“So…” mumbled Shaden.
Shaden eyed the petite girl who was standing beside him, about two meters away, hands carefully placed on top of her black dress. Her expression was relatively blank, and she blinked at Shaden’s words.
“Yes?” she replied, her voice smooth like silk.
“Your name is Eilae?”
Shaden looked up from his book and set it down on the table. Her presence made him a little unsettled; she had been doing nothing but stare at him for the past few minutes, not saying a word. She stood there like a servant in waiting as if she had forgotten that she was a guest.
She nodded, her straight, long silver hair slightly swaying from the motion. Her expression remained serene, and the more he looked at her, the more she reminded him of a doll.
It disturbed him. He expected that she had come from a somewhat prominent household (though he wasn’t sure how exactly influential his own family was) which would explain her lady-like attitude. But she lacked the elements a young girl should have; the air of naivety, a sense of weakness. Indeed, she was a doll, created to please the eye. And it made him…uncomfortable. Not too much, but it tugged at him from the back of his mind.
A difference in culture? Was that what it was? His aunt had become a completely different person too during their meal. From a somewhat wild character into a calmer, refined type. He had almost raised an eyebrow, but her sharp glares had shut him up.
“You should sit down, Eilae,” he suggested. There were plenty of chairs around him.
She nodded again and took a seat a spot away from his. She then stared at the air in front of her in relative silence.
Shaden returned to his book and continued to read. A Different View of Light and Shadows. Apparently, light created by magic could dispel its counterpart of shadow magic, and the dominant spell would be the one with the greater mana or intricacy—
He put his book down again. After blinking his eyes at the air, he turned his head to the girl, who had been sitting there in silence.
“You’ll be taking the trial tomorrow, correct?”
“That is what I heard.”
“Are you nervous?”
She shook her head. “I’m sure my abilities will support me.”
“I see.”
There was a moment of silence while Shaden thought of something to add to the conversation.
“Do you know what it’ll be like? The trial, I mean.”
Eilae’s eyebrows rose slightly. “I’ve heard that it requires defeating a monster.”
“The monster. So you—”
She knew about it?
“—know what it looks like?”
She shook her head again. “It’s been said to be terrifying.”
“It definitely is.”
There was a subtle glimmer in her eyes as she looked at him. “Have you taken the trial already?”
“Yes. A few years ago.”
“How wonderful. What was it like?”
“Well—”
He stopped. His grandfather had told him to keep quiet.
“It’s a secret.”
“I see.”
She sounded a little disappointed but regained her atmosphere in an instant. She then continued to stare blankly into the air.
Defeating a monster? That wasn’t what Shaden had been told. He had been surprised without warning when he had been forced to run away. He frowned as he returned to his book and concluded that the contents of the trial were probably a little different. She was older and probably very capable.
“By the way, you were from…House Varbois. Am I right?”
“House Veurbois,” she corrected.
“I see. How old are you?”
“Nine.”
“Are your parents assassins too?”
“Not quite. Diplomats and politicians, really. Though it’s not like assassination hasn’t been used.”
She had said it with a perfectly straight face, this nine-year-old girl.
Shaden held his hands together with some nervousness. “Have…you ever killed someone?”
“That’s a weird thing to ask.”
“Ahaha, I guess.”
Shaden let out a weak laugh and sighed internally. His aunt had always told him about how in the old days, you wouldn’t be considered an adult until you killed your first man. She had said it half-jokingly though, but he had still been worried. Thankfully, they hadn’t run into bandits yet.
“I believe murder is unsophisticated.”
“Oh? I thought so too.”
“It’s much better to ruin their names than killing them directly. Then, they will destroy themselves.”
“What?”
“Murder results in evidence, and with modern spells, they can be detected. But magic cannot detect politics, fortunately.”
What?
The girl blinked twice after she noticed the look Shaden’s face. “I apologize. I had forgotten that the magic of your family is untraceable.”
“Oh…of course.”
Shaden didn’t know how to reply.
