Even though we’ve properly greeted them, Reginald does not dare to lift his head, as do I.

“Ah, and here I was under the impression that the boy was a commoner!” The voice is smooth, silky, unpleasantly so. It can’t possibly be Sirius’, so it must belong to the one the announcer called Silas, The Veiled Fang.

“He’s simply mimicking the Lockwood boy.” A female voice answers, this one unmistakably belonging to Selena, impassive as ever.

Silas’ voice booms throughout the throne room. Unlike Selena, who’s voice is soft and insidious, when Silas speaks, he means for everyone to hear. “Still! You must admit, his bow is quite proper!”

“...No, his head should be lower, his knee less bent, and the fingers of his palm should coil over his collarbone. Mediocre at best.” Selena retorts, her tone flat.

“My, aren’t you being too harsh?”

“...Mediocrity fails to see itself.”

I cannot see them, my head still lowered, but as those words leave Selena’s mouth, I sense a palpable tension filling the room, like storm clouds gathering in the sky.

“Whatever do you mean, sister?” Silas’ voice drips with feigned confusion.

“I believe you know exactly what I mean.” Selena replies without missing a beat.

‘Are they…arguing?’

A dry chuckle escapes from Silas’ mouth, but the smoothness in his voice never fades. “Perhaps you’re still sore about last week? I had to intervene, my dear sister, or the entire ordeal would have been blown out of proportion!” He pauses, his voice sharpening. “And besides… you were able to take out your frustration on that woman… Lauren Flake was it?”

‘Maestro Lauren?!’

Selena clicks her tongue, sharp as a whip crack. “You knew the task had been given to me by Father. You had no right to-”

“Enough.”

With one word, the hall itself shudders, and two of the most exalted figures of this world fall silent, unable to speak any further. Even though it was not directed at me, I also find myself pressing my lips even tighter than they had been, bound by the order.

“Raise your heads.” The voice commands.

Reginald is quick to heed it, but with a hand, I push his head down, preventing him from raising his gaze.

Sweat beading on my palms, I manage to string a sentence together. “I’m…afraid I can’t do that your…excellency?”

‘Is that even the right way to refer to him…?’

The announcer, who has not yet left the room, shouts, admonishing me. “How dare you refuse a direct command of the Grand Patria-”

I imagine Sirius must have signaled for him to step, but since my head is still lowered, there’s no way for me to be sure.

“Why do you refuse? Do you not fear me?” He asked Adam the same, his tone still taunting.

I do my best to steady my shaking voice. “Quite the opposite, to be honest. With all due respect, Grand Patriarch…sir, those eyes of yours are deadly. If it’s between you killing me for disobedience, or me going insane by following your order” I swallow, barely able to get the words out. “I like the first option better…”

Reginald whispers next to me, a stutter in his voice. “L-Lord Alden! What are you saying?! This isn’t someone we can disobey!”

I shush him with a firmer grip, and push his head down further.

I hear a scoff, or maybe two, whether it’s Selena, Silas, or Sirius, I do not know.

“Very well. I shall close them.”

‘Seriously??’

A moment passes and Selena’s voice resonates sharply from the left. “You may lift your head now.”

Still, I hesitate.

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In response, Silas’ voice resonates from the right. “Now, now, if it’s Father, you can trust him!” His voice slithers, coiling itself around my ears. “To refuse at this point would be the same as calling him a liar…and just your death alone wouldn’t be enough to pay for such an insult. So… why don’t you raise your head now?”

‘They’re not giving me a choice anymore…’

Even that first refusal was daring, if I were to hold onto the matter, it could spell my end. Remembering Tobias’ advice, I decide not to test my luck any further and slowly, I raise my head.

Finally I am able to once again see the throne in all its splendor and the two Virtuosos flanking it. I’d have expected them to wear a robe, or some sort of formal attire, similar to their father, yet both of them have diverged drastically in their choices.

Selena wears armor, but nothing like the reinforced bodysuit she had been wearing to fight Soulweaver. This one is more old-fashioned, bulky, and impractical, a relic of older times. The armor itself is in the image of the family, white and gold, and each piece is polished to a mirror like finish.

Her pauldrons are massive, sculpted in the shape of golden flowers that protrude outward, a blend of elegance and intimidation. The breastplate covers her entire torso, engraved with designs that surely bear a deep meaning. Beneath it, a long black cape extends from her shoulders to the floor, absorbing the light within the throne room. It ripples as she shifts, the only dark accent in an otherwise radiant set.

Silas on the other hand, dons a much more modern outfit. He wears a suit of pure white, and a black tie tucked beneath his waistcoat. An expensive looking golden watch is wrapped around his wrist and on his breast pocket rests a pin, not in the image of Melodica like the engraving on his father’s belt, but rather in the image of the FullCastle house’s crest, a three towered fortress behind an impregnable city wall. If Selena appears as a warrior, then Silas appears as a businessman, a very stark contrast.

Pulling me from observation, Sirius’ voice reaches my ears, and as I turn my attention to him, I notice that he has indeed closed his eyes.

His lips part. “Do you know why you still live, despite bearing a connection with that man?” He asks, his head resting against his fist.

I clench my fists, forcing my voice steady. “I… do not.”

