Yansen stood nervously in his uncle’s study, watching as Lord Baura silently read a letter. I hope everything works out, he thought, widening his stance to relax his stiff legs. He grimaced as the quiet sound of his step sounded loud to him. Why did I do that? he wondered, clenching and unclenching his hands behind his back. Stay focused!

  A few days earlier, Ria had arrived at Stonehelm Castle, asking for protection. From the looks of her, she had ridden without stopping for days, her clothing and boots caked with dirt and mud. At first, they had feared that something terrible had happened to Lord Para, but from what little she was willing to reveal, she had fled from her father.

  Rumors had quickly spread throughout the castle of what could have happened until Lady Dane stepped in, forbidding all such talks.

  “Yansen,” Lord Baura spoke, his deep voice filling the small room. “I called you here because of the troubles we’re having with Ulric— Lord Para to you.” He looked up from the letter he was reading and nodded to a chair across from him. “Sit.”

  Yansen gulped, his skinny but well-toned arms tense as he pulled the heavy oak chair back before sitting.

  “I have to ask,” his uncle said, setting the letter down and staring at Yansen. “Do you truly love the Para girl?”

  “Yes, Uncle. I love Ria,” Yansen said quickly. “I know her father is demanding that you return her.” He lowered his head slightly. “I’m sorry for the trouble we’re causing you. If you let us stay for a few more days, we’ll leave for the Capital.”

  “Nonsense,” his uncle said, tossing the letter into the fire. The parchment caught fire and vanished. “We may not be related by blood, but we are still family. And no one—not even Lord Para—threatens my family. He may not like it, but we are the stronger House. He wouldn't dare bare his claws against us.”

  Hearing his uncle's words, Yansen felt his heart lighten, but he knew better. “Uncle, I’m grateful, but I can’t be the reason you’re put into a difficult position.”

  “Be quiet, boy,” Lord Baura barked, his voice booming. “This isn’t about you or the Para girl anymore. This is now about the reputation of our House. We will not bow to that old chicken.”

  Seeing the fierce grin split across his uncle’s bearded face, Yansen felt a rush of awe, the hairs on his body standing up.

  “Thank you, Uncle,” he said earnestly, realizing just how far his uncle was willing to go for him.

  “Don’t worry about it, boy,” Lord Baura chuckled, scratching his chin. “You still don't know why the girl ran away, do you?”

  Yansen’s shoulder slumped. “I'm sorry, Uncle, but she wouldn't tell me. Only something about her family’s future and reputation.” His face turned red from embarrassment. After everything his uncle was risking, he couldn’t even explain why.

  “That's a shame,” his uncle said, leaning back in his chair. “I’d love to have a bit of dirt on Ulric. Still, her loyalty to her family is honorable. Don't press her on this matter. I don't want her to choose between you and her blood.”

  Stretching with a groan, he waved his hand toward the door. “Go on them. The girl’s waiting for you.”

  “Thank you, Uncle,” Yansen said, rising quickly and bowing his head.

  Leaving the room, he closed the study behind him and made his way through the halls towards the garden, where Ria was waiting for him. The moment he saw her, his heart leapt. “Ria!” he called, running up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. Lifting her into the air with a laugh, he spun around.

  “Yansen, stop! Put me down!” she cried, laughing despite her words.

  Chuckling as Ria struggled halfheartedly in his arms, Yansen finally set her down. She spun around and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

  “You seem happy,” she said, tilting her head up at him. “Did talking to your uncle go well?” Strands of her strawberry-blond hair fell across her face.

  Smiling, Yansen gently brushed the hair aside. “He said you can stay,” he replied, his eyes shining. “He’ll give you his protection. He won’t even ask why you left.”

  “Really?” Ria’s eyes widened, lighting up in relief. “I must thank him.”

  “Later!” Yansen laughed. “I have so much to show you!”

  He took her hand and led her through the castle, talking eagerly as he pointed out all the hidden corners and beautiful artworks hanging on the walls. Ria’s laughter echoed faintly through the corridors, causing Yansen’s heart to swell with happiness.