〄 〄 〄
It was the dark of the night, and the moonlight illuminated the outdoor courtyard of the castle that was suspended above the endless chasm of the mountain. Weirdly enough, even though the chill of winter surrounded the mountain, covering the land with a layer of white snow, the mountain remained free of ice. The mist that surrounded it never dispersed, though its thick presence was invisible from the inside. Even now, Shaden couldn’t believe how clear the sky was. The stars sparkled like bright crystals, the constellations of an unknown world clearly stretched across the dark.
The air was still cold, however. He tightened his cloak around him.
He heard someone’s footsteps approach him but didn’t move. He wanted to enjoy the view for as long as it could. It really made him feel like he was somewhere special, in a dream of his desire. Somehow, whenever he lay on the grass on the courtyard in the night, he felt at peace, and his mind felt calm. Was it the stars? The moon? The gentle wind from within the mountain? He wasn’t sure. He just knew he liked it.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it,” breathed Lytha. “One of the few fond things I remember from this castle.”
She sat down besides Shaden and leaned back on her arms. “What are you thinking about?”
“……many things, actually,” replied Shaden. “Hey, aunt Lytha...is etiquette important?”
Lytha’s lips curled unnoticeably as she looked up into the sky. “Is it because of today?”
Shaden nodded. “You felt like a completely different person.”
His tutor let out a small laugh. “Appearances are important. You should remember that, Shaden.”
He crossed his arms. “I know. In front of guests, in front of villagers, in front of guards…you act differently.”
“You’ll learn it in time. After you turn ten, that is. Right now, just focus on your training.”
“That girl seemed like she was perfectly composed though.”
“Hmm…her family is quite different from ours.”
“How so?”
“She has grown up learning different things than you.”
A series of thoughts ran through Shaden’s mind.
“Hey, aunt Lytha…what exactly does our family do?”
From the techniques he learned and the conversations he heard, they definitely had their hands in some life-ending jobs. But his aunt had never killed anyone in front of his eyes. Though she joked about it, she had never encouraged it.
The silence that persisted after his question was deafening.
Finally, Lytha opened her lips.
“We deal with people that others cannot deal with. When people ask for our help, they are trading a life for a life.”
Trading?
Shaden cleared his throat. “I was wondering…just how influential is our family? Eilae looked like she was some kind of high noble.”
“It’s because she is. As for us…let’s say not many people know of our existence.”
“……Like this mountain?”
“Like this mountain.”
Shaden breathed in deeply, and the cool, fresh air filled his heavy lungs. “How come a high noble like Eilae acts so…”
He paused to find the right word.
“Unassertive? She was following me around the whole time until one of the servants came and fetched her.”
“Perhaps it’s because she had nothing to do.”
“Well, yes, but I expected her to be haughtier.”
He looked at his aunt and saw a small smile on her lips. But he waited for his tutor to reply to his statement; there wasn’t much he could say. He was clueless in these matters.
“They are our retainers, the Veurboises. Along with three other families.”
“Three…others?”
She nodded.
“And Veurbois is one of them,” he asked.
“Yes.”
“What are the other three?”
A gust of wind blew through the grass, making Shaden shiver. But his aunt, who seemed to be clothed in a thin, black dress, displayed no signs of discomfort.
“First, there are the Jakhar Kishaks, then the Nieuts, then the Seines, and finally, the Veurboises,” she said, calling them one by one.
Shaden sighed. “I’m lost.”
His tutor lifted her hand and placed it on Shaden’s head, rubbing it.
“You’ll learn it with time. You will only be seeing the Veurbois girl for now.”
“Meaning I’ll meet the other families too?”
“Yes. Once you take your position as heir to the family, you’ll have to greet all of the Heads of the four Houses. Or rather, they’ll come to greet you.”
“I see.”
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The two of them lay on the grass, enjoying the calm of the night.
“Lately, I’ve been seeing more people inside the castle,” remarked Shaden. “Has the castle always been this populated?”
“Most of the time.”