He tilts his head, his expression distant. “I owed someone a favor. No more, no less.”

‘...A favor? Related to me?’

The words twist in my mind, still confused as to what that meant, but I decide to put that aside for now. “...Then what? Will you kill me now?”

Silas chuckles, the sound low and mocking. “Pff! So bold! So fearless!”

“If Father had wished for your death, he would not waste his breath informing you of it.” Selena remarks coldly.

Sirius raises his hand, silencing them both. “I had decided to allow you to find a solution… but in light of recent events, and in order to repay that favor at last, I shall make an offer instead.”

‘So he knew from the start…’

I breathe in, anticipating his next words.

He puts up three fingers. “Three months. In three months, you will be rid of the soul link, or you will perish.”

My eyes widen at the statement, and the blood drains from my face.

‘What?! I’m supposed to overcome a third stage in three months??!’

His statement seems final, as if that was meant to put an end to this meeting of ours. Perhaps the right choice here is to hold my tongue and comply, but I simply can’t do that.

‘This is no better than a death sentence!’

Contrary to my better judgment, I speak up. “...Again, with all due respect.” I glare at him, somehow feeling that he can still see me through his closed eyes. “That’s… impossible. I cannot undo that man’s ability in so little time…you might as well shorten the process and just kill me now.”

Selena steps forward. “You’re not being asked to undo it.”

Silas’ grin grows wider, his eyes glinting. “How amusing, truly!”

Selena’s voice breaks through his laughter, cold and precise. “According to Father, three months is the time it will take for that soul link of yours to devour you.” Selena unsheathes one of her instruments, caressing its edge with her hand. “Before that happens, I will sever the link between you and that fiend.”

I raise an eyebrow. “So then-”

Silas interrupts, a grin on his lips, as if he knew what my question would be. “The problem you see, is that this ‘soul link’ is like a snake with its fangs embedded deep into your soul, slowly poisoning it. If it is cut, there is a high chance that it will thrash around wildly in its dying moments, and even with our support, your weak pitiful soul will shatter as a result.”

‘A poisonous snake…’

I swallow hard as unease coils in my gut.

Selena sheaths her instrument with a quiet snap. “Therefore, in these three months, you will need to become powerful enough to withstand the backlash, or you will die.” She informs me, her tone final.

The weight of her words crush down on me, and a familiar shame twists my gut. I understand now, Soulweaver might have let me leave the forest that night, but from the very beginning, he was never planning to let me escape.

‘I’ve been naive, far too naive…’

That stops now. I look up, setting my gaze on each of them.

“That all makes sense, but… why should I believe you?” I scoff. “ You might be Sylvia’s family, but that doesn’t mean anything to me. You kidnap me, drag me here, bombard me with all these revelations, and I’m just supposed to… what? Take everything that comes out of your mouth as fact and walk off?”

Silas’ smile narrows ever so slightly, his eyes flashing dangerously. “...I’ve already warned you about calling Father a liar, haven’t I?” He says, his words chilling, like ice sliding into my veins.

“L-Lord, please! You must not anger him!” Reginald anxiously whispers beside me

He’s right, perhaps the smart thing to do would be to nod, leave and deal with whatever happens later, and yet, I do not back down. I’m tired of being at the mercy of others, to let them dictate my life. The burglar who killed my mother, Soulweaver, Adam, them.. And even when [it] prevented me from uncovering that other [melody]. My whole life has consisted of others dictating my path. No more.

The corner of my mouth curls upward. “I know what I said earlier, but you know what… I’ve changed my mind.” I jab my thumb at my own chest. “I’ll believe you but, I will be the one to undo this link before the three months end. I don’t need your help.”

I clench my fists harder than ever before. “Whether it’s Soulweaver, you, or anyone else, I won’t let anyone else decide what happens to me” My gaze is dark, resolute. “Not anymore.”

Silas whistles, clapping his hands. “Marvelous! I wondered why Father seemed so interested in this one, but I’m truly glad I decided to attend! What a display!”

Selena’s gaze is cold, piercing. “...Foolish.”

A silence hangs in the air, before Sirius finally speaks. “Very well.” He says, his tone calm, but intriguing. “Let’s make this a bet. In three months' time, if you haven’t rid yourself of the link, then I win, and we proceed with the original offer.”

I raise an eyebrow, not expecting the conversation to steer in such a way. “And if I win?”

Imperceptibly, although his expression had seemed distant until now, something tugs at the corner of his lip. “Then… I’ll grant you one wish.”

Without another word, He finally stands from his throne, the echo of his steps filling the room. “That will be all. You’re dismissed.”

----------------------------------------

Back in my quarters, I crash into my bed, my heart beating wildly. Across the room, Reginald slides down against the wall, his head clutched between his palms.

“We’re finished, we’re done for, it’s over. I’ve never even heard of someone being so disrespectful to them…” He mumbles, a tremor in his voice.

I turn my head to him and roll my eyes. “Relax, it’ll be fine…probably.”

As I return my gaze to the ceiling, memories start to invade. The image of Ray’s last moments, my friends bloodied and battered, my own crippled body, they all replay incessantly. I reach upward, as if clawing toward some invisible goal, and my fingers curl into a fist.

‘Soulweaver…Adam… just you wait…’