Cassandra left that morning.
It was strange how quiet the manor felt without her. For someone who always said so little, her presence filled every silence like sunlight through the cracks.
Now, that light was gone and I was alone again.
I sat by the window where she'd always scold me for staring too long, watching the soft fog curl across the garden walls. It's funny, really. I told her to hurry and go, to take care of her brother.
I even said it like an adult would calm, detached.
But when the door closed behind her, it felt heavier than I expected.
I've gotten used to people leaving, but Cassandra was different. She stayed when no one else would. Maybe that's why her absence stung more than I wanted to admit.
Still, what hurt more was missing my mother.
I can still see her that soft, tired smile she tried to hide behind her hands, the way she'd hum songs from Khasiria when she thought no one was listening.
She'd tell me stories of warm sunsets over the red dunes, of sea winds carrying the scent of jasmine, and of the freedom she once knew before coming here.
She always spoke of home like it was a dream she was afraid to wake from.
I never told her, but I knew. She yearned for that place for a world that wasn't made of golden cages and polished chains.
I smiled every time she did, because that's all I could give her.
Now, with Cassandra gone and my mother locked away somewhere in this vast mansion, all I could do was sit in the silence they left behind and pretend I wasn't crumbling inside.
I took a deep breath and sat down cross-legged on the carpet the way Cassandra always made me do before we started morning meditation.
The room was quiet, still. Dust motes drifted lazily through the strip of morning light spilling from the window. I could almost smell the faint scent of parchment from the open books I'd been reading earlier.
Focus.
Mind, body, and spirit as one.
That's what she always said.
Maybe… maybe if I just pushed harder this time, if I just concentrated enough, I could finally touch it divine energy. Even a fragment would be fine. Just something to make me less of a disappointment. Less… useless.
I straightened my back and closed my eyes.
In… out… focus.
But before I could even begin, a knock echoed through the room. Sharp. Abrupt.
My concentration shattered like glass.
Of course.
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temple before standing up. The carpet left faint lines on my knees. "What now…" I muttered under my breath.
When I opened the door, Gail stood there. Freckled face, eyes darting around like a trapped rabbit.
"Yes, Gail?" I asked.
She flinched actually flinched at my tone. Her mouth opened, then closed again. "Y-young master, I… um…"
I frowned. "What is it?"
The color drained from her face as if I'd slapped her. Her fingers twisted against her apron. For a second, I wondered if I'd said something strange… then realized it wasn't what I said.
It was me.
A two-year-old speaking like this too calm, too sharp. I suppose it's unsettling.
I straightened, sensing it right away. "What's wrong?" I asked, my small voice calm.
Gail hesitated, her eyes darting to the floor. "Young master… I… I'm so sorry."
She flinched. Her fingers twisted into her apron. "Young master… I… I'm so sorry."
That word sorry made something cold crawl up my spine.
"Sorry?" I repeated. "For what?"
Gail hesitated, then took a sharp, trembling breath. "Miss Cassandra… she ran into some bandits in the Abelot Forest."
For a moