Helios and the king advanced through an endless corridor, bleak… and yet possessed of a deeply unsettling elegance. There were no lamps, no statiksite artifacts generating energy. The only light came from steel torches, twisted into unnatural shapes, embedded at regular intervals along the walls. Their flames did not flicker; they burned steady and dense, as if consuming something more than oxygen. That alone was profoundly disturbing.
Each step echoed with a deep, hollow sound that seemed to return with a slight delay, as though the corridor itself needed time to decide whether to allow them to move forward.
They continued until they stopped before colossal doors. Their design was aggressive, marked by sharp lines and reliefs that seemed to watch them. There was no doubt about it: this architecture belonged neither to the academy nor to the kingdom. That place existed outside of both… or perhaps above them.
Helios walked with her head lowered, in silence, keeping a prudent distance from His Majesty. In a moment of carelessness, she turned her face toward one of the windows. Outside, the storm raged with savage fury; the rain struck as if trying to tear the world apart. She lowered her gaze a little more… and her breath froze in her chest.
The entire kingdom stretched out beneath her feet.
Towers, streets, walls… everything down there, tiny, vulnerable. Where they stood there was no solid ground to support it: that castle was suspended in the air, at an impossible height, as if defying the very laws of reality.
The doors opened on their own before the king, without a single sound. They did not creak. They did not tremble. They simply parted, obedient, as if recognizing something deeper than his authority… his essence.
Helios began to tremble.
Few knew where the king dwelled. It was whispered that his place of rest, his castle, was hidden in plain sight; that only a handful, countable on one's fingers, had ever managed to behold it. And now she was there. Inside that myth. Inside that secret.
The king entered with the same serene elegance as always, as if that place were nothing more than a natural extension of himself. Helios, on the other hand, hesitated. Her feet refused to move for an eternal second.
A single question pierced her mind, dense and suffocating:
Was she worthy of being there… or would that place end up devouring her?
She sighed and took a step forward.
Helios entered and saw a hall that seemed not to have been built for the living, but for memory and the weight of power. Before her stretched an immense space, supported by black columns that rose like silent guardians, cold and severe, vanishing into a ceiling so high it nearly merged with the darkness itself. The arches intertwined above her head like ancient bones, forming a vault that pressed down on the air and made every step resonate more than it should.
On both sides of the central aisle hung long banners of a deep, muted red, embroidered with symbols almost erased by time. They did not move, despite the damp current that ran through the place; they fell straight and heavy, as if the entire hall forced them to remain silent. The stone, blackened by years and moisture, seemed to absorb the light filtering in from the upper stained-glass windows—a pale, sickly light that announced storm, unending rain, a cloudy sky that never fully cleared.
The floor, polished to resemble a dark mirror, reflected every column, every banner, every shadow. Helios had the unsettling sensation of walking over a liquid surface, as if the hall could swallow her at any moment. Each distorted reflection stared back at her from below, multiplying the solitude and the silence.
At the far end, elevated upon several steps, awaited a golden throne. It did not shine with warmth; its glow was cold, severe, almost hostile. Carved with an excess of detail, it seemed more like a warning than an invitation. Everything in the hall led toward it—every line, every invisible gaze—as if the entire place existed solely to remind anyone who entered that power there did not rest… it watched.
Rain struck the stained glass with a constant, almost sickening murmur, a distant whisper that slid through the hall and mingled with the hollow echo of Helios's steps… as if the castle itself were breathing.
In silence, Cain walked toward his throne and sat with calculated slowness. The gold creaked softly beneath his weight. Once settled, he raised his gaze and spoke, his voice surprisingly kind, far too calm for a place like that.
–Very well, now you may tell me what is causing you such distress, Miss Helios.
( Cain said peacefully )
Helios could not stop turning her head, observing every corner of the hall, every column, every shadow that seemed to move just a second too late. Suddenly she moved forward as quickly as she could, until she stood before His Majesty, and fell to her knees.
–Your Majesty… you are aware of the ability with which we, the desert elves, are born, aren't you? Our unique ability.
( Helios said respectfully, though her voice was tense )
–Yes, of course.
( Cain replied gently )
–Well… today I used my ability to explore the potential of that new child the headmistress Zarathoz brought in, the one who is now in Luzbel's class.
( Helios said seriously )
–Oh… you did that?
( Cain said, intrigued )
–Yes, Your Majesty.
( Helios affirmed firmly )
Cain leaned slightly forward, resting his body against the throne, his eyes shining with a dangerous curiosity.
