A dining room sat, nearly empty as a clock ticked in the distance, the soft clicking echoing along the high-walled room. A triangular table sat in the center of the room, with a single chair sat and each of its sides.
Presently the only chair that was currently occupied was done so by a woman of unnatural beauty, her silver eyes that peered between locks of raven black hair tracing the blue flame of the candle lit before her. Her gaze was on the candle, but her focus was elsewhere.
She continued to stare unceasingly at the candle, before leaning forward and reaching her small hands out toward the candle, cupping the flame toward her and breathing in the silvery smoke.
She rested back in the chair for a moment, eyes closed as she breathed slowly, her face placid. When her eyes opened once more, she reached to her right, grasping a small hand bell sat upon a porcelain platter.
Two, crisp tones rang out in the empty air as she shook the bell. Moments later, the door at the opposite end of the room opened, and a man stepped through, eyes lowered respectfully as he neared her, stopping at least six feet from the table.
"Yes, My Lady?" He asked, apprehensively.
"What news?" She asked.
The man shook very slightly at the tone of her voice. Typically, her voice could lull even the most levelheaded person into a simple minded stupor, but, recently, her tone had become icy and bitter.
"We... we have confirmed from some eyewitnesses that the Young Masters were both murdered." He said, obviously worried about whether the woman would lash out at him for bringing this news.
"Murdered, you say? By whom?" She asked, eyes still affixed to the blue flame before her.
"According to our investigation, a myriad of students had a hand in their deaths, but they all seemed to be working due to promises made by a student named Trenton Daniels." He said.
She remained silent for a few seconds, eyes continuing to stare unblinking toward the flame, every flicker and shift in the light reflected perfectly in her glassy orbs.
"Hmmm.... and the bodies?" She asked.
"Well, My Lady, according to all of the accomplices, as well as Daniels himself, the bodies both vanished almost immediately after they died. We have since been unable to discover where they may have buried them, or otherwise disposed of them." He explained.
She finally looked up, meeting his gaze with her own. He could feel his breath catch in his throat, his heart hammering against his ribs. Her beauty simply couldn't be matched by anyone in the world. It wasn't just her looks, but the aura and air that her mere presence created made looking into her face almost impossible. It was the same, in his opinion, with the Young Masters.
"There's no need for you to continue searching for the bodies, you won't find them." She said offhandedly with a snort.
The man's face betrayed his shock, and he lowered his face again.
"A-a-and what of their killers, My Lady?" He stammered.
"Keep tabs on them, but, do not interact with them for any reason. The boys will deal with them on their own." She said.
The man could feel his face blanche. Had she gone mad? Both of her sons were dead, how on earth could they do anything at all now? Even more importantly, why did she seem so unconcerned by their deaths?
After a moment, he determined that she must be struggling to deal with the news. With this in mind, he said a word of acknowledgement, then made his way toward the door. It wasn't his place to help her with her struggles, he simply wasn't worthy.
She resumed staring at the flame when the door closed shut, the only sound in the room her soft breathing coupled with the ticking of the clock.
"In truth..." She sighed, speaking only to herself. "I do wish to bring my wrath upon those fools who murdered my babies... but I know just how upset Jasyn would be if I took the opportunity away from him..."
She sighed again, reaching her hand out and snuffing the candle with her fingers, before leaning back in her chair a final time.
"Oh, my sweet babies... I know you're not ready for what you'll encounter over there... but you will be... you're my sons after all."
She fell asleep in her chair, upright, with a loving smile on her face.