The sun dipped below the horizon, surrendering the sky to the silver glow of the moon. In the heart of Vectis, the festival to commemorate the fall of Archdemon Kaides was in full swing. The streets pulsed with life — citizens dancing, drinking, and basking in celebration.
It was the first day of the festival, a grand affair where the imperial family and some of the empire's most esteemed noble houses were set to parade through the city. A display of unity and strength. It was meant to remind all who watched that the empire still stood tall, defiant, and triumphant.
Ironically, it was also the moment when the empire would be the most vulnerable.
With its most powerful families publicly gathered, security along the outskirts had grown lax. In the shadows beyond the cheering crowds and flowing wine, darker dealings stirred.
Caelus stood by the window of a dimly lit office, quietly watching the celebration unfold from afar. The flicker of festival lights reflected faintly in his eyes.
From behind, footsteps. He turned around and met Taylor Reinhall, shrouded in a cloak.
"You done sightseeing?" Caelus scoffed.
"I was doing no such thing," he muttered. "In any case, Senior Shion's capital estate is quite spacious. As expected of House Mara, one of the four pillars of Vectis."
"So... you were sightseeing."
"...Just a small peek is all."
"Hah. Whatever you say. At any moment now, the signal that Senior Shion was talking about will come. Until then, be prepared."
"You have no authority to give me orders."
Caelus let out a low scoff. While he continued watching the window, Taylor shuffled around the office. He stopped at a bookshelf containing books he'd never seen before. Next was a table covered in documents. He averted his eyes, daring not to pry into the Mara family's business.
Moments later, he froze when he noticed something different, perhaps unusual for an office space such as this. A grand piano.
The irritation he felt from that small exchange with Caelus faded away. At first, he hesitated to approach it, hearing whispers in his ears that haunted him like a nightmare.
"House Reinhall stands as one of the four pillars of the empire because of its sword. Not useless theatrics meant for the weak and incapable."
Still, he shut out those derogatory words and sat on the bench. He lifted the fallboard to witness a row of white keys, so pristine that it almost seemed like no one had touched them in months.
With a deep breath, he rested his hands on the key. Then, he pushed, and the piano reverberated with a beautiful chord.
Caelus turned as the sound echoed before fading away, lost in wonder but respectful enough not to interfere.
Taylor shut his eyes, and after another breath, he began playing a soft melody. He pictured himself upon a grassy field beneath a bright and magnificent sun. The clouds parted way with every stroke. The blades of grass and the stems of flowers swayed with the wind.
Here, with this piano, he felt at peace. But it didn't take long for the inevitable crescendo to arrive. Gone was the somber melody, replaced by a fiery tune that spoke of hardships and battles yet fought.
The tempo heightened with the volume, steadily increasing with each passing second. Then, a final chord — soft and gentle, as if the raging tides within him had settled.
Slowly and carefully, he dropped the fallboard, covering the keys once more.
"You're angry."
Taylor opened his eyes and glanced back to meet Caelus, who had witnessed the whole thing.
"What do you mean?" he muttered.
"You play very beautifully. There is an intention behind every note, as is the case for most musicians. It is often said that music is a form of expression, and no instrument could convey that better than the piano. However... the more the song went on, the more aggressive it became — enraged and aggrieved, as if the simple act of playing the piano boils your blood."
Taylor remained silent. He couldn't refute that claim. If anything, he agreed, and that made it far worse.
"By any chance, do you remember that question I asked you, Caelus?"
"Question?"
"Whether or not you consider my love for the piano some useless theatrics."
Caelus raised an eyebrow.
"What? Why would I ever? I have no right to judge a person's interests or hobbies. Besides, your liking the piano is the same as a magician liking magic, or a swordsman liking swordplay. Nothing wrong with that."
Taylor opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Such words were ones he'd never heard before, and to think that it would come from this fallen noble, of all people...
"You're different," he said. "I suppose I should've figured that out with time, but I was far too impatient."
"Getting all melodramatic now, are we?" Caelus chuckled.
