The darkness pressed in from all sides of the cave, barely held back by the dim, flickering light against the stone walls. The air hung heavy, clogged with damp earth, sweat, and blood, a stifling blend that clung to the skin.

Nero could see through it, through the Darkness that felt so far from everything else. But it didn't matter. His gaze rested on his sister. Blood clung to her clothes, her hands pressed against another girl's burned face, trying to heal what little she could. The girl barely clung to consciousness, her body trembling.

It was cold. Bearable, but still cold.

His eyes shifted to Nemsus. He lay sprawled on the stone floor, breath ragged, his clothes soaked in blood, whispering to himself, voice low, shaking like a man trapped in a nightmare he couldn't wake from.

"Why... why him?"

A sharp exhale escaped Nero's lips. His shoulders shook slightly.

Nero wasn't sure what he wanted from him — to pull himself together... or to finally shatter.

But then, their eyes met. And all that sorrow twisted into something else.

Rage.

"You accepted this." Nemsus' voice cracked, a choked sob bleeding into bitter laughter. "You were a part of it."

His laugh was breathless , filled with agony, disbelief... and something close to pity.

As Nemsus started screaming, Nero lifted his right hand. Dark smoke coiled outward, creeping across the cave floor, curling along the stone walls. The shadows thickened, swallowing the noise before it could slip outside.

Nero couldn't risk those screams escaping, they were in this wretched state for a reason.

Nemsus's ragged breathing quieted in the thickened air, but the madness in his eyes didn't fade.

He still doesn't get it, Nero thought. He still thinks he could've saved him. But he couldn't. The moment he fell... the moment they saw us... it was already over.

His mind felt heavy, it was a long day with too much running, too much loss. But Nemsus... Nemsus was even worse.

For a moment, he just stared at Nero. Then his gaze shifted to Delilah. His voice rose, cracked and broken. A scream. A plea.

"Delilah... why? Why did you kill him?!"

Delilah lifted her head, golden-black eyes meeting his. There was nothing there, no guilt, no anger, just emptiness.

That emptiness shattered something inside Nemsus. His fists slammed against the ground, his whole body trembling.

"My father... the village... and now…"

"AGHHHHH!"

His scream filled the cave, echoing off the jagged walls.

Delilah barely noticed

Her fingers traced the girl's ruined face, the burned flesh, the dark, gaping hole where an eye had once been.

He still can't burn correctly? Delilah sighed. I can't fix this perfectly... what a shame.

Disappointment flickered through her mind. She pressed her palms against the wounds, and warmth spread beneath her fingertips. A soft green glow blossomed from her hands, flowing like vines curling back into the earth. Torn skin softened, and the girl's shallow breathing eased.

A slow, satisfied breath escaped Delilah's lips.

"Ahh…"

Her fingers twitched. The warmth... the magic... the slow, steady weaving of something broken back together, it never stopped feeling good.

"She'll be even prettier when I'm done," Delilah thought. "just wait, till i find a good third-level spell to finish the job."

It wasn't perfect... but sometimes, imperfect things were better.

On the other side of the cave, Nero sat still, watching as Nemsus hit the ground.

His thoughts twisted. anger and something else, something warmer.

They broke him, Nero thought: Those bastards broke him... And not just him.

His fingers twitched, something hot coiling in his chest.

They dared to touch what's mine. That should've been my choice. I should be the only one who can hurt what's mine."

Yet as the heat faded, something else settled in its place.

But now... now he'll need us.

His breath steadied. The anger loosened, curling into something almost comforting.

Broken things stay. And broken things listen.

His lips curled.

Ahh... how perfect.

The flickering light danced across the walls as Nero leaned back, his mind drifting.

This is where we always end up... where we were always meant to end up.

His thoughts turned back.

Back before the blood, before the anger, before the loss... Back when everything still belonged to them.

....

The sun was like a mother with two sons, each doomed by her unwavering gaze. One, she smothered in relentless affection, drowning him in so much warmth that his lands cracked and his seas boiled away, leaving behind a husk too scorched for life. The other, she abandoned to the abyss, turning her back as he withered in endless night, his surface frozen solid beneath a sky without dawn. She never looked away, never changed, never cared.

Between them lay the twilight, a fragile ribbon of existence caught in the only place her hands did not quite reach. Here, where neither fire nor ice held dominion, the world clung to a delicate balance.

A place where the sun never, set nor rose, where the sky was forever painted in shades of dusk, and where life had learned to survive in the thin space between extremes. This was not a world of changing seasons or shifting days, but a world locked in place, bound eternally to its silent warden.

