Night had fallen deep over the Ravenshade estate.
The already gloomy corridors had plunged into even thicker darkness. Only the dim light of the three violet moons pierced through the tall windows, casting a deathly glow on the floors. But the light did not dispel the gloom — it only added a cold, unsettling sheen to it.
Eli walked the corridors in quiet, almost soundless steps. Her pace was slow, deliberate — like one who walks not because they want to, but because they must. Her footsteps echoed faintly in the tall halls, as if the manor itself were listening, watching, waiting.
She walked for a long time. Finally, heavy doors of dark wood appeared before her. She had just reached out her hand when she noticed someone already standing there.
Sebastian.
The family's loyal butler, a man whose very presence embodied calm and composure. She had known him nearly all her life. Together, they had cared for Cain since childhood. Over time, Sebastian had become almost a grandfather to her — strict, but kind. He had taught her not only the sciences but also the art of combat — graceful, cold, precise. Thanks to him, she had reached rank DC. And Sebastian himself was nearly equal to the head of the family, Kael Ravenshade, holding rank AS.
"Eli, what are you doing here?" Sebastian asked, slightly surprised.
"Lord Kael summoned me... but I don't know why. Sebastian, have you heard anything?"
"Unfortunately, no. He summoned me too. But when I arrived — he wasn't here. So... I wait."
"I see," Eli replied softly.
They fell silent. They stood there in the dark, as if they had become part of the manor — breathing silence, tension, and something unseen and heavy.
Suddenly... a silhouette began to emerge from the shadows.
The master.
Kael Ravenshade.
His posture was upright, his steps unhurried and commanding. His voice carried steel:
"Follow me."
Without asking questions, Eli and Sebastian followed. They walked in silence, and the quiet of each step seemed to drown out the sound of their hearts.
At one turn, Kael stopped. His figure stilled, hands rising. Above them, mana began to swirl — deep, dark, almost alive. It trembled in the air, compressing space itself.
Kael clapped his hands.
But no sound came. Instead, the wall seemed to come alive. From its energy lines, a surge of mana burst forth, and in the middle of the corridor, a portal began to form. Black. Deep. Predatory. Like an abyss.
Kael stepped into it without looking back.
Eli and Sebastian exchanged glances — confusion, tension, fear. Even Sebastian hadn't known about this secret within the manor, despite his years of service. But they did not hesitate long. Both stepped through the portal.
They found themselves in a dimly lit but wide chamber. Its walls, floor, and ceiling were forged from a black metal — unfamiliar and strange. Energy lines glowed in hues of blue and violet, converging at the center — at a massive pulsating stone. Violet, with black and blue veins.
All around — dozens of pedestals. Each held something unique: weapons, jewels, amulets, items of unknown purpose, as if gathered from different eras and worlds.
Kael stopped by one of the pedestals. Touching it, he poured a drop of mana into it. The mechanism stirred — and a dagger rose from within. Small, elegant, and terribly beautiful.
A silver blade, its handle wrapped in black cloth, and the veins along the blade glowed with a toxic green — like the eyes of a serpent.
Kael held it in his hands, examining it as if recalling something long forgotten. Then, without raising his eyes, he spoke:
"This dagger is called Astelvyn. 'Stellar Poison,'" he said evenly, flatly.
"It is one of the family relics. Rank A. Its primary power lies in its deadly poison — one without an antidote."
Eli and Sebastian's gazes fixed on Kael. Their bodies tensed.
"Tomorrow, Cain will enter a rank G dungeon. You are probably already aware. He still clings to the hope that he can cure his... affliction by awakening a unique gift."
Kael paused. His gaze first on them, then on the dagger.
"This abomination... still dares to hope," his voice turned colder. "It's pathetic. Ridiculous. Unbelievable! How could something like that be born into my family?!"
Suddenly he burst into laughter. Loud, hysterical, laced with venom.
Eli flinched. Sebastian lowered his head.
"I will give him one final chance. One last opportunity to prove he is... needed. I tolerated him only because of Nymaris. But if he fails — he does not return. Understood? You will have this dagger. And you will end it — once and for all."
Eli's eyes widened. Sebastian's head shot up.
"But... my lord... he is your son!" he burst out. Barely restrained despair in his voice.
Kael looked at him. And the air around Sebastian compressed. The pressure was unbearable. He dropped to his knees.
"You dare question me? You, Sebastian?"
"Forgive me... my lord..." he gasped through clenched teeth.
The pressure slowly eased.
Eli drew in breath and, trembling, said:
"But Lady Nymaris? She... she will hate you if she finds out..."
Kael looked at her in silence. Then, shortly, sharply:
"She won't find out. I'll erase every trace. And you, Elianna... keep your mouth shut... You wouldn't want anything to happen to your sister, would you? Am I right?"
Her face went pale.
"Yes, my lord..." she replied.
"Very well. You may go."
Eli and Sebastian immediately left the room through the portal, their footsteps echoing dully in the empty corridor, as if each carried the weight of what they had just heard.
Once the doors closed behind them, Eli whispered, her voice trembling slightly:
"Sebastian... what are you going to do?"
He paused. His eyes dropped to the ground, as if seeking the answer not within himself, but in the very stone beneath his feet. The silence between them felt heavier than iron. At last, he spoke — low, hoarse, from somewhere deep:
"I have served the Ravenshade family all my life... As did my father... and his before him. This is my oath. My duty. I cannot betray them."
His voice quivered slightly, but there was no hesitation in it.
"Of course, I hope... that young master Cain will awaken his unique skill... But if the worst happens..."
The words trailed off. There was no need to finish — the look in Sebastian's eyes said it all. It spoke of inevitability. And the shadow of regret.
"You, too, must make your choice, Eli," he added after a pause. "If not for him... then at least for your sister."
Her face twitched, as if struck by an invisible blow. Her features tensed. She nodded silently and turned away.
Their paths diverged, and silence once again consumed the corridors of the manor.
Eli walked slowly, yet with purpose. Her footsteps echoed a lonely melody. Her thoughts swirled like a storm around everything that had just happened. Cain... His eyes. His voice. The way he looked at her — not as a servant, but as an equal. As someone to trust.
And then, another face flashed before her inner sight — her younger sister's smile. Bright and warm, like spring sunlight, far from the shadows that now enveloped this home.
She hadn't even noticed when she reached her door. The stop itself felt torn from the flow of time.
Eli looked back. The darkness of the corridors behind her no longer frightened her — it had become part of her. Her eyes had changed. Now, there was no hesitation. Only cold, hard resolve.
She had made her choice.