid dreaming, nothing specific), and Lothrigern.

She was almost relieved upon not finding information about those two. Of course, Dianthus had to run his mouth.

“Oh, they don’t know you have some relation with Lothrigern. But they will notice if you start doing things not on the file without a warning.”

“They were looking here until moments ago, right?” She referred to the official mages, to which Dianthus nodded. “Then what guarantee do I have that your previous… harassment won’t raise any questions?”

“Mmm? Oh, you meant that. Easy, the chain spell on your file. I like teasing mages with strange skills until they use them on me, before kicking the hell out of them, so it’s not a breach of character.”

Velvet finished reading, and closed the file, extending it towards Dianthus to return it.

“Don’t bother. Take it as a gift.”

He wasn’t being nice, he simply was quoting a section of the file:

Generating compliance: This mage is easily swayed with gifts. Neither compliments nor threats work.

Velvet sighted at him. She now understood Kartal, Alrai and Tristan’s behaviors. Just how many people had seen her file?

Dianthus mocked her face, continuing. “After all, it’s gonna be the last gift whose intentions you won’t second guess.”