I summon wind magic, feeling the white aura swirl around me. I focus. I can't let him hurt the children.
Just as I'm about to release my speed, a flash of red erupts from Tsuki.
Snap.
My vision goes dark. Everything is black. My eyes burn. Smoke?
Kerchunk.
I feel the cold weight of metal on my wrists. Shackles.
"What the hell?" My vision clears, the acrid smoke stinging my lungs. Tsuki stands before me, his face unreadable. The dark aura of the shackles suffocates the magic around me. My aura flickers and vanishes.
"W-what?" I stammer, my voice trembling.
Tsuki grabs me by the collar with a strength that's both effortless and terrifying. My feet drag uselessly against the ground as he hauls me out of the orphanage. I thrash, kicking and screaming.
"Alondra! Where is she? What did you do!?"
The slum-dwellers across the street peek through tattered curtains and cracked windows, their hollow eyes watching but refusing to intervene. They bow their heads, pretending they see nothing.
Tsuki throws me into the back of a carriage, slamming the door shut.
"They're all safe," he says, his voice cold but steady.
I freeze, his words sinking in. My anxiety ebbs slightly, but unease churns in my gut. Is he telling the truth?
The carriage lurches forward. I sit in the dim interior, questions racing through my mind. Who is this guy? Is he really taking me to the prince? Or am I heading somewhere worse?
-----
The carriage door swings open, and Tsuki yanks me out.
"I can walk just fine," I snap, shaking him off.
He lets go but stays close, a silent shadow ready to pounce if I try to run.
My breath catches as I lift my gaze. Looming above is the majestic, intimidating castle of Alstidon, its spires piercing the sky.
Six guards, clad in gleaming armor, block the path. Their faces are hidden behind polished helmets.
"Follow me," one commands.
Flanked by Tsuki, I march forward.
The massive doors creak open, revealing an interior as grand as the exterior. A lush carpet stretches endlessly, flanked by towering pillars and ornate busts of long-dead royals. The air smells of polished stone and incense, a stark contrast to the grime of the slums.
But even this awe-inspiring setting can't distract me from the weight of Tsuki's gaze boring into the back of my head.
We're led into a cavernous room that feels like a courtroom, though it lacks the benches for spectators. At the far end, seated at an elevated stone table, is Prince Ramidion himself.
He's dressed as impeccably as ever, his chest exposed to reveal his timer: 207 years. Around him sit four others, their regal attire betraying their immense power. They don't try to hide their disdain as they look me over like I'm something filthy dragged in from the gutter.
We approach the stone table. Without warning, Tsuki kicks the back of my knees, forcing me to kneel. The guards file out, leaving me alone with the prince, his advisors, and the looming silence.
"Tch." I glare at Tsuki, his face still hidden beneath his hood.
Prince Ramidion's golden eyes pierce through me, calm yet terrifying.
"Solice Caligo, of unknown origin," his voice booms, echoing in the vast chamber. "Is it true that when you were found, your timer showed 100 years?"
"Yea. But I don't see what the hel—"
Another kick to my gut cuts me off. I double over, glaring at Tsuki.
"Release the shackles," Ramidion commands.
Tsuki obeys, unlocking the cuffs. The dark aura dissipates, but I don't move. Every instinct screams at me to fight or flee, but the four figures flanking the prince exude an aura so oppressive it pins me in place. I know they could kill me without effort.
"Salena, test his affinity," the prince orders.
A silver-haired woman steps forward. Her eyes are lifeless, like glass, but her movements are deliberate. Her hands, rough and calloused, grasp mine.
The jolt of magic courses through me. It feels invasive, like needles piercing every corner of my being. She releases me abruptly, stepping back.
Though her expression remains neutral, sweat beads on her forehead.
"Prince Ramidion," she says, her voice steady but strained. "His affinity…" She hesitates, her unease palpable.
"So, it's true," Ramidion mutters, more to himself than to anyone else.
The advisors around him shift, their disdain intensifying into something far worse: hatred.
I swallow hard, my throat dry. "I—"
Tsuki's leg twitches, a subtle warning. I shut my mouth.
"In the absence of my father," Ramidion announces, his voice cold and resolute, "I, Ramidion Alstidon, prince of Alstidon, hereby grant judgment unto Solice Caligo, of unknown origin."
My heart pounds in my chest.
"Solice Caligo, you are hereby sentenced to death."
The words hang in the air, suffocating and final.
You could hear a pin drop.