A few days later, Noxaura looked longingly at the mirror, lost in thought about something far beyond.

A new fear. A feeling Noxaura hadn't felt in ages. She'd only felt empty in the years after her son's birth. And she wished that the feeling would leave her if she killed her son. That's what started it all, wasn't it?

She was finally trying to get some joy, but her comrade had struck her down.

'You did deserve it,' she heard a voice in the back of her head.

She knew that her actions were against the will of her leader. But she had her own annoyance about how Liran had treated her in the past. She was finally getting her vengeance. He left her after promising he would never leave her side. She would never forgive him for that.

Her only source of power was taken away from her. Her only way to get rid of the pain was now gone from her hands.

But where was the proof? What if her comrade was just testing her?

It all made sense like a spark of light in the darkness of her soul.

Noxaura had a new idea in her mind. A new outlet. A way to rid herself of all this pain and the darkness that was piling up inside of her.

She stood up and walked to the door with a smirk on her face. The earlier fear was far gone. Cyprian was just a vessel of her power. Her comrade couldn't change that even if they wanted to. That was the true nature of the magic that was trapped inside her.

Her power was always different from anyone else's. It was different from the 'light' that radiated from the normal magic users. Her magic was an incarnation of its own creation. A piece of the grand puzzle of magic. But she'd always have it in her possession. With it, one day, she would gain immortality.

And no one could take that away from her.

She was suddenly startled out of her thoughts when there was the appearance of someone at the door. She looked up to see a confused Cyprian at the door.

"Nox," Cyprian said as he walked into the room and scratched his head.

Noxaura's gaze suddenly turned tame. She calmed the flames that were scheming within her, and she smiled. Despite her fear, she maintained her gaze as calm and collected as she could.

"What is it?" Noxaura asked gently as she moved up to Cyprian's side.

"Why are all the guards cowering in fear when I pace through the halls?" Cyprian asked in confusion, "I barely remember anything of the past years, like I've just woken up from a dream."

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"You don't remember anything?" Noxaura asked, mildly shocked on the outside but wholly shaken from within.

Her comrade had actually done it. It was no joke. Cyprian had returned to his state from before he was under Noxaura's control.

Inside her mind, she was scrambling for an answer and how she could unleash her powers.

She was a prisoner of herself. She couldn't get out.

She wanted to swear and curse her comrade for doing this to her, but she knew there was no time to waste.

"I'm not sure," Cyprian said and scratched thoughtfully at his greying beard. He was undoubtedly growing old but not old enough to forget everything that happened. His brown eyes were confused, like something was missing.

Noxaura took her chance, made her way up to Cyprian's side, and gently placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Not to worry, I'll make sure that you'll remember," Noxaura said gently. She looked up at her husband with a gentle smile hiding the vicious creature beneath.

She took her chance and willed a tiny bit of her power into Cyprian. Just like she would have with her blood bond before they had severed it when the magic ban was introduced. It would be enough to ignite her connection to his mind but clearly noticeable if the link were broken.

Cyprian jumped back within a moment as the jolt of power went through his veins like lightning.

"Nox!" he shouted and tossed her aside. He was furious, and all the earlier confusion had left him.

Noxaura was only grinning and glaring at Cyprian.

Finally, something that is worthwhile, she thought to herself.

"How long have you been doing this?" He was shaken as he withdrew his sword and stuck it towards Noxaura's chin.

"Oh, it took you long enough to notice," Noxaura said and laughed. She'd lost her mind a long time ago. There was no place for pity for the man in front of her.

"Do you really want to fight a weak woman?" Noxaura asked as she played with his mind. She knew his thoughts. Everything of his had been in her hands for years. She knew his every breath. Cyprian was too weak to fight a woman.

Cyprian was shaking, and his blade was easily knocked away by a flick of Noxaura's wrist, and she pulled out a knife of her own. She ignited it and struck out towards his neck.

"Why---Why-w-ould---you--do this?" Cyprian asked in pure horror and fury. He was shaken and almost fell to his knees.

"That devilish creature we call our son made me lose everything. And you bastard have never had the heart to rule," Noxaura said, and she swore under her breath.

"We did everything for Jayden, Nox. It was all to protect him," Cyprian said as Noxaura moved closer towards him and her blade toyed at her fingertips.

"No. You both took everything I had. The Nox you loved is long gone," Noxaura said, and she held the blade tightly.

She was barely shaking, but her palm was sweaty, and her knuckles were white.

She was marking the end of her suffering.

She stabbed the blade right through Cyprian's chest. Straight through his heart.

Her face was cold and calculating, with no fear and no emotion.

"Goodbye, Cyprian," She said as she turned to see her husband gasp for his last breath, and his eyes remained wide open in shock.

He went limp all of a sudden, and blood pooled around him.

Noxaura didn't have time to deal with any of this. She covered the stains with bedsheets before pushing the corpse under the bed.

Thank you for finally ridding me of my burden, she thought.

She donned her blood-red cloak and pocketed her knife crusted with Cyprian's blood.

Although she felt relief, there was a strange twinge at the bottom of her chest. She couldn't explain it. It was almost like a forgotten soul was tugging at her in pain. She couldn't identify it. So she decided it was best she ignored it.

One opponent down. Two more to go. She thought as she strolled out of her chambers with a slight smirk.