Aether should have known better. He should have known that nothing was going to work out smoothly. This was the world of a novel after all, a novel that liked to dive a little too deep into conspiracies and mysteries.
He should have listened to his fathers warning. Should have stayed quietly cooped up in his room sleeping while everyone else dealt with the intruder, but of course his conscience wouldn't allow that. A single sob was all it took for him to get in trouble.
At first it was simple. He found Irina crying on the ground, tears and snot covered her face. He lifted her gently and gave her soft pats of reassurance, but she kept crying. He only noticed that something was off when he caught her eyes constantly glancing around them, like she was watching an invisible enemy.
He held her close as he caught a shadow move, then another and another until it formed a butler holding a candle. Aether immediately relaxed when he noticed that it was the same butler from the garden.
"Hello." He greeted, "It seems we meet again."
The butler smiled back, his one arm clasping behind his back, "It seems so." The butler took small steps towards them and glanced towards Aether's door.
Aether thought nothing of it, "It seems the young lady might have had a fright, especially with an intruder running around, could you help me get her back to her roo-"
Irina's hand clenched his shirt so hard that she grabbed some skin. He winced in pain and tried to pry her hand off. In doing so her head got close to his ear.
"R-un." She whispered.
"Huh?"
Aether barely had any time to react. A hand reached out, aiming straight for him. He stumbled backwards. A glint of a knife flashed before his eyes. His breathing quickened, his eyes darted to the butler who stood before him with a malicious smile on his face.
The shadows around them leaped like frogs, twisting and turning until they were leaping at the butler's feet. Aether held Irina close to his body as he scrambled back.
His mind was reeling. Was the butler the intruder? Was the intruder here to kill the princess? But that makes no sne-
A single line popped into his head. ["The Princess? Oh she was kidnapped before as a child. It wasn't anything serious. The neighboring Kingdom thought that she held importance, but soon found she was useless and gave her back. It's just like last time. We sit and wait. Eventually they will learn and send her back." Lucian said.]
Oh god, Aether thought, was this the scene where Irina got kidnapped. He gripped Irina with his life and scrambled to his feet. He couldn't let that happen, not to a little girl.
It was never explicitly said what had happened to Princess Irina when she was kidnapped, but knowing this novel it couldn't have been anything good. He stood up on shaky legs and ran.
He passed hall after hall, turning randomly in an attempt to lose the butler behind them, but it seemed that no matter where they ran the shadows would dance around them. He stuck to the windows, figuring that the shadows would at least be a bit weaker in the light. And who knows, perhaps if he was lucky his brother would catch a glimpse of him running through the halls and come to save them.
Yes, he was more worried about the Princess, but he was also worried about himself. There was a reason the Princess was so easily kidnapped. The kidnapper killed anyone they came across and if that was anything to go by then Aether was as good as dead.
"Offff" Aether fell to the ground with Irina in his arms. His breaths were labored and he flinched at the movement before him. He clenched Irina tighter, wrapping his hands around her head and back and pushing her closer to his body. His body was in auto pilot, he couldn't let her die.
His eyes darted to the figure before him. A maid with a broom and cloth sat on the ground, scowling as she dusted off her dress. She picked up her broom and sent a sharp glare at Aether. Aether held his breath and clenched Irina harder. The maids' sharp glare turned into one of shock then pure confusion as she gazed at the two.
"Wha-"
"Shushhh." Aether held up a finger to his mouth and glanced behind him. His heart was beating fast as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. With every passing second it grew closer and closer to him. A hand touched his arm and he jumped, scooting away from the hand as fast as possible, but was stopped by the hand grabbing onto his arm even tighter. The maid sat before them, ushering them to follow her and run.
He nodded his head in agreement and stood on shaky legs. He had been running for a while now and his legs were beginning to feel like jelly. It was moments like these where he wished he was in his last body.
The maid gestured for them to run down the hall while she gripped the broom and stood behind them facing the figure who was slowly turning the corner. Aether's eyes went wide, he reached out for her. The maid turned around, a sad smile on her face as she gave him a final push. The shadowed figure smiled as he brought the knife down.
Blood splattered everywhere and Aether ran. He pushed Irina's head down so she wouldn't see what had happened. So she wouldn't see the blood staining the palace walls. He held back the bile rising in his throat and turned corner after corner until he reached a dead end. A single door sat at the end of the hallway. Aether's eyes focused on that door.