  That night, Yansen stood on the walls of the castle, Ria in his arms as they looked down on the city below. The streets were quietening, the brightly lit houses winking out one by one. As the darkness deepened, the stars seemed to brighten above them, the river of stars painting the sky with countless jewels.

  “I love the night sky,” Ria sighed, leaning her face against Yansen’s chest.

  Feeling Ria’s warmth, Yansen looked up at the sky. He had seen the stars countless times before, but for the first time, he truly noticed them.

  “I never realized how beautiful it was,” he whispered, tightening his arms around her.

  “Yansen?”

  “Hm?”

  “How do you see our future?”

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  Giving Ria a tight squeeze, Yansen took a moment to think about his future.

  “You know I'm the last heir of House Jenia,” he began quietly. “When my House fell, we lost everything—our honor, our title, our gold… even our name. If not for my mother’s sister, Aunt Dane, and her husband, Lord Baura, I would’ve had nothing. They took me in and raised me, treated me like family.”

  He raised a hand, stretching it towards the sky, and grasped at the stars, making a fist. “I want House Jenia to regain its lost glory. I want to repay my uncle—to show him that he raised a strong and honorable man. Someone he can depend on. I want him to know how much he means to me.” Looking down at Ria, Yansen smiled, “But most of all, I want a family.”

  Ria smiled, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can help with that.” She giggled, burying her face in his chest.

  The days passed in bliss. Each morning brighter. For Yansen, every day with Ria felt like a day in paradise.

  After finishing a meeting with his uncle, Yansen hurried toward the garden Ria claimed as their “special place.” Stopping briefly by a puddle, he checked his reflection and smoothed his hair, grinning at the sight. He was wearing a new coat, one that he did not particularly like due to its flashiness, but one he knew Ria liked.

  He laughed softly to himself. If someone had told me I’d change my taste in clothes for a girl, I’d call them mad, he thought. Yet here I am, looking like a fool for her.

  Standing up, he brushed imaginary dust from his coat and straightened his collar, making sure everything was in place. He began walking, trying to control his breathing. The last time he’d rushed to meet Ria, he had arrived panting and red-faced, causing Ria to bend over in a fit of laughter. This time, he’d decided to walk and catch his breath before meeting her.

  Taking a breath of the fresh air, he nodded to himself. The crisp spring air helped catch his breath. He was ready. Picking up his pace, he felt his heart beating faster with every step, the anticipation and nerves coursing through him.

  Turning the last corner, he froze in place as a terrified scream tore the perfect day apart, his blood instantly running cold.

  “Murderer! Help! Guards! Guards!”

  The hysterical cry of a maid came from the direction of the garden. Yansen felt his vision tunnel, his breath stopping in his throat.

  What was that! Ria!

  Drawing Aether through the little shrike crest on his arm, Yansen forcefully rotated the power around his body. Energy surged, and he sprinted as fast as he could, his muscles protesting the sudden burn of Aether.

  Bursting into the garden, Yansen’s eyes darted frantically across the scene—flowers trampled, dirt scattered, a sobbing maid kneeling beside a collapsed figure.

  Ria.

  Her strawberry-blond hair was streaked with red, and her face—her beautiful face—covered in blood.

  Moving so fast that he didn't notice closing the distance, Yansen found himself reaching for Ria, cradling her head as tears ran down his face. “What happened? Don't move!” he gasped, voice trembling. Her warm blood mixed with her hair and wrapped itself around his hands. The maid was frozen in place, tears running down her face.

  “Yansen?” Ria’s voice was barely a whisper. “I wanted to see you.” She lifted her slender hand, touching his cheek. “I’m happy… you’re here.”

  Her fingers were cold to the touch.

  “Stop talking,” Yansen sobbed. “You need to save your energy.”

  Frantically, he searched her body, finding a deep cut on her left abdomen. Blood was pooling beneath her. Putting both hands over the wound, Yansen applied pressure to the wound, desperately praying that he could keep the precious lifeblood from feeding the garden. “Stay with me, stay with me. Please, stay with me.”