Shaden stretched his arms out and yawned. “I was really surprised when I met Grandpa. I couldn’t sense him at all.”
His aunt didn’t reply, so he closed his eyes. When he opened them back again, she was gone from the courtyard. She always disappeared like that, waking him up whenever she wanted, vanishing when something came up. He let out a sigh and continued to gaze into the sky.
The more he interacted with his family, the more questions he had for it.
〄 〄 〄
Eilae looked over the items on top of her bed.
“Needles, daggers, poison—"
She frowned and put the vial of poison to the side. She had heard from outside sources that poison did not work on the monster.
“Fan, lightmail, rings—”
No. Her rings were probably useless against a big monster. They would just get in the way of her throwing. She also put them aside.
Eilae went through her equipment properly, making sure everything she needed was there. She was in comfortable pajamas as of now, but tomorrow, she would have to wear her long dress again. She ran her fingers through the seams of her long dress to make sure there weren’t any torn areas. It would be disastrous if her equipment fell out through the pockets as she moved around.
She put the things she didn’t need into her sizable trunk and fastened the lid. The lock clicked shut, sealing the suitcase with mana powered by a small crystal on its inside. Quietly, she lifted the trunk off of the bed and put it next to her shoes. The rest of her equipment, she carefully placed it on the table next to her bed.
Her heart thumped slowly.
We expect great things from you.
She clutched the long, silver necklace on her neck which was etched with intricate patterns, complete with an ornament that stored the full length of the necklace. Carefully, Eilae slid her fingers on the edges of the ornament. It was as sharp as ever, and she let it go in satisfaction.
The only window to the outside was a small, polygonal hole that was carved out of the side of the wall. She hadn’t noticed any windows from the outside, so it had caught her attention. The castle was a mysterious place and its residents even more so. Her siblings had been partially correct.
Sleeping early was necessary for her to perform her best tomorrow. She laid down on the bed smoothly and pulled the blankets over her. Her necklace delicately rested on her bosom. After whispering a small prayer, she closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
〄 〄 〄
“She isn’t eating with us today?” asked Shaden. “Eilae, I mean.”
His grandfather eyed Shaden and sliced his food. “She requested that she skip breakfast to prepare for her trial. Are you worried, perhaps?”
“…a little,” Shaden replied after swallowing.
Today too, he had woken up on his bed even though he had fallen asleep outside. It truly was a mysterious thing. He had been trained to wake up when he felt a presence, but it looked like it still didn’t work within the castle. Maybe he had been too lax.
“Have you taken a liking to her?”
Shaden squinted his eyes. “Well…maybe? She seemed like—”
He cleared his throat. “An interesting person.”
“An interesting person.”
“Yes.”
He looked away from his grandfather and coughed. “When will she take the trial?”
“Around two hours from now.”
“Grandpa, her trial isn’t the same as mine, is it.”
The old man took a sip out of his cup. “No. The contents of it are slightly different. In fact, you were supposed to take the new trial yourself.”
“Really?”
“First comes escaping. Next comes eliminating. But my boy, you did both when you were six.”
“You mean—oh.”
He still recalled the monster’s chilly laugh and whip-like hair tentacles that sliced trees in half like butter. The fear he had felt when it had chased him through the night, appearing out of nowhere to frighten him—it was a fond memory by now, but a disturbing one, nevertheless. One that had shown him a glimpse of his family’s true nature.
“She won’t become hurt, will she?”
“No. It’s for children, after all. The magic will not be that intricate.”
Shaden stabbed his fork into a piece of meat and plopped it into his mouth. His aunt wasn’t present; she hadn’t come to eat since their first meal. He assumed that from all the bad things she had mentioned from her childhood, she preferred not to share the same table with her father.
He observed the room—the only people who were inside were him, his grandfather, and the masked servants who stood in their places like statues. He felt less like a stranger now, but there were many things that were distant to him. Like the eerie silence that filled the dining hall, broken only by a clank of silverware on a dish or the occasional conversations between his grandfather and himself.