Without wasting a second he sprinted towards that door. Passing by the small etched designs that were beginning to glow on the walls. He didn't hesitate to slam the door open and close it behind him. He had no doubt that the butler was right behind them. It was only a matter of time before he came knocking on this door. He gently placed Irina behind the bed, next to the window curtain where she could hide in the worst case scenario. He wrapped the curtain around her body and gave her a reassuring smile. It did little to comfort her.
He patted her head and got to work. The room itself was dark, the curtains were closed and only let in a small amount of light, but it was enough for him to notice the few pieces of furniture littered around the room. He grabbed one of the smaller nightstands and pushed it to the door, effectively blocking it. He bit his lip. This too was not enough to hold back the butler. It may buy him some time, but…He glanced towards the door.
He remembered a single passage from the novel. [Abilities not only granted the person the power to wield elements, but it also enhanced their natural strength.]
It was a small passage that was taught to the first prince in school. It was a simple lesson to teach them that because of their growing strength certain rules and regulations had to be put in place when it came to safety and protection.
The situation he was in now was a good example of one of those scenarios. The butler would have no problem breaking this small barricade down. With that thought in mind he took another small nightstand and placed it in front of the other nightstand. He gave it one last nudge to make sure it was flushed against the door before walking over to the bed. He stood at the end of the bed, a perfect place to watch both the door and the spot where Irina was hidden. He wouldn't hide, even though he would love nothing more than to hide from his potential killer.
The door nudged ever so slightly. First the handle wiggled. After a couple of seconds of the door handle wiggling, the door itself began to move. With every push and shove that resulted in the door not opening, the pushes got violent. Aether flinched, his nails dug into his palms as the door cracked open with every rough shove.
BANG! BANG!
Aether wondered how no one in the Palace heard this.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Aether closed his eyes and took a shallow breath. The tears that he was holding back were starting to slip loose.
BANG! BANG! Creakkkkk.
Aether took a sharp breath. He gazed up facing the butler. The butler smiled, his eyes in crescents as he wiped off the blood on his knife. The shadows danced around him like a pet wanting a praise from its master. He took a step forward.
"There you are." The butler said, his voice calm and collected.
Aether took a small step back. "Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you." The butler's shadows lashed out, playfully stroking at Aethers feet. Aether shivered.
"A-and why shouldn't I?" Aether clenched his fist, trying to ignore the odd feeling of something almost non-existent prodding at his feet.
The butler simply smiled, "Now, let's be reasonable." He placed the knife down on the nightstand and took another step closer to Aether, the shadows following him with ease.
"Reasonable?" Aether scoffed. "You're the one that's not being reasonable. You- you plan on killing me and kidnapping the Princess!" Aether took a step back. The shadows hanging around his feet slithered around his ankle, slightly putting pressure on them.
The butler tilted his head in confusion, "Killing you? Oh? Hahaha, now I think there has been a misunderstanding." The butler laughed. Aether scowled at the butler. How could he laugh in a situation like this?
The butler wiped away an invisible tear. "It was never in my attention to harm you. My goal was never you from the start, but.." his eyes glanced over to the corner, "...you were more interesting than my other target." His eyes met Aethers.
"Meeting you must have been fate. I must admit I was quite shocked to learn that the Frenzels had another child, but could you imagine my surprise when I discovered that you had no abilities." The butler's eyes had gone wide. Creating a look of craze. "Usually a child with no abilities would die before they could even walk and yet here you are." The butler gestured towards Aether.
"How did you survive? The question kept repeating in my mind after I met you until I finally came to an interesting notion. Why were you here? In the Palace where the Frenzels were currently meeting with the King? Why would they bring you?" Aether hated where this conversation was going.
The butler's eyes gleamed darkly, "Unless you had some use." Aether flinched, "What could you have done that not only made the Frenzel family protect you, but also made them bring you to meet the King?"
Aether looked away from the butler. He lowered his gaze. He did not like where the butler was going with this, but he should thank whatever god brought him here that this butler was a blabber mouth. Yes, he had somehow changed his target to him, but it seemed like the butler was unaware of his intelligence. That thought alone brought more worry than comfort to Aether. What would happen if they discovered his intelligence?
He took another step back, ignoring the pain in his ankle as the shadows grip tightened.
"Why do you keep running?" the butler asked, a look of genuine confusion on his face.
"Why wouldn't I? You're trying to hurt me." Aether grimaced.
