When Eleanor arrived at the east wing, she let out a heart-wrenching scream. She saw her father lying on the ground; his entire body was covered in blood, and one of his arms was missing. She knew instantly: her father was dead.
The attack ended as quickly as it had begun. When calm returned, the mansion was no longer a home.
The bodies of our loved ones lay among the rubble; that night, our childhood died along with them.
After everyone had calmed down, we learned that Eleanor's mother, Aunt Kate, was seriously wounded in the battle, and that her husband's death—Eleanor's father—was caused by restoring the seal that contained the Mirror Dimension, where the Kartnod family and their entire army remained imprisoned.
Both of them had poured all their life force into the seal. It was only a matter of hours before Kate would die.
After everything had settled, someone asked in a worried and distressed tone:—Doctor Patrick! How are they? Are their injuries very serious?
Doctor Patrick looked at her; his eyes were filled with absolute seriousness.—I'm sorry, Mrs. Ciara, but Mr. Konor and Mr. Vladimir were already dead when I arrived. Mrs. Kate is in critical condition. Everything will depend on whether she manages to survive the night. I will be attending to her along with my two best assistants.
Grandmother Ciara, who at that moment was the head of the ÓBroin family, upon hearing that her son Konor and her daughter's husband were dead, and that her daughter was in danger, wore a look of desolation. Tears welled in her eyes, but she knew she couldn't show weakness; she was Ciara Milesnova of ÓBroin.
She was the current head of the family. In a calm but very serious tone, she said to the doctor:—Do everything in your power, but please…
ÓBROIN FAMILY RECORDS
At 4:17 a.m. on the third day of September, 3042, the bearer, Kate ÓBroin, died from injuries sustained while fighting off a Claimoor attack. The fight took place while defending the mansion.
Mr. Konor ÓBroin, the bearer's guardian and future head of the family, along with Mr. Vladimir Sevianko, died on the second day of September, 3042. They were also wounded in the same battle as Mrs. Kate.
Mrs. Kate suffered such severe injuries that Doctor Patrick, the family's personal physician, after suturing her wounds, could only administer sedatives to allow her to pass away without pain.
Ten guards who were protecting the mansion also died on the second day of September, 3042; the exact time of their deaths is unknown.
Days later, it was discovered that one of the servants was an infiltrator from another family. He had used a spell to partially break the seal and allow some Claimoor to escape. Once freed, their objective was to completely destroy the mansion, which also served as the container for the Mirror Dimension, where all members of the Kartnod family and their subjects were confined.
After the funerals of Eleanor's parents, the fallen servants, and my father, the remaining family members were completely devastated.
Grandmother Ciara, as head of the family, called a meeting to use the family's supreme relic. This would reveal who the next bearer of the mark would be and who their guardian would be.
But during the meeting to determine the next bearer… the unthinkable happened. The mark awakened… but not in the person everyone expected.
To determine the next bearer, the last direct descendants of the ÓBroin family had to touch the relic and imbue it with some magic. In this way, the relic would choose the next bearer and their respective guardian.
Everyone expected Eleanor to be the chosen one. She was the strongest, the most prepared, the most worthy in everyone's eyes… even mine. She stood at the front of the group, her head held high, containing her pain as only she knew how.
The first to step forward was Daniel. He touched the relic and, with his flames, enveloped it. Then his sister Orla stepped forward and, with a combination of her ice and protective magic, formed a barrier around the relic.
Next was me. I walked with my head bowed, looking at the ground. When I reached the relic, I raised my gaze and saw it for the first time: a black bracelet with our family crest. I touched it, using my power to create cold air, then returned to my place.
Immediately, without being called, Eleanor walked forward with quick, firm steps. Tears welled in her eyes, though her face remained serious. She clasped her hands, interlacing her fingers, and began forming a whirlwind of flames, ice, and golden light. She unleashed a small beam, and the relic, after a few seconds, changed to a golden bronze color.
Eleanor returned to the group, standing perfectly straight, her characteristic seriousness unwavering. The silence was so profound that you could almost hear our hearts beating. Suddenly, Eleanor's left arm began to glow.
But the mark that appeared on her arm was not the one everyone expected. The one that appeared was that of a tiger—the symbol of the guardian.
Everyone was confused. They wondered how Eleanor could be the guardian and not the bearer. Then the unexpected happened. My back began to glow. I felt an intense burning sensation as the mark formed on my skin. The pain was deep; it felt as if something were entering me.
The relic reacted immediately. A sword-shaped mark formed on my back.
The silence was absolute.
Eleanor looked at me with disbelief in her eyes. Her expression wasn't just surprise… it was anger, pain, and frustration."You?" she whispered. "Why you?"
I didn't know what to say.
All the family members present were left wondering what had happened. Even though I wasn't completely useless, compared to Eleanor I was insignificant. No one could understand why I had been chosen to bear the mark.
Later, I found Eleanor in the armory. The relic rested in front of her. Eleanor stood there, fists clenched on the table, her eyes red-rimmed.
"My parents died," she said without looking at me. "Your father died. We all lost someone we loved very much… But why did the relic choose you?"
"I didn't ask for it," I replied, my voice breaking.
"But it chose you!" she shouted. "You, the weakest, the most useless, the one who always lagged behind."
"Do you know what that means?" I asked.
"It means I don't have a choice either," I replied.
Eleanor laughed, her gaze piercing."Noah, you don't understand. I trained since I was five years old to be my mother's successor."
"Eleanor…" I tried to say, but she interrupted me.
"Don't try to comfort me. Every time I see this bracelet, I'll remember that my parents died, that it chose you, and that it was a mistake… You were always useless!"
Her words hurt more than any blow she had ever delivered during training.
That night, I understood that we hadn't only lost our parents. We had begun to lose trust in each other. The relic hadn't just chosen me… it had erected an invisible wall between Eleanor and me.