A lonely contrast to his home in Danark.
〄 〄 〄
When Shaden realized the knock that came from the back, he had already swept halfway through his book. He set the book down and looked towards the source of the noise. A masked servant stood in front of the room’s threshold.
“Yes?” said Shaden.
“The trial for Miss Veurbois is about to begin. You have been summoned to come and watch.”
Shaden put his book down and got off from his chair. “Do I just follow you?” he asked.
The servant nodded, so Shaden approached her. When he was around a meter away, the servant turned back and began to walk away. He followed her like he was supposed to.
He had never seen anyone take the test besides himself. There weren’t many children—actually, he was the only child in the castle besides the new girl that had come. There were children, but all of them lived below the mountain with their families. Come to think of it were they ever allowed to venture outside?
Shaking his head, he put his thoughts aside.
They descended some stairs and turned some hallways. Eventually, they were in front of the large area that was behind the castle gates, where all of the chariots and carriages came to drop off their things when they were summoned.
He spotted his grandfather, whose icy expression loosened into a smile when he spotted him. Shaden bowed in respect as he approached. There was a small black carriage behind his grandfather, pulled by two horses with black manes and yellow eyes. And scales on their stomachs and the end of their legs.
“Come, my boy,” called his grandfather, and Shaden left the servant to take his spot next to him. His grandfather patted his head.
“Where’s Aunt Lytha?” he asked.
“She has gone already to prepare for the trial,” stated his grandfather.
“It feels like she’s avoiding you,” blurted Shaden before he could think. Realizing his blunder, he looked up to his grandfather’s face, but it had remained unchanged.
“Maybe. I was disliked by my children for many years.”
“But you’re such a great grandfather!” was what Shaden said to ease the darkening atmosphere.
His grandfather laughed heartily and stroked Shaden’s head again. “I am trying my best.”
Shaden internally let out a sigh of relief. But…he couldn’t help but feel that his grandfather would be lonely sometimes.
From the back, there was a series of heavy footsteps which thumped on the stone floor in unison. Then out of a broad corridor, four masked servants emerged, carrying a giant box around five times their sizes. Yet, they seemed unfazed by its weight. Together, they moved perfectly like robots and set down the giant crate on the platform with wheels behind the carriage.
“Is that…?” began Shaden, pointing towards the crate. Instinctively, he began to circulate and instantly felt the ominous mana radiate out from the box. It felt worse than he remembered. “That’s the monster.”
“Indeed. Now, Shaden.”
His grandfather motioned towards him to enter the carriage, which he did. His grandfather entered after him, and the door closed shut. Someone shouted something from the outside, and everything began to move.
〄 〄 〄
“…peace…calm…serenity…”
A series of whispers echoed through the dark. A girl in a black dress was kneeling on the cold floor, uncaring of the dripping sound of water or the cold wind that blew into the cave-like area. It had used to be a place where contestants would await their matches, and it still was—just used much less frequently.
Her eyes were closed, and her soft lips continued to mumble words of affirmation. Her silver hair gleamed dully in the dark. Two servants stood behind her, ready to respond to her needs. But she had none, not for now. Her tools were prepared within her pretty dress.
She had considered wearing a hat, but it would get in her way. So, she had tied her hair up into a bun, wrapping it with a black string and some clips.
“Hey, miss.”
She almost yelped as someone touched her shoulder. Keeping a straight face, she looked back. A beautiful, mature lady, also in a black dress, stood behind her. Her soon-to-be master.
Eilae smiled. “Your skills of stealth are peerless as ever, madam.”
“I had thought to surprise you. The Veurbois are still excellent with facades, aren’t they?”
“I appreciate your compliment.”
To someone else, this could have been an insult. But between the two families with a long history of being intertwined—the Limens knowing some of their deepest secrets—it was nothing less than words of praise to a talented young girl.
Lytha walked around the girl slowly, her steps never making a sound. “I am starting to see why they sent you. There was a time when I visited your family when I was a girl; a very fond memory, I recall.”
“I have heard of it.”
