“It’s the end,” Cassia’s voice sounded calm. The weight of loss had finally shattered her stubborn, young spirit. She held onto her brother as if her hand was the only thing keeping him among the living.

Imber lay on the ground, his chest heaving fast, and his parched lips greedily grasping for oxygen, no longer capable of satiating. He lost warmth. The spark of life, sustained only by sheer force of will, faded away.

“I always knew what to say to you, and now all the words have flown out of my head. You taught me everything I know, but forgot to tell me how to say goodbye,” Cassia murmured, lowering her head as shimmering crystal-clear tears cascaded from her lashes.

A rasp escaped Imber’s throat. Mustering the last shreds of strength, he pushed away his sister’s hand.

“How could I not know your wish? Yet still, I won’t leave,” Cassia declared, clinging to her brother’s sweat-soaked tunic.

“May I stay?” Suri’s question lingered in the air, unanswered. Carefully, she knelt beside the brother and sister. What had this person been like when he pulled her out of the Labyrinth? And why did he never look at her with the same gaze again?

“I never got the chance to ask him about it…” a thought flickered in her mind.

The eternal sleep descended upon the warrior’s consciousness, and his breathing became more steady, calm.

“I must thank you,” Suri broke the silence. “Oh, if only there was a way…”

Suddenly, Suri’s voice trailed off, her eyes widened, and she stared at the bracelet. Most of the brown blood had been smeared onto her clothes or flaked off, revealing the smooth, snowy surface. At the center of the bracelet lay a pearl - the core of the neophyte.

“How did I not think of this right away? What if…” spun in her mind. The bracelet warmed, sensing its owner’s attention. The thin white tendrils straightened out and hungrily reached toward Imber.

Suri recoiled as if scalded.

“Do you crave blood again?” she addressed the bracelet, pulling her hand as far away from the warrior as possible. And the Thorn coiled around her wrist.

“I must save him,” declared the blood mage. Cassia whimpered, and a new pair of salty tears trailed down her velvet-sun-kissed cheeks.

As if anticipating those words, the Thorn writhed like a snake before the girls’ eyes and pierced Imber’s body. The man screamed in agony, his lips stained with fresh blood. Something searing penetrated his body, causing unimaginable suffering, surpassing any other pain. Yet, this pain soothed the warrior’s consciousness. If he could feel it, he was still alive.

Cassia wasted no time; she aimed the dagger at the blood mage’s throat, leaving a red streak before halting.

“What’s the point of stopping me now?” Suri inquired. Cassia’s hand trembled, and the tingling sensation on her neck made Suri uncomfortable. But she couldn’t afford to distract herself.

The pulsating bluish flame, guided by the blood mage’s gaze, roamed over Imber’s body. His screams tore through the air, morphing into agonizing moans. The dagger flew aside, and Cassia threw herself onto her brother, writhing in agony. As the pearl reached his maimed hand, it ignited, finding a new sanctuary.

With a squelching sound, the Thorn tore itself from the wound, leaving a trace of fresh blood on Suri’s hand.

Imber’s heavy, gurgling breaths ceased. He lay motionless.

“What has it done to him?” Cassia whispered in horror, her gaze fixed on the crimson-stained bracelet.

“The Thorn gave something to your brother,” Suri replied, pointing to Imber’s rising chest. “Look, he’s alive. Just unconscious.”

Cassia rushed forward, pressing her ear against her brother’s chest. The rhythmic beating of his heart brought a sparkle back into her eyes.

“I thought it could only take,” Cassia said, pressing her palm to her lips. Her eyes burned.

“It’s remarkable that he managed to survive for so long without the core. Knowing your brother, nothing will prevent him from healing now. He won’t be fighting for his life alone.”

***

Imber had recovered from the effects of the “silver blood.” Within a few days, the regeneration of his hand was visibly noticeable to the naked eye. His body absorbed before ineffective medicines threefold.

The news of the blood mage’s awakening ability spread throughout Azur.

“How significant is the influence of the core on the bodies of hunters? Its loss leads to death, yet its presence brings them back to life,” Suri contemplated as she headed towards the Archmage’s workshop.

The recent days had been unexpectedly tranquil. So much so that she had allowed herself to forget about the looming meeting with the Judge.

With her usual gesture of patting the warm stone wall, the girl strode into the darkness of the opened passage, only to come to an abrupt halt. Something was wrong. The cluster of crystals on the ceiling emitted a glimmer, providing scant illumination to the expansive workshop. And within this inhospitable darkness, someone awaited her.

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The chill seeped into the girl’s skin, and the cold air caught unpleasantly at her throat.

“Is it always this cold here?” Suri pondered, shivering. She began to inch backward, seeking refuge within the safety of the secret passage.

“Stop,” commanded a deep male voice, its authority compelling her compliance.

“Why can’t I run away?” she marveled. “What is it about this person that exerts such a powerful influence over me?”

Suri glanced toward the origin of the voice and discerned the silhouette of a tall man. He folded his arms across his chest, assuming a casual stance. Nothing seemed different from their previous encounter, and his black-eyed stare likely retained its piercing intensity.

“What was that? Was he wearing jewelry?” Suri noticed something unusual, but the glint disappeared so swiftly that she scarcely gave it a second thought.

“Greetings, the Judge,” the blood mage forced her lips to part. Her voice sounded hoarse, devoid of any joy at the encounter.

The man remained silent, as was his custom.

The atmosphere thickened, making it difficult to draw breath.

“Suppression? But why can’t I perceive anything? Or is it something different?”