  But no matter how hard he tried, the blood kept spilling out. The wound was too deep. He could feel the blood slipping out from around his hands.

  “Help! I need help!” he shouted hoarsely, his anguished voice cracking. His own cries felt distant, almost as if someone else was saying them.

  “My Lord, what happened?!” a breathless guard shouted, rushing into the garden, his face pale as fresh snow. A dozen more followed, swords and spears held at the ready.

  “Assassins attacked Lady Ria!” the maid finally said, flinching as if she finally realized what was happening; her hands shook violently. “They came out of nowhere and attacked her!”

  As the maid’s words left her mouth, the guards gasped in unison, turning to their Pillar in alarm.

  “I want a full lockdown!” the Pillar bellowed, his red with anger. “No one gets in or out! First company with me! We will go after the assassins!”

  As the men scattered, Yansen noticed that Ria was trying to speak, her mouth opening and closing. Leaning close, he tried to hear what she was saying, his loud sobs almost drowning out her weak voice.

  “Yansen… he had… a blue crescent mark… on the back of his left hand…. and a scar under his left eye…”

  “Ria, please—please stay with me. Don't leave me,” Yansen begged, leaning over and placing his forehead on hers. Her skin was cold. His heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces. Blood kept trickling out from between his fingers.

  “I’m sorry… I love you… I wish we could have had a happy life together,” she whispered faintly, a smile forming on her lips as her eyes fluttered closed.

  “I love you too.”

  Feeling Ria’s body go limp, Yansen screamed into the sky. What should have been another day in paradise had turned into one in hell. Burying his face in Ria’s bloody body, Yansen wept openly, not caring who saw him. His entire body heaved as he sobbed. As he cried, the light breeze carried his voice into the air, the cries of the guards quickly smothering it.

  As the tears drained away, his strength and washed away all trace of joy; only anger and hate remained, slowly growing until they formed an icy blade that pierced his soul.

  “I will kill them all,” he whispered, his voice dripping with venom. “I’ll find whoever did this to you. I’ll kill everyone responsible.”

  The days that followed blurred together. The search for the assassins turned up nothing; it was as if they had disappeared into thin air. Yansen interviewed everyone found in the area, but no matter how long or hard he searched, there were no clues. The assassins vanished without leaving a trace. Yet he kept looking, his tormented mind finding peace only when he was on the move.

  Standing atop the castle walls, Yansen stared in a daze as the carriage bearing Ria’s body creaked out through the gates. The wooden wheels bumped along the rocky road, causing the coffin she was resting in to jostle around. He had wanted to bury her in the garden she had claimed as theirs, but his uncle had refused.

  “I’m sorry, Yansen,” he had said gravely. “But Lord Para demanded her body back. You are not her husband, so we cannot deny her father that right.”

  Logic told him that his uncle was right, but that did not make the situation any better. As the carriage grew smaller and smaller until it vanished over a hill, Yansen imagined her standing beside him, leaning against him as she wrapped her arm around his waist. But he didn’t feel her warmth. She was gone.

  He remained on the wall long after the carriage disappeared from view, the urge to chase after it gnawing at him. He wanted to be as close to her as possible—even in death. But he couldn’t. Lord Para had already blamed him for Ria’s murder, publicly announcing that Yansen would be executed if he were ever found in his lands.

  Body tense with unreleased stress, Yansen stood there, a husk of his former self. He felt nothing now, except pain. It felt as if a shard of ice was digging into his heart.

  “Blue crescent on left hand… scar under left eye.”

  He muttered the words like a prayer, over and over again. Each time he did, he felt a part of himself change, twisting into something ugly. But he didn’t care. In fact, he welcomed it, anything to keep the sharp pain that grew in his heart from vanishing.

  “Blue crescent on left hand… scar under left eye… blue crescent on left hand… scar under left eye…”

  By the time Yansen noticed, the stars were already out, the bright river of light spanning across the dark sky.

  Night had arrived.