Year 3918 of the Almanac of Ages, Kingdom of Solstice capital Whirich.

Elynor Thorne

High on the wall behind the desk hung a portrait depicting three people. On the left stood a tall, slender man with an icy gaze and blue eyes that pierced right through your soul. His face showed not a hint of emotion, his well-groomed hair and expensive suit displaying all his nobility. On the right, an incredibly beautiful woman with golden hair gathered in an elaborate bun, her perfect skin marked by a sickly pallor. Her face bore a wide smile; she seemed very happy. The wheelchair she sat in appeared not to affect her at all. In the center, a young girl with her mother's golden hair and her father's spectral eyes.

Taking the small kitten that was in my lap, I lifted it up toward the portrait. "See, Mr. Snowflake, that's me in the center from five years ago. Wasn't I beautiful? Well, I'm even more beautiful now, obviously," I said, starting to pet the little kitten. "Ah, don't worry, no one can be more beautiful than you. It's a shame you weren't around when we had this portrait made, otherwise you would have been in it too." I continued petting the tiny black ball of fur.

"Elynor, stop playing with the cat and pay attention to me," a hoarse voice caught my attention. Looking up, I saw him sitting behind the desk, impassive as always. The man from the portrait. Annoyed, I replied, "At least the kitten is cute and cuddly, unlike you." Then, raising my hand and pointing at his face, I added, "You should work less. Are those dark circles I see? With wrinkles too? And I see some white hairs. You work too much, you should take a break." Meanwhile, the little cat decided to jump onto the desk and doze off on the papers.

He remained impassive, as always. Without changing his tone of voice, he continued speaking as if I hadn't said anything. "Have you done what you were assigned? I shouldn't need to remind you of the importance of your task."

Taking the bag I had left beside the chair, I pulled out my notebook. I flipped through a few pages before reaching what interested me. "The assignment you gave me, after identifying hybrid forms of creatures infected by demonic energy, involved researching and implementing solutions to limit the spread of this plague. Two weeks have passed since then." I turned a few pages before putting it back in my bag. "I, along with the council members, have found solutions that will be tested." I paused before continuing. "But I can already tell you that they won't satisfy you. They aren't decisive solutions; we can't really stop it if we don't understand how it spreads."

I expected a reprimand or criticism, but none came. "Fine, we'll discuss this in more detail later. That's all. I have work to do now, you can return to your duties."

I stood up and took my bag. I expected more detailed questions, but better this way. I really didn't want to meet with him. Before leaving the room, I stopped suddenly. I had forgotten something. I quickly turned back and returned to the office to get the kitten that was sleeping on the desk. I picked it up carefully and held it in my arms as I walked into the hallway.

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The family palace has always been very large; I've always seen it as a huge waste of space. There are rooms in this place that haven't even seen the shadow of a guest. As I walked, the servants made way with a slight bow.

Soon I arrived at a door on the top floor. I took a deep breath and knocked. After a moment, a gentle voice asked, "Who is it?" Taking another breath, I replied, "Mom, it's me, Ely. I'm coming in." Behind the door was a small painting studio with a large window that offered a high view over the surrounding area.

Sitting in a wheelchair, busy painting, was a more mature version of myself. As I approached, I saw her put down her brush. "How lovely to see you, you haven't been here in such a long time."

Taking a chair, I sat next to her. "I came here to inform father about the assignment he gave me." Perhaps the annoyance in my voice was too obvious.

I saw her push her chair to turn toward me. "Ely, don't be too hard on him. Things aren't going very well in the kingdom. His role as prime minister puts him under tremendous stress. Try not to be too hard on him."

It was a conversation I didn't want to have right now, honestly. "I understand that well, but it doesn't justify everything." With a smile, I added, "But I'll try not to be too mean."

"How are you?" She seemed weaker than before, her mana in her body was unstable as always.

"Never better, I think I'm recovering." She was lying; you didn't need to be a mage to see it, the deathly white of her face was enough.

We continued to talk about this and that until I couldn't bear it anymore. Seeing her like that was painful. I stood up from the chair, holding Mr. Snowflake a bit tighter than usual. "Mom, I need to go now. I'll come back soon." She smiled, as always, but I noticed it took more effort than usual.

Leaving the room, I quickly crossed the palace corridors. Too big, too empty, too everything. I needed air.

I moved to the palace courtyard, my favorite spot when I wanted to be quiet. I sat on one of the stone benches under the large tree that father had planted years ago, when this place wasn't yet so... cold. Mr. Snowflake immediately settled in my lap, focused on his favorite toy.

"You know, Mr. Snowflake seemed like a funny name to give to a black cat. Now that I think about it, it seems stupid." A brief, bitter laugh escaped me. "Well, it doesn't matter. I don't think anyone would dare call me, Elynor Thorne, acclaimed magic prodigy and only daughter of the prime minister, stupid. Quite a long title, isn't it?"

I raised my eyes toward the Arcanum. From here you could see it perfectly: its white walls gleaming under the afternoon sun, towers that seemed to touch the sky, magical crystals creating plays of light on the polished surfaces. My home, in a sense. More than this palace, at least.

"Those old relics keep loading me with work. If I do everything, what are they there for?" The kitten, as if understanding my frustration, gave a brief meow. "Oh, it's such a shame I can't take you with me, but I might lose you. Then you might unfortunately encounter some mage who needs a cute kitten for their experiments. I can't allow that! Some of my... colleagues have very particular ideas about what's acceptable for research."

The sound of heavy footsteps on the pavement interrupted my thoughts. An Arcanum guard was running toward me, white armor with its intricate golden details reflecting the sunlight. This wasn't normal - Arcanum guards never run, not if they can help it. His face was red and his breathing heavy.

"Miss Thorne," he began, but had to pause to catch his breath. "An urgent communication from the Arcanum, an emergency meeting has been called and your presence is required immediately."