The painting depicted the grand hall of the Castle, the very place where Selis had carried him that fateful night, where she had bound him to the castle and saved his life.
But something was wrong.
The colossal door at the back of the hall was no longer shut. Its strange engravings pulsed with a ghostly white glow, casting eerie shadows across the vast chamber. The door stood open, revealing a formless and boundless darkness stretching beyond comprehension.
And standing before that shapeless abyss was a lone figure.
A short man, cloaked in black, his dark hair obscuring his face.
The man stood at the threshold, one foot already stepping forward, as if drawn into the void.
The statues that lined the hall, their gazes once fixed on the altar, had shifted. Now, every single one of them had turned, facing the door. Watching the man walk into the abyss.
A chill ran down Kazimir's spine.
He couldn't look away.
Something about the darkness beyond the door felt eternal, like a void beyond human understanding, beyond reason. It wasn't just emptiness. It was something else. Something that watched back.
An infinite void of nothing and everything.
An endless hunger waiting to swallow the universe whole.
The Nameless God.
His mind started to blur, his thoughts unravelling like threads pulled too thin.
The longer he stared, the more his sanity slipped.
He felt it, a vast, incomprehensible presence pressing against his mind, whispering thoughts in a language he didn't understand.
Madness.
Fear crawled up his spine, spreading like ice through his veins.
Then, suddenly,
Warmth.
A gentle heat pressed against his chest.
The guardian eye necklace Selis had given him, the one she said would protect him from things better left unseen was burning now. Not painfully, but like a cleansing fire, pushing away the suffocating terror.
Kazimir gasped, his body trembling, his mind clearing.
Selis.
He focused on her shadow, reaching for its familiar presence, steady, strong, unmistakable.
By now he had grown used to the shape and feeling of her shadow, he was certain he could identify and find her even if she were a thousand miles away from him.
A second later, he was gone.
-
The scent of something earthy and fresh filled the air. Selis was in the kitchen, knife in hand, slicing through strange, luminous vegetables.
Then, her shadow moved.
Kazimir stumbled out of it, still shaking.
The shadows still clinging to his body.
Selis turned instantly, her silver eyes widening as she saw the state he was in.
She didn't hesitate.
Before Kazimir could even process what was happening, her arms were around him.
Her embrace was strong, grounding, one arm firm across his back, the other resting protectively over his head.
His hands clenched into the silver of her armor as he felt tears spill down his cheeks.
In the painting he had seen a fate worse than death.
She said nothing at first. Just held him.
Then, finally, she spoke, her usual dignified voice softened, carrying a warmth he wasn't used to.
"It's alright. I'm here for you."
Kazimir had never been held like this before.
He had never let himself fall apart in front of anyone before.
He didn't know how long they stood like that, his body trembling, the last remnants of fear leaving his bones.
But eventually, the shaking stopped.
The fear was gone.
Selis waited a moment longer before finally stepping back, her piercing silver eyes searching his face.
"What happened?" she asked.
Kazimir took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"I… I don't know. I saw the painting in the observatory."
Selis's expression changed.
A flicker of something rare, regret.
She went still, her posture unusually tense.
"You saw it?" she murmured.
Kazimir nodded slowly. "I found it behind the curtains."
Selis closed her eyes, exhaling slowly.
Then, in a quiet voice, she said,
"I placed it there myself."
Kazimir blinked.
Selis turned away slightly, her gaze distant.
"It is the furthest point in the castle from our rooms," she continued. "I thought that would be enough. No one was meant to find it."
She shook her head, the corners of her lips tightening in frustration.
"I should have hidden it better."
Kazimir stared at her, his mind reeling.
A pause.
Then, she met his eyes once more.
"Promise me something, Kazimir."
He swallowed. "What?"
Her gaze darkened, serious now.
"Promise me that you will never look at the painting again. And that you will never, under any circumstances, try to open the Great Door in the main hall. The less you know the better."
He hesitated for just a second.
Then, nodding, he said,
"I promise."