Soon after his wife, Letitia, left, another knock was heard at his gate. Did she forget something? Goto wondered, but Letitia was a very particular person; she couldn't have forgotten anything. He returned to his study with the knowledge that the identity of whosoever was outside would be reported to him. His eyes went to the letters Meredith had been sending to him over the years and suddenly felt he should read them now that he had the chance. Letitia's little sister, Leia, materializing as a daughter out of nowhere saved his children from being taken away, although it still happened in the end. He had always felt guilty towards that niece of his, and it drove him to be more responsible for her, providing for her every want when he realized his sister-in-law didn't care about her, but he couldn't bring himself to love her. As he tore open the first letter, his door was torn open, and a bloodied Maverick stepped in with a grin on his face.
"Your study is such a beauty; I would hate to tear it down," Councilman Maverick declared, it was clear he was not worried about it.
Lord Goto stood up with righteous anger, "How dare you! Do you think you can get away with this?!"
The councilman offered him a small smile, "I can, and I will. For the record, your butler squealed like a pig when I gutted him; it was an off-putting sound. Don't you give your helpers voice training? Your ears must have suffered dearly."
Lord Goto looked at the letter in his hand and the stack on the table; he wouldn't be able to read the letters anymore. He thought back to Letitia's assurance that she would take care of everything and understood that she sold him out. He always thought her family had a lot of influence, as it was through her assistance that he became a lord, but it seems it wasn't all that. His wife wasn't one to be driven by profit, so the councilman must have offered her something irresistible.
The councilman wiped the blood off his face with a kerchief, "You are a smart one; not resisting stupidly."
Lord Goto wanted to retort, but it was meaningless. He was indeed indignant about his looming death, but that wouldn't change anything. The councilman pointed his sword, which now had fire dancing on its blade, and said, "For what it's worth, Subarasii Raito is going to be part of a great plan which will bring it to new heights. It is not a loss to yield it to me. Unfortunately, you proved to be a square peg in my plans, so you have to go. And in your next life, try to find out the background of a woman before you marry her." And with that, the councilman swung his sword, and Lord Goto's head went flying. A soldier marched in a few seconds later to report to the councilman.
"The mansion has been taken," the soldier said and looked at Goto's headless corpse now lying on its back, "and what do I do with him?"
Maverick used his kerchief to wipe the blood off his sword, "bury him and clean up this place. He was a good man; it's a shame he married the wrong person." As the soldier turned to leave, Maverick called him back, "Send a message to the master; he would like to know this part has been finished."
"Yes, sir!" the soldier saluted.
The Tower:
Eizan worked in the garden every day as usual, with the only difference being Bachiko's sullen presence, though it didn't affect him much. He trimmed and tended to the herbs and plants until he found himself gazing at the stem of the moonflower. When did he get here? He turned back to find Bachiko still sulking in a corner and shook his head; she was too absorbed in herself to notice anything else. Quickly, he distanced himself from the vicinity of the moonflower and entered the poisonous section for the first time. Soon enough, night fell, and Bachiko had deemed it fit to join in, but he was still full of energy.
"AHHH!!!" Bachiko suddenly screamed and scampered away, terrified. She pointed to his feet, and he looked down, finding nothing amiss. "What is wrong with you?" he asked.
"No, what is wrong with you?" she retorted, still trying to widen the distance between them. "Your shadow… is black?"
Eizan looked down again at the faint outline of his shadow from the light of the lanterns scattered around the garden and wanted to yell in exasperation, "It's a shadow; it's supposed to be black."
"Yes, but not like that," she argued, "it's almost alive!"
Eizan decided he had had enough and quickly returned to his dorm. Duobing was already back, but he was in no mood to chat, so he just went to bed early. The following morning, Eizan woke up early, and while he was having his bath, he thought about going to the garden, suddenly his vision got hazy, and he found himself in front of the garden, completely naked. In confusion, he fell to the ground while trying to find his bearings. Then he heard Bachiko's footsteps in the distance and realized he was naked. Panicking, Eizan ran to the place where he kept his clothes, threw some on, and then realized he still had soap on his body. He quickly removed the clothes to wipe off the soap and then put on another set of clothes.
Bachiko entered the garden with Elder Cornish and Meredith in tow. Eizan glanced behind them and noticed that the cloaked man was not with them. "These people are visiting the garden too frequently," he thought. Surprisingly, they focused on Bachiko and paid him no heed, although they would cast inquisitive glances in his direction once in a while. Shortly after they left, Esumi, Bachiko's twin sister, arrived looking flustered. Her skin was flushed, and her eyes were beady, as if she had been crying.
"Why are you here?" Bachiko asked a bit too harshly. Her eyes scanned her twin's appearance and disapproved of it.
"I had a dream—" Esumi sobbed, "that Daddy died. He was lying on the ground bleeding, and…"
Eizan left after she started talking, giving them the privacy they needed. Outside, he found most of the first-year apprentices clustered in small groups, gossiping about something.
Eizan strained his ears, attempting to eavesdrop on the hushed conversation of the apprentices. They quickly hushed their voices when they noticed him approaching, exchanging furtive glances that piqued his curiosity. It was as though they were discussing something they preferred to keep hidden from him.
Fortunately, he spotted Duobing, who had just excused himself from one of the gossiping clusters. Eizan couldn't help but feel a growing sense of unease, sensing that this news was about to turn his world upside down.
"You won't believe what happened!" Duobing burst into gossip mode with characteristic enthusiasm. "Your boy Thom has taken ill. His clan believes the Tower is responsible and has issued a 'no acquaintance' order for all its members."
Eizan's heart sank at the mention of Thom's condition. He couldn't help but recall the day when the young elder had slapped something onto Thom. Rage welled up within him, a storm he struggled to control. With great effort, he reined in his anger, channeling it away before it could manifest visibly. Unbeknownst to him, for a brief moment, his shadows thickened ominously under the sun's harsh glare, then reverted to normal. However, Duobing, ever astute, noticed the peculiar shift.
"What does that 'no acquaintance' order entail?" Eizan asked, his voice tinged with worry.
"It means that no member of the clan is allowed to engage in any business or social interaction with the Tower until Thom recovers," Duobing explained. His eyes darted briefly to Eizan's shadow, but he said nothing about what he had observed.
Eizan left the gathering, his thoughts consumed by Thom's predicament and the Tower's involvement. Back in his dorm room, he searched for the robe Thom had purchased during their recent visit to town. To his dismay, the garment was nowhere to be found, adding to his growing sense of foreboding.
Meanwhile, Bachiko had successfully chased away Esumi, ending their conversation before it could delve deeper into the realms of superstition. If it had continued, Esumi might have convinced her younger twin that she had suddenly developed the powers of a seer, a notion Bachiko dismissed as nothing more than a silly dream.
As evening descended upon the garden, Meredith returned, her face bearing a solemn message from Elder Cornish. She spoke with a heavy heart, her words hanging in the air like an impending storm. "The Tower's magicians have sent word that Subarasii Raito has fallen under the control of a society called the Council, and... your father has met a tragic end." The weight of the news pressed down on them, casting a long shadow over their already uncertain future.