Behind the massive stone doors of the Council chamber, Cassia awaited. Since their last encounter, the spirited girl looked better, now adorned with a light blush on her sun-kissed cheeks. Upon spotting the blood mage, she awkwardly clasped her hands.

The blood mage appeared pale and worn-out, as if she had endured the same punishment as her servant. The head of the Council was capable of cruelty and more.

“I seem to have no idea where to go,” Suri broke the silence. “Could you show me the way?”

“Would you prefer to see your new room or the training grounds?”

“Weren’t you so eager to introduce me to someone? Have you changed your mind?”

Cassia looked up, scarcely believing her ears. It wasn’t a figment of her imagination; the formidable blood mage gazed at her with a faint smile.

“I obey,” she inclined her head, concealing the tears welling in her eyes.

Finally, within this heartless stone prison, someone was willing to listen to her pleas.

Without hesitation, Cassia hastened toward the western gates, her steps quick as though fearing her companion might change her mind at the slightest delay. Words of supplication poised on her tongue, ready to spill out at the smallest sign of unfavorable circumstances.

Her expectations were futile. Immersed in their thoughts and concerns, the aera and her servant silently proceeded toward the barracks of the Warrior’s Order—a large, rounded building with thick, pointed walls, resembling the silhouette of a griffin-turtle. They crossed spacious training halls, resonating with the sounds of clashing steel and the scent of sweat and blood. As they delved deeper into the cold corridors, their surroundings grew quieter.

Cassia’s older brother inhabited a secluded room in one of the many branches off the main corridor. Its interior mirrored Suri’s chamber: a stone bed, a lone chair, and a soft, pale-yellow light emitted from a crystal embedded in the wall.

The owner of the quarter lay on the bed in an unnatural, uncomfortable position. The servant leaped to her brother’s aid, assisting him in adjusting. Their near proximity only underscored their striking resemblance. The man possessed the same warm, appealing appearance. While Cassia exuded a mischievous charm in her facial features, Imber had inherited a masculine, resolute determination. Grimacing in pain, he pressed his teeth together, and yet his light-brown eyes, fixed on his younger sister, radiated only tenderness.

“You still haven’t learned,” a pleasant male voice rang out. “The beast targets those…”

“Those who move with the quickest steps,” Cassia concluded and continued, “But there are no beasts here.”

“They appear everywhere, perhaps just of different kinds.”

Imber shifted his gaze to the unfamiliar woman frozen in the doorway, his attentive amber eyes had focused on her pale face.

“A blood mage,” the man declared. “What brings you here?” Lips pressed together, brows furrowed — he harbored no desire to see any of those mages near his sister. There was no need to expect a greeting.

Suri strode into the room, gracefully settled into the sole available chair. The rotten odor failed to deter her, and the subtle undercurrent of threat emanating from the skilled warrior couldn’t shake her resolve.

Carefully cradling his right hand, the man adjusted himself into a more comfortable position. It was evident that he was keen on expediting the guest’s departure. His movements seemed somewhat constrained, reminiscent of an aged mechanism in need of oil—unexpected for a physique presumed to be robust.

[A pitiable sight], echoed a velvety, lazy voice. [The creature, or what’s left of it, won’t survive the next descent.]

Suri inquired, [What’s happening to him?]

[Dying. There’s nothing more to add.]

[But he’s clearly not dying because he chose to be a sacrifice for you.]

[Of course not. No resident has suffered from that,] Shug sneered. [The bodies of the creature are too fragile, and any excessive efforts lead to consequences. The inevitable result.]

[There’s something wrong with his hand.]

“Show me your body,” Suri stated emotionlessly.

If the man felt surprised by the sudden words, he didn’t show it.

“Your word means nothing to a hunter,” the man retorted, adopting the girl’s tone.

Cassia bit her lip, suppressing words of protest. As much as she longed to intervene, it was beyond her discretion. Those talking were no longer her ward and brother but a blood mage and the captain of the hunter squad.

Suri frowned, recognizing the external resemblance that belied the divergence in temperaments between the apparent relatives. With a tilted head, she delved into deep thought, resolute in her commitment to keep the promise she had made.

“Your hand is dead,” slipped from her lips. “And your sacrifice to the Heart is meaningless.”

The uttered words hung in the air. A stillness gripped them, each person frozen in place, as though the slightest movement might endanger their lives. The tension reached its zenith.

“Cassia, leave,” the warrior snapped. The veins bulged on his cheeks, and his breath quickened.

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“I want…” the girl began, but the captain’s open palm immediately interrupted her babbling. The servant swiftly exited the room, closing the door behind her. With the same hand, the man gestured for the guest to proceed.

Suri approached, carefully lifting the cloth that barely concealed both the smell and the terrible condition of the person on the bed. The disease looked especially gruesome on his swarthy skin. The warrior’s right hand had taken on an unnatural silvery-gray hue, as if something other than bright red blood flowed through the veins—a hand more akin to a corpse than a living human. The foul smell indicated the onset of tissue necrosis.

“I won’t apologize for the unpleasant sight,” the warrior said with a wry smile. He instantly shifted moods, as if flipping a switch. He drew a dagger hidden in the folds of his clothes, pointing the blade at the slender neck. “How do you know about my power?” The wary gaze of a cornered being.

Engrossed in the spectacle of mangled flesh, the blood mage remained still. If the man intended to kill, he wouldn’t have displayed his weapon. The same question intrigued Suri. What were the chances that her guess hit the mark? Otherwise, how could she have known that there was no more magic in his body?

The girl frowned even more and reached out towards the warrior, closing the distance. The flat side of the dagger halted her just a moment before she would touch him.

“It’s still not so easy with you,” he uttered, discarding the useless weapon to the side.