Lytha stopped moving, but Eilae wouldn’t have known either way.
“I hope for your success. Shaden needs someone his own age, after all.”
“I would be honored to train beside the heir.”
“Oh, he’s not the heir yet. But I’m sure that’s what your family would have wished for.”
Eilae gave her a perfectly innocent smile, her eyes still closed. “We are always—”
“Yes, yes, I know. I just came here to say good luck. A word of advice: try not to freeze.”
There was a small whistle of wind, and when Eilae opened her eyes, the lady in black had vanished from the area, her presence completely gone.
“I suppose they will arrive soon,” she said to the servants.
“They are entering the arena,” replied a masked servant.
Eilae took a deep breath.
〄 〄 〄
Shaden got out of the carriage and followed his grandfather. All around them were pale rocks that looked like ancient, mossy marble, littered around the area.
“Is this some kind of ruin?” he asked. The servants were following behind them, four of them carrying the giant crate again.
There was relatively little mist here as they had traveled quite a distance away from the castle. Trees surrounded the ruins, and at the end of the stone path, Shaden saw some structures protruding out from the ground.
“The family arena back when some questionable things were popular,” replied his grandfather. “Its only use now is for trials.”
“Huh…”
The area looked like it had been bombed. Large stones were scatted everywhere, and Shaden thought he caught something that looked like a shattered head from the corner of his eye. The place gave off an eerie pressure, and the soundless footsteps of his grandfather and servants didn’t help.
They passed between two large pillars of rock, and a large arena displayed itself in front of Shaden’s eyes. Stone stairs descended towards the flat surface of the area, and four cave-like entrances surrounded the area like entrances to a colosseum. If there had been walls to separate the arena from the seats, they were gone now. Along with the seats. They looked more like rubble now.
However, he spotted some simple chairs in the distance, and sitting in one of them was his aunt.
“You’re finally here,” stated Lytha, her arms crossed over her chest. Her father took the center seat next to her, and Shaden sat down on the seat next to him. The servants who were carrying the crate marched to the front, and taking a leap into the arena, landed on the right side of it. They set it down on the ground, and in an instant, disappeared from the area.
The servants came and surrounded the arena. Finally, when everything was still, his grandfather opened his mouth.
“Eilae Veurbois,” he called out with a thunderous voice, “Step outside.”
From the cave-like structure on the left, a small figure of a girl emerged into the open. She walked a few more paces before stopping and turning towards Shaden’s direction. Then she bowed.
“I, Eilae of House Veurbois, have come to take the trial of recognition,” she called out in a clear voice. “I am ready!”
Shaden watched as his grandfather nodded. “Then, begin.”
One of the servants jumped on top of the crate. Then placing his hand on the top of the box, unleashed a wave of mana into it. The box rumbled, and the servant jumped away.
Something began to click and groan from within the structure as if its bindings were coming loose. Then slowly but surely, the top of the box began to shudder. From Shaden’s point of view, it began to lift. He spotted something red inside and shuddered at the wave of malicious mana that diffused from it.
“It feels…eviler,” commented Shaden.
“Why, of course. It has been instructed to kill.”
What?
Suddenly, the top of the box flew off, and a mass of hair spilled out from the inside like a volcano let loose. The long strands of black spread outwards, clinging on to the sides of its cage. Two red eyes arose from it, staring murderously at its surroundings. Then it caught the target in front of it and let out a bloodcurdling growl.
Like an octopus, it slithered out from its home and stepped lightly onto the ground, its eyes locked on to the little girl. They were far apart as the arena was large, but Shaden knew of the monster’s speed.
“She won’t…die, will she?”
“If she’s been properly trained, no.”
Shaden gulped and looked at the girl.
She was trembling.
Oh no…
〄 〄 〄
She hadn’t expected this. The monster’s appearance wasn’t anything special, but the dreadful mana that came out from it—
She recognized the feeling. Murderous aura, fear-inducing aura. Her legs had no choice but to buckle and weaken. Her chest felt as if it was tightening around her, her lungs cramping up from the stimuli. The monster slowly approached her, eying her like a hungry beast. She bit her lip and moved her hand into her dress.