On a slanted rooftop, Nero sat with one leg bent, his arms draped lazily over his knee. The sky stretched above him, painted in its usual colors, familiar yet strangely empty. The wind toyed with his black hair, brushing it past his neck. His gaze drifted across the twilight expanse, lingering on the faint glow that clung stubbornly to the horizon.

Beside him, Delilah sat cross-legged, dragging a piece of coal over a scrap of wood. Her long, dark hair spilled down her back, swallowing her shoulders like a cloak. The coal scratched softly against the wood, a sound that seemed to fill the quiet between them.

Still trying to paint, Dee? Nero asked without looking at her.

Delilah didn't glance up. "It's not finished."

"It's still gonna be ugly."

The corner of her mouth twitched, her hand never pausing. "At least it's honest. Can't say the same for your face."

Nero snorted, low and sharp. "That's rich coming from you. I saw a drunk rat yesterday with better hair."

Delilah grinned, wide and sharp. "Was that before or after it bit your face?"

Nero's laugh came quick and sudden — not forced, not calculated, just real. He wiped a hand down his face as if that would help. "I hate that you're funny."

"I hate that you're easy," she shot back, flashing her teeth.

They sat quietly after that, the warmth of their words lingering in the air longer than either of them acknowledged. The breeze curled lazily around them, tugging at their hair and clothes. In the distance, the eastern sky bled orange before fading into purple and finally surrendering to the endless black of the west.

"You're not skin and bones anymore," Nero muttered, almost absently.

Delilah paused mid-stroke, her fingers dark with coal dust. She flexed her hand, curling and uncurling her fingers like she still wasn't used to their strength.

"Tch. Finally," she muttered. "I was tired of feeling like I'd blow away if someone sneezed."

"You still might," Nero said, a grin creeping back onto his face. "If the sneeze is angry enough."

Delilah's grin mirrored his fierce and predatory. "I'll bite their tongue off before they finish."

He laughed again, softer this time. There was something easy in the sound, something that felt safe.

But then his gaze drifted back to her drawing.

"What's with the light?" His smile faded into a faint frown. "You never try to draw the sun."

Delilah didn't answer right away. She tapped the coal against the wood, a soft click filling the pause.

"I've never seen it before, did I?" she said at last.

"Then what? You could try"

Her fingers smeared the black dust across her palm as she stared down at her work. "I'm good, just drawing its traces... the light."

Nero blinked, the words sinking in. His frown faltered, and he shifted his gaze back to the sky.

"...Nemsus ascended, you know?" he said, changing the subject.

Delilah's eyes flicked to him, sharp and watchful. "And?"

"You're gonna be the last one between us," he said, his smile curling back into place.

Delilah snorted, shaking her head like it didn't matter. "Doesn't matter," she said, and this time her grin cut wider, cold and certain. "You're mine."

Nero didn't answer right away. He just stared at her, his grin softening into something quieter, something only she would ever see.

"Yeah..." he murmured, leaning back on his elbows. His eyes drifted skyward, to the thin band of fading light. "I know."

A voice rang out below, sharp and familiar.

"You two, get down here!"

The moment snapped, but neither of them flinched. Nero let out a long breath, dragging his fingers through his hair. Delilah wiped her coal-stained hand on her knee.

They glanced down to see Viser standing below; arms crossed, his broad shoulders tense. His yellow hair caught the fading light, and his piercing blue eyes held their usual mix of irritation and amusement.

The siblings exchanged a grin before leaping from the rooftop—six meters down—landing with effortless grace as if it were second nature.

"What is it, old man?"

Nero crossed his arms, mirroring Viser's stance. Viser smirked. "Still calling me that, huh?"

Nero did not respond, they just watched him with amusement. Viser let out a short breath, then said,

Two things, a friend of mine is bringing that second level Fire Rune you wanted."

Nero's eyes lit up. He grinned, but the warmth didn't quite reach his eyes. "About time."

Viser raised an eyebrow. "You're welcome?"

Nero shrugged. "You said you'd get it. I knew you'd come through."

With that, Nero would only need to find a Level Two Ice Rune. Then, finally, he could ascend. He looked at Viser and laughed.

"Nemsus has not stopped showing off since he ascended. Two days, and he is acting like he is unbeatable." Nero shook his head, still grinning.

"I will put him back in his place soon."

"No, you won't."

A cheering voice came from behind As Nero turned around, a young man stepped forward, his features a clear reflection of Yellow hair, sharp blue eyes, and a familiar confidence.

He was closing the distance between them before stopping just in front of Nero's face. They locked eyes for a moment before breaking into laughter.

"A lot of confidence for a new ascendent, don't you think?" Nero said, mockery lacing his tone.