–And what did you see?
( Cain said, his voice a little more ominous, yet filled with interest )
Helios opened her mouth to answer… but the memories struck her at once. Shadows. Beasts she did not recognize. Countless eyes fixed upon her with unbearable intensity. Her body trembled slightly, betraying her.
–Your Majesty… what I saw… was terrifying.
( Helios said, her voice breaking )
She brought a hand to her chest, breathed with difficulty, and, gathering her strength, raised her voice.
–Hundreds… thousands of creatures I had never seen before. Giant creatures, with horns, others that seemed to be made of living plants… there were even two who, Lucian, were the same race as the Sephiroths and the demons. There were so many… and all of them were staring straight at me.
( Helios said desperately )
The silence grew heavier.
–But that wasn't the worst part.
( Helios said, lowering her gaze, visibly frightened )
–And what else?… what else did you see?
( Cain said with a hint of emotion, almost expectant )
Helios swallowed. Her heart pounded violently.
–The worst was… that thing. A beast. A monster… so enormous, so colossal… I had never seen anything like it. Never.
( Helios said, her heart slamming against her chest )
–All of that is sleeping inside that child. If we do nothing, he could end us. He could become a threat that not even Your Majesty could handle. We must warn everyone! We must warn the headmis…!
Helios cut herself off abruptly. Her eyes widened in horror.
–No… no… she brought him here. Perhaps she knew all of this. Damn it… she knew and still brought him. Your Majesty, you must arrest the headmistress immediately.
( Helios said with anger and urgency )
Cain raised a hand, stopping her.
–Wait, wait, Miss Helios. Calm yourself. What you are telling me is of the utmost importance and, precisely for that reason, you must calm down.
( Cain said, trying to soothe her )
–But, Your Majesty, if we do not hurry it may be too late. We must warn Princess Amon! We must do something now…!
( Helios said, her voice filled with urgency and fear )
Helios wanted to keep insisting, to keep begging His Majesty to do something, to act at once… but Cain suddenly rose from his throne. The sharp sound of the movement cut through the air like a blade. The hall fell into absolute silence. Helios fell silent instantly.
Cain walked toward her with slow, firm steps, stopping right in front of her face. His expression was serene. Too serene. Then he spoke, with a calm that froze the blood.
–Miss Helios… I have never told you how my ability works, have I? The one that was granted to me by her.
( Cain said softly )
–No, Your Majesty… no one knows what ability was granted to you.
( Helios said, confused, swallowing )
–Well, then let me tell you. You see… my ability consists of imposing rules. In my first release, I can impose whatever rules I wish, on whatever I wish. For example, when we were outside… did you notice that the rain did not fall on me? That was because I imposed the rule that the rain could not touch me. But when I decided to control the two of you, that rule was removed… and a new one was imposed. That Luzbel and Helios would obey me. And as a consequence, I ended up completely soaked.
As he spoke, Cain began to walk, slowly circling Helios.
–Your Majesty… and what does that have to do with what we are talking about?
( Helios said, desperate and irritated, her voice trembling )
–You see… I can impose physical rules. But also much more complicated ones. Such as, for example… making someone forget absolutely everything.
Cain positioned himself behind her. Helios felt his hands settle on her shoulders. Cold. Firm. Unmovable.
–Your Majesty… what do you mean? Why are you telling me all this?
( Helios said, confused, her heart racing )
–To impose such a rule, I must be in direct contact with a person's brain. It is not very pleasant… but it is something I can do. The superficial is always easier to control. And believe me, I understand your concern, Miss Helios… but, unfortunately, I cannot allow you to speak of this with anyone else.
Cain's tone changed. It was no longer peaceful. Something dark, unnatural, slid into every word.
–What…?
( Helios said, frightened, turning to look at him )
She had no time to react.
Cain pierced Helios's head from both sides with his hands, one on each side, driving his fingers in violently until he reached her brain. The sensation was immediate. Horrible. He began to knead it slowly, with cruel precision.
Helios screamed.
She screamed with a pain that tore at the soul, a visceral, desperate howl. Her body convulsed, trying to break free, to claw at him, to push him away… but she couldn't. Cain did not stop. His hands remained there, firm, controlling, destroying memories.
Helios's screams grew more and more broken, weaker and weaker… until the rain, pounding the stained glass with fury, devoured them completely.
And in that dark hall, between the echo of the storm and the silence of power.
End of the chapter.
Next chapter: everything back to normal.