But her face remained calm. Her expression was the one thing she could control perfectly.
So it has come to this.
The mana within her washed over her veins as she whispered a spell. Instantly, her mind felt clearer, and her body felt like it was no longer being interfered by the monster’s mana. Eilae took in a deep breath and straightened her legs.
Now that she had gotten over her fear, she could analyze the monster.
Black, long hair that protruded from the center of its body, if it even had one. It controlled them like tentacles, slithering across the floor towards her.
Pushing her feet off of the ground, she began to run. The monster reacted to her movements, becoming even faster, its limbs now swiveling around as it dashed towards her.
“Uphh, hah!”
With an intake of breath and mana, she threw a needle at the monster. But the projectile harmlessly embedded itself into the hair, showing no effect. There weren’t any signs of flesh on the creature.
No wonder they said poison would be ineffective.
She decided to cut away at the hair until she noticed that the hair was making cuts on the stone floor. It was definitely stronger than metal.
How was she supposed to defeat it?
Her mind raced as she continued to run. She heard a gasp from above as she jumped away to dodge one of the monster’s strikes, rolling on the ground to conserve her mana output. She had a time limit. First her stamina; secondly, her mana. Since she was continuously using mana to block off the monster’s interference, she had to put more consideration into the mana she used. Simply, she couldn’t rashly attack the hair.
Weaknesses. She had to find its weaknesses.
But it was nothing but hair and eyes! Perhaps…the eyes—
She blocked off a sudden whip-like strike of hair with her metal fan and threw another needle at the monster, this time aiming for its eyes. She knew her guess was correct the moment the monster retaliated to protect its red eye.
Mana Core. Its eyes looked like mana cores. How would she get past the hair? The longer the fight lasted, the worse her situation would become, unless the monster had a limit too. That amount of energy—seeing as the hair was being controlled by nothing but mana—would quickly deplete its resources. And she doubted anyone would use a high-grade mana crystal just for an expendable monster.
But she wouldn’t take any chances.
The monster angrily screamed as it jumped to her, and she knew she had her chance. Increasing the flow of her mana, she prepared herself. Her eyes glued to the enemy, she grabbed her dress.
The monster roared in pleasure as it ripped into its target but let out a cry of confusion as it realized that it hadn’t hit any flesh. But the torn pieces of cloth flew into its eyes, covering them, and it desperately tried to rip them off, flailing its limbs everywhere.
Finally, its vision restored, it looked around. There was nothing in front of it.
“GARAHHAHA!”
An ear-splitting shriek filled the arena as two daggers each plunged themselves into the monster’s eyes. Then like a robot disconnected from its battery, the hairs all fell towards the floor, limp like dead leaves.
From the pile of unmoving hair, a small figure looked up. Eilae’s face had a weak smile on it, and she attempted to bow to the Elder. However, her legs buckled from the relief of completing the trial.
Shaden couldn’t believe what he had just seen. The girl had ducked underneath the monster, grabbed its hair, and had crawled up its back while it had been blinded. Then when it had been still, trying to find its prey, she had stabbed it.
“Splendid!” commented his grandfather.
Splendid, indeed, thought Shaden. His aunt had already jumped down to the arena and was helping the girl up. Underneath her dress was something like spandex, covering her body in a thin layer of black.
His grandfather stood up and walked down to the arena. Shaden followed after him.
Eilae was trying to be as respectful as she could, but the lack of her dress made it look out of place. A servant quickly came and covered her body in a black robe, and she nodded in gratitude. The weather was very cold, and Shaden was glad that she didn’t remain bare.
“Well done, young Veurbois. You have your father’s makings.”
“I…thank you.”
The old man nodded and turned back.
“Have a feast ready,” he told one of the servants. The masked servant nodded and quickly moved to fulfill his orders.
The trial was over, and Shaden had gained a new companion.