"Says the mage," Nemsus shot back without missing a beat. Before either could continue, two sharp flicks landed atop their heads. The soft thuds echoed, followed by their synchronized winces as they instinctively clutched their skulls.

Nero scowled, rubbing the sore spot. He always seemed to forget that Viser was a Dominus. It was easy to, given that the man barely looked past thirty, despite being nearly seventy. Most people in the Dominus realm were well past their sixties, often making others shape their appearance to resemble ordinary old men in their heads.

Viser was different. He not only defied the usual image but carried himself with a presence that made his age feel irrelevant.

"When your elders speak, you listen," he said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the fact that they had given him a reason to hit them.

"You said you had two things to say,"

Nero grumbled, still rubbing his head. Viser nodded

"Yeah. Another friend also called, but this time from Bluecastle. Viser face change to match his words "He mentioned hearing strange sounds coming from the mountains."

The Song Mountains? Isn't that… normal? Nero thought.

Nemsus raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that normal? They're called the Song Mountains for a reason."

Nero shot him a weird look.

But Nemsus didn't care. A smirk tugged at his lips.

"Even if some beasts came down, the Sage Arus is still in Bluecastle."

They were near the empire's borders. Beyond those borders stood a vast mountain range, and past those mountains lay the cold side of the planet, a place where only beasts roamed, not humans. Even the mountains themselves were home to dangerous creatures.

That was why a castle had been built at the edge, where the mountains began. Soldiers stationed there had one duty, to kill anything that made its way down.

Viser's expression darkened slightly. "You can't be too careful this close to the cold side. You'd know that if you actually read the history books I gave you."

Nemsus took a few steps back, letting out a hesitant laugh. The others chuckled, well aware that he had never been fond of reading.

Viser clapped his hands together, giving them a brief nod. "I'm heading out to get what we need for dinner. You three, gather the others, we'll meet at the dining hall."

With that, he turned and set off toward the village, his figure gradually blending into the distance.

A distant bell tolled, drawing their eyes to a towering structure on the horizon. Its reddish-brown walls stood stark against the evening sky, and at its peak, a white clock face displayed numbers from 1 to 23. The hands pointed to 16:00.

Here, where they couldn't tell how much time has passed, humans had to find a way to measure it. Their solution was a twenty-four-hour clock to tell them when to sleep or work among other things.

Nero never liked those towering structures. With the light already casting a reddish glow over everything, why did they insist on painting them the same color?

Nemsus looked at him smiling "It's time to sleep, fellow Mages," Nemsus said, emphasizing the title with a smirk.

Nero's smile faltered, just for a moment. He had always beaten Nemsus, always. But now... things were different.

He knew what that power meant. Knew that, in a straight fight, he wouldn't win.

But winning wasn't the only way to end a fight.

Still, curiosity gnawed at him, a need to see the difference for himself. To know what it felt like to face someone stronger... and how to break that ego anyway.

"What do you say we put your new spells to the test, Nemsus?" Nero asked, his voice filled with eager anticipation.

Nemsus: "Think you can take me on now, little Nero?"

Nero raised an eyebrow. "Feeling bold, are we?" His grin widened, sharp and smug. "I've been taking you on since we were kids. Doesn't matter what tricks you learned this week."

Delilah's voice cut in soft, but sharp as a knife. "We'll break you in again if we have to."

Nemsus faltered, just for a second.

When Nero glanced at Delilah, she was already watching him. He didn't need to ask, she knew.

"Dee?"

Delilah gave a small nod. That was enough.

Nero's grin widened as he turned back to Nemsus. "Let's go."

Rather than fighting near the orphanage, they moved south, away from the place that had sheltered them. The risk of collateral damage was too high

Spells, even low-level ones, could mostly destroy walls.

The further they went, the quieter it became. The distant chatter of the orphanage faded behind them, replaced by the rhythmic crunch of their footsteps on dry earth. The warm breeze carried the scent of dust, but the air between them was shifting, something heavier settling in.

Nero flexed his fingers, feeling the familiar weight of his sword. He had always won. Always. But now, things were different. Ascendants were a step beyond, and for the first time, he wasn't sure where he stood and he didn't like that.

Nemsus must have sensed his hesitation, because his smirk deepened. He rested his blade against his shoulder, his voice edged with amusement. "What's wrong? Scared you won't be able to keep up?"

Nero scoffed. "You're the one who should be worried. Two mages beating an ascendent, what a shame."

"We'll see about that." Nemsus twirled his sword in one hand, his confidence practically radiating off him.

Delilah said nothing. She just stepped back, rolling her wrist as she adjusted her grip on her blade. Her eyes flicked between them, calculating, watching. "Come on, then!" Nemsus shouted, shifting into a ready stance.