"Hurt you? No, I would never hurt you." the butler coaxed. "I'm here to help you."
It was Aether's turn to be confused. The shadows around his ankle loosed. They petted his feet like a cat would brush against its owner's leg.
"Help me?" Aether glanced down in confusion. 'What was this butler playing at?'
"Yes, help you." the butler smiled gently. "It must be hard living in the Frenzel household. I heard that the Frenzel are very…hard on their children. I wonder, do they treat you well?" The butler put on a look of genuine concern and Aether was beginning to have a hard time determining if he was actually concerned for him or he was putting on an act.
Aether did not respond to the butlers question because he was torn on how to answer. From what he could tell the previous Aether was beaten, bullied, and neglected to the point of death. And he couldn't say that he was treated well by the Frenzel family. When he first entered Aethers body, he too was neglected and bullied, it took him showing his intelligence for the Frenzel family to actually take notice of him, let alone take care of him.
The butler smiled warmly. He took another step towards Aether. Aether noticed that if the butler took one more step he would be in reaching distance. He needed to move, but to where? If he took another step back Irina would be in view.
"They don't treat you well, do they?" The shadows caressed his calf.
Aether shivered, "No!" He took a step back, "They treat me just fine." They do, he told himself. Yes he had to prove to them that he was useful in some way in order to attain status in the family, but that was normal for this type of world. It was made clear in the novel that this world was made for only the strongest to survive. So something as small as proving one's worth was seen as something that needed to be done in order to survive. It never occurred to him that it might not be normal.
"Are you sure?" the butler took another step closer, now he was in reach, "It seems to me that they haven't been treating you well at all, I mean why would they leave you all alone in the Palace with an intruder on the loose? Did they not care about your safety?" The butler was close now, to the point where he was able to touch Aethers arm with no problem.
The touch alarmed Aether, but the butler was gentle in his touch, just a soft touch on his hand. He gently encased Aether's hand with his own and gave it a reassuring pat.
"I know it must have been hard. Growing up in a family that doesn't believe you have potential unless you have a unique ability." The butler's voice was soft and warm, like a lullaby sung on a warm summer afternoon.
Aether nodded numbly. It was like his head had all of a sudden become fuzzy.
"I can only imagine the pain you had to go through, outcasted and thrown away. To not be able to find anyone to rely on, not even your own family. I could only imagine what you have been through." The butler's hands transferred to his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze.
A buzzing noise filtered through his mind and he found himself nodding in agreement. Aether knew deep down that something was wrong, that the butler was doing something to his mind, but those thoughts kept being eaten up by that buzzing noise.
It made his mind calm down. All those chaotic thoughts dissolved leaving behind a calm and warm feeling. He sighed in comfort and found his body relaxing. Why was he worrying? The person before him just wanted to help him. He smiled.
"Wouldn't it be better to come with me?" Aether found himself smiling at those words, the butler smiled with him, "You wouldn't have to worry about anything. We will keep you safe, feed you, give you anything you want. Wouldn't that be nice." The butler's grip on his shoulder tightened, the shadows danced around his feet slowly crawling up his legs.
"No!" Irina jumped out of her hiding place and pushed the butler's legs with all her strength.
"Wha-"
"Stay away from him! Stay awaayyyy!" She screamed. Her voice echoed throughout the hall. The furniture in the room creaked, bending in unnatural ways. A few pieces of wood splintered off, floating into the air before turning sharply towards the butler.
"Ha!" The butler laughed.
"Stay away." Irina repeated. The splintered wood danced in circles around her, their sharp ends pointing towards the butler.
Aether slumped to the ground. Holding his head, he groaned. The fuzziness was fading, leaving only a bad headache. His vision blurred. He could barely make out the small figure that stood in front of him full of confidence.
"Ir-i-na…" he groaned out. His head was on fire. He closed his eyes trying to ease the pain.
"Stay away!" Irina screamed once more. Aether flinched at the sound and covered his ears.
"I see." The butler sneered, "It seems I'll have to deal with the pest first." He threw his coat off, grabbing multiple knives and aiming it towards Irina. He threw one after another with the help of his shadows. His intent was clear: kill the girl, take the boy.
Irina sneered as well and with a single cry the splinters of wood around her charged straight at the butler. Her intent was clear: kill the intruder.
A loud bang.
Blood splattered around the room, some on the walls, some on the floor. The curtains once blue were painted a deep red.
Aether finally slumped to the floor.