“We met before?” Suri squinted in puzzlement. Nothing came to her mind. Only the unusual color of his eyes vaguely reminded her of something.

“My squad pulled you out of the Labyrinth,” Imber`s words sounded detached and somewhat gloomy. “But it would have been better if we never touched you. Then everything would have ended differently for the squad… and for me.” There was no hatred or anger in his gaze. Something or someone decided without his consent or the blood mage’s desire.

“Do you know what happened to me?” Suri exclaimed, emotions pressing on her heart, causing it to beat wildly. Barely restraining herself, she resisted the urge to grab the warrior and shake him.

“Tsk, blood mages have always been self-interested. You haven’t answered my question.”

“What? Oh, your powers. I’m not sure. It was more of a guess,” the girl retorted.

The warrior shrugged and turned an indifferent gaze to the door. Was he going to end the conversation like this?

“It’s about your aura. Or rather, its complete absence.” Her words brought the man’s attention back. She lowered her gaze, afraid to see his reaction to the following words. “What makes others powerful… You no longer have it. So sacrificing yourself to the Heart is pointless. You’re empty. Therefore, there’s nothing to give.”

Suri fell silent, waiting for Imber to burst into laughter. But he didn’t find her nonsense funny. Curiosity grew. The girl cautiously raised her gaze, meeting a blazing stare.

“That accursed descent didn’t foretell difficulties,” his voice finally sounded. “Approximately a dozen days earlier, I received the task of clearing a known route and checking for beast traces. The squad stumbled upon an unmarked passage - a dungeon’s pocket. At first, I thought we were damn lucky. Yes, we could not expect to find artifacts or other treasures. But the squad might chance upon a lair, or worse, unearth a passage to the lower level. Everything was going too smoothly, too easily,” he smirked. “Imagine our surprise when we found the wanderer’s sarcophagus. You.”

“I don’t understand! How did I end up there? Why?” The girl’s voice trembled with excitement, words flowing from her mouth, urging the warrior to continue.

And his lips stretched into an understanding smile. “I can’t give an answer to your question, but I can say for sure that you shouldn’t have been there. In all the time we’ve been studying the Labyrinth, there has never been anything in the pockets. It’s a dead end, and even the beasts avoid them.”

What the warrior revealed was overwhelming for Suri. A storm of emotions completely took hold of her mind. She couldn’t think straight. The girl stared into space, seeing absolutely nothing in front of her.

“I…” she hesitated, “… must go there again.” With each spoken word, her voice sounded firmer. “I must see that place with my own eyes.”

“Well, I can show you the way, but by the time you come into your full power, I’ll already be dead. How unlucky. Neither for you. Nor for me to find you.”

“What do I have to do with you?” Suri questioned.

The warrior glanced at her. The soft features of his face looked harsh, aggressive. But no threats emanated from him anymore. No matter how much the captain suffered, he did not hate the pitiful girl.

“The beasts keenly sense the slightest fluctuations of power in the Labyrinth. And a surge during the awakening of a blood mage could not go unnoticed. Almost all beasts gathered for a sweet prey,” the warrior closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Painful memories came to life in his mind. “At the cost of my own future, I was lucky to save at least part of the squad… and you.”

“Thank you…” The word immediately got stuck in her throat and burned unbearably.

“Oh no,” Imber interrupted her. “I don’t need that from you at all.” His gaze fell on her trembling hand. “No one survives ‘the silver blood.’ So, just tell me how much time do I have?” He didn’t dare to look into the blood mage’s face, as if Death itself sat in her place. The answer was both sweet and terrifying.

Suri was oblivious to the putrid smell that filled the room, her entire focus on the warrior. Just like in the dungeon of Shug, she witnessed the flickering lights. The pale fireflies, rising from his skin, lost their final glow and dissolved into nothingness.

When the aura finally extinguished, Imber’s life would fade away. What had ignited the power in his body no longer existed.

“No. Be silent,” the man ordered. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Will you ask not to tell anything to your sister?”

“It’s too late,” the warrior smirked, leaning on the edge of the bed.

Suri spun around, her eyes widening in disbelief. The door was slightly ajar, enough for the light from the wall crystal to illuminate a rebellious chestnut strand of hair.

The servant was no longer hiding. She slammed the door open, bursting into the room. Anger distorted the mischief that was previously present in her eyes. Hatred was so evident on the servant’s face that Suri had to close her heart. Her face turned cold, devoid of any emotions.

“How can you be so cruel?! If not for you, my brother wouldn’t be in such a condition!”

“Silence!” Imber intervened, his gaze stopping his sister’s hysteria. “Don’t lose yourself. She is still a blood mage.”

“If they are so powerful, let her save you. She owes you her life!” Resentment ate away at Cassia from the inside, erasing the boundaries of her composure. She exerted considerable effort to convince the blood mage. So why is Suri refusing now? Why doesn’t want to save him? No one wants to.

“You know as well as I do that your confidence in the miraculous abilities of a blood mage is grounded solely in hope. Your determination brought me here. But now you must cease and concentrate on what truly matters. Time is running out,” stated Suri. She should not stay here any longer.

Suri rushed out of the door and down the corridor. Her soft boots made almost no sound. Or perhaps her heart was pounding so loudly that it drowned out everything else. Suri couldn’t wait any longer. She needed to leave Azur at once! Everyone and everything here demanded the impossible from her. She was not a blood mage. She had no abilities. So why she forced to go through these trials?

Suri’s feet carried her through the castle. People passing by parted to make way for the blood mage, not daring to stand in her path. Their faces, however, remained unseen, as tears blurred her vision. The person she sought was a mystery, and she stopped dead in her tracks. “But where could she find the Judge?” flashed in her thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, Suri wiped away her tears. She had had enough. She went to where she could feel better, where everything was familiar.