"Call it what you will, but you are far more of an enigma than I. For reasons unknown, you hid the fact that you were a Fourth-Circle mage. Without hesitation, you stood against Prince Asta when he threatened Princess Aria. Just who exactly are you, Caelus de Luvelaine?"
"What?"
"When I play piano, it gives me meaning. Each key represents a stage in my life, from the lowest bass to the highest notes. But you… What gives you meaning, Caelus?"
He didn't reply. Instead, he shut his eyes, pondering.
Once, the memory of his mother's face burned in his mind like a brand. Now it was hazy, the edges smudged by the nights at Rhodeia College. Walking through Vendor's Street with Rosalina and Kain, studying late at the library with Castorica, and keeping Alune out of trouble.
"Heh," he scoffed. "Who am I, huh? A fallen noble. A scum. A worm. Unworthy of recognition. As for what gives me meaning— well..."
In that moment, Celine's lecture came to mind. Even if he were to find her, what would he tell her? That he'd been living just fine without her? Or to scorn her and sever their relationship as mother and son?
What good would that do him? He knew that it would leave him empty. He knew that getting everything off his chest would hurt him more than it would her. But living amongst demons for the last five years with no clear end in sight, he couldn't think of anything else to do.
He then let out a long sigh.
"...I'm not even sure anymore."
Troubled was his mind, anxious was his voice, and Taylor was quick to notice. In those eyes, he saw a moment of vulnerability from this reserved man.
"I'm curious about something, if you would be willing to indulge me," Taylor said.
"Go on."
"Five years ago... What happened?"
Caelus's eyes narrowed, but he did not turn from the window.
"What's this, all of a sudden?" he muttered.
"If you're uncomfortable with answering the question, then you may refrain from doing so," Taylor shot. "I'm not forcing you. I suppose I'm just... curious. Rightfully so, wouldn't you say? As anyone would be."
Forget it. It's over. Those times are gone, and thinking about them won't change anything. Forget all of it... yet remembrance had always been one of his greatest weaknesses.
"Today marks the anniversary of the Shaduwar's end," Caelus said. "But realistically, it should've been well over two months ago, because it was then that I followed my father into the last battle against Archdemon Arkus. And I... I watched his head land right in front of me."
He paused for a breath, and Taylor thought it prudent to remain silent for now.
"Of course, the most obvious question is how I survived. My father was a Sword Saint, one of the only three in the empire at the time. So how did I, without any form of prior training, survive?"—his eyes flashed when he finally turned from the window—"Would you believe me if I told you that the Archdemon himself spared me?"
It was unnoticeable, but Taylor could've sworn he saw it. That faint red glow in the depths of his lavender eyes, just like the day he almost struck down the crown prince.
"The Archdemon... spared you?" he mumbled. "No, I wouldn't believe you. However, it is not an impossible. But if that were the case, why didn't you come back?"
"What would've been the point?"
"...The point?"
"My father was slain in battle. The famed army of House Luvelaine fell in just a few nights. I wouldn't have had a home to go back to."
"Surely, the emperor would've granted you grace."
"Hah. You mean the one who gave the orders for my family to go to the frontlines? To face the Archdemon alone without a morsel of supplies or the possibility of reinforcements. I daresay he knew something we didn't. Even Father assumed as much."
Taylor flinched.
"Do you... mean to say that the emperor purposely sent House Luvelaine to die?"
And Caelus turned to meet his gaze.
"What else would you call it? A last-ditch effort? A final push out of nothing but pure desperation? If that was the case, why send only House Luvelaine? Sigurdia, Mara, and Reinhall were just as much the four pillars of Vectis as Luvelaine was. Even my sister and I were ordered to join the march. If it wasn't a suicide mission, then what was it?"
Taylor didn't have an answer because, despite how outrageous that claim was, it made sense. The only question left was why. Why would the emperor want House Luvelaine gone? What would he have gained from that?
Suddenly, an earsplitting whistle shattered the night sky, followed by an explosion of colorful arrays.
"Fireworks," Caelus said.
"That's the signal," Taylor concurred, standing from the piano bench. "Looks like the imperial family has begun their parade."
"You ready?"
"Yeah. Let's move."