The Spire’s light had long since vanished, so the crystalline chandeliers hanging from the ceiling along the hallways of the High Tower had lit up. Ash narrowed his eyes as he looked at them while walking. The mana in and around the crystals was dim, much dimmer than before.

“Rest for tonight,” Ira’s voice rang in his mind as his somewhat exhausted steps carried him to the dorms. “Do not speak of your allegiance to the Prince to anyone, and make sure to keep your friends close. You will need their aid, their allegiance. Do not walk this path alone, lest you get lost.” Her voice was heavy with sorrow when she said those words before sending him on his way. They weighed heavily on his heart.

He eventually arrived at the dorms. The door to the common room was closed, and he couldn’t hear anything from the other side. Perhaps Maya and the others had gone to sleep – it was quite late. He reached for the handle, but his hand hung in the air as he hesitated.

What was he going to tell them? Did they know of what happened? Surely not, word couldn’t have reached them so fast, could it? Hesitation filled his mind as questions whirled within his mind.

Then he grabbed the handle and pushed the door open.

The common room was illuminated by the ever burning flames in the fireplace. The dancing flames created odd shadows that moved along the walls. Ash shivered, it reminded him of the shimmering woods. Of the creatures that stalked during the night, whose shadows he could only glimpse.

He turned around and closed the door. It creaked, startling him. In the silence of night, even that low noise sounded so clear and loud.

Footsteps reached his ears from the two narrow hallways behind him.

“Ash?” Someone whispered.

He turned around to see Maya standing at the corner of the hallway, wearing her nightgown and a cloak. Her crimson hair was quite messy, and she looked like she had seen a ghost.

“Hi, Maya.” He awkwardly smiled. “Sorry for waking you up with the door.” He should have been a bit gentler with it.

“It’s ok, never mind that!” She wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and approached him. “We were worried sick about you, after the news of… well, a disaster that happened in the Shimmering Woods.” She smiled, with a clear look of relief in her eyes. “Damien even wrote to his grandfather since the Northern Gate is closer to the Shimmering Woods. He was asking for a search party.” Her eyes suddenly widened. She shot a glance at the hallway over her shoulder. “You’re probably exhausted though, we can talk tomorrow. You’re… you’re fine, right?”

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Ash nodded. “I’m ok.” He felt fine. Great even, though he wasn’t sure why. After Ira’s cleansing, he didn’t feel so sluggish anymore. It was easier to keep his thoughts collected, and his mind focused. The weird emotional swings he had been feeling had subsided mostly. “I’m just exhausted, I’ll tell you guys everything tomorrow.” He lied. “Sorry for worrying you.”

Maya smiled. “Get some rest.”

The bed was small, and the room was cramped, but it mattered little as he sat upon the bed cross legged. The boy had long since fallen asleep, so his mind was dormant, dreaming of… well, something. He could learn if he wanted to, but he cared not for a little human’s dreams. Besides, they weren’t his to look at.

He looked at his hands, one gloved, one not. He ran his fingers through the golden blonde hair. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to her. A truly kind soul – perhaps the kindest he had ever met. Did she mourn? Or was she glad upon his death?

His thoughts even surprised himself. Why did he care for a human’s thoughts? A human who was probably ashes and dust by now. But still, he remained curious.

Should he rummage though this child’s memories, he wondered? Perhaps he knew of his ancestry. What if he was a descendant of hers? He hesitated for a short while, then let out a sigh and shook his head. No, he could ask, when the time was right.

Instead, he leaned his back against the wall, let his leg dangle from the bed and raised his hand to his chest, palm facing up. He willed the mana heart embedded within this child’s body to appear.

A pale, dark purple coloured crystal formed above his palm. Black streaks of mana swam within, and a few specks of white light were visible. To the unknowing eye, those would seem like the reflections of light.

He lifted the pendant with his other hand and let mana flow into it. This child was weak and had little potential for a member of the golden race. His training was far from adequate, and though his mana pool was quite impressive, he lacked the knowledge and experience to utilise any of it.

Once the pendant was full of grey, colourless mana, he hid it under his shirt again, then let the mana heart vanish from sight. He had always found it odd that humans could so easily just rip a part of them out and showcase it to the world, but it came naturally to him as well.

His gaze lingered on the low ceiling for a while as he finally let his body relax.

He had so much to do still, but he needed to recover his strength first. He scowled. He needed the child to grow stronger, to nurture his mana heart. He awkwardly summoned his mana – a ball of grey floated in his palm. It was easy to control the mana, but exhausting, nevertheless. Just like any form of strength, the ability to control and command mana needed to be trained as well.

He cycled the ball of mana, letting it vanish into his skin. He nourished his body with it, slowly doing away with the exhaustion. He kept at it until dawn, reminiscing about the past as he did so. His hand clenched around the pendant as he whispered a promise.

“I will avenge you.”