The air shifted, a glimmer caught her eye in the darkness, and only after did her ears catch the sound of a drawing blade. The steel flashed ominously from the left, descending swiftly.

With no time to spare for contemplation, her body responded instinctively, as Imber had taught her. Her knees bent, and Suri lunged to the side, narrowly evading the attack. Training swords rested on a rack to the right of the entrance. Grasping the cold hilt, she assumed a defensive stance.

The Judge refrained from striking. Instead, he circled behind the girl, guiding her away from the exit.

Not trusting her life to her sight, Suri strained her hearing to its utmost limit. When she heard the scrape of massive stones, she abandoned any idea of running away.

“Why don’t I feel the thirst for blood? It only makes this situation even more unnerving.” Cold sweat trickled down the girl’s spine, her hands and legs quivering with tension.

“No judgment?” Even to Suri herself, the question seemed absurd, but little else came to her mind in that moment.

“I’m attacking,” the voice matched the figure’s appearance, as if it didn’t belong to a human of flesh and blood. The Judge’s blade emitted a mournful ring as it traced a bright line on the stone floor.

Gritting her teeth, Suri braced herself to parry the next strike. Immense force crashed down on her, pushing her back. Her hands numbed to the point where the blade clattered against the ground. Her legs gave out, and she stumbled, collapsing along with her weapon.

“Not enough,” the indifferent male voice reached her ears.

The dull and relieved training blade transformed into a perfect weapon in his hand.

The refreshing scent of a frosty morning filled the workshop, and the pressure crushed Suri’s chest. A familiar sensation enveloped her. Yet she still couldn’t discern any cores in the Judge’s body. Or he didn’t have one.

“Who would’ve thought I could have something in common with him. But that’s all. Even if he’s not serious, the gap between us is too vast.” The Judge remained unchanged, his blade surging towards its target.

“And is this my limit? If this is all, then what the hell was I planning to do in the Labyrinth?”

In a fleeting moment, Suri, without even realizing it herself, raised her hand in a familiar gesture. Her lips parted, uttering “Shield.” A dense barrier enveloped her body just as the deadly blade reached her neck. Sparks sprayed into her face, singeing her eyebrows.

“It couldn’t even withstand a single strike,” a sad smile appeared on her lips. “Yet I managed to subdue the rune.”

In that moment, something strange occurred. The blade, piercing through the barrier, passed by her shoulder. Suri gazed at her opponent, aware of the instant when liquid gold filled his black, soulless eyes. The unforgettable gaze of those golden eyes, haunting Suri in moments of doubt, looked at her with despair, and she found herself entranced by their brilliance.

The Judge turned away, severing the connection woven between them.

“Tomorrow,” he pronounced, jolting the girl from her vision.

“What?” Suri startled.

The Judge tossed aside the training blade and repeated, “Same time tomorrow.” He turned and headed towards the exit. And as soon as he stepped across the threshold, bright light flooded the workshop. Even the light seemed to fear this man.

***

“So the Judge has returned?” Imber inquired. The Council disbanded his squad and stripped him of his captaincy, but he remained a hunter. Every spare moment, he dedicated himself to training, recovering forgotten abilities, and adjusting to new ones. Sensitivity had returned to his hand, but his reaction time and agility lagged behind. Otherwise, Imber appeared much improved. His sun-kissed skin radiated from within, and his gaze harbored a newfound determination.

“Why wouldn’t he kill me immediately?” Suri had pondered this question, her eyes drawn to her wrist.

“He won’t,” Imber responded, his voice trailing off. Memories resurfaced, and he shielded his eyes with his hand. “Not yet, anyway.”

His assurance sounded too certain.

“You’re aware of something,” Suri said.

Imber kept his hand over his face, reluctant to delve into past affairs.

“You’re not alone in your knowledge,” the girl pressed.

Eventually lowering his hand, Imber fixing his gaze on the blood mage. His amber eyes widened.

“You deserve to know,” Imber eventually conceded, returning to his training. But his movements seemed overly precise, overly absorbed. “I’m familiar with the laws. How couldn’t I be, when the Judge take this title from our father.”

“What?” Suri’s thoughts raced, her words tumbling out.

Imber raised his hand, stopping any further questions. “That man doesn’t matter. What’s important is how you’ll deal with… the Thorn?”

Suri nodded, encouraging Imber to continue. “Previously, the owner of a similar item posed a threat not only to blood mages but to all Azur. He nearly destroyed the Heart, claiming to hear its will.”

Suri’s breath hitched. “And then what happened?”

“During a duel,” Imber stated in a single breath, “a nameless wanderer, who escaped the Labyrinth, effortlessly claimed that accursed title.”

All words fled Suri’s mind, leaving only sympathy lingering on her tongue. It felt almost cruel to express pity to someone whose posture was so resolute.

Imber’s gaze drifted around the workshop, refusing to settle on any detail. His thoughts wandered into the past before finally fixating on the bracelet.

“You’re behind the other mages. It’s fortunate your abilities have finally awakened,” Imber commented.

“Except for the three of us, no one knows exactly how I saved Imber. And as long as I don’t use the Thorn, the Judge isn’t a threat to me,” Suri thought.

“Then why did he come?” Suri voiced her last question aloud, inadvertently.

“The Judge won’t take your life just because the Heart left its mark on you,” Imber said. He gave Suri’s shoulder a reassuring pat and made his way to the exit.

“What about our training?” Suri called after him.

“It seems you have a much more capable teacher now. And I need to make up for lost time,” Imber waved his hand in farewell. Though he tried to conceal it, the pain of the past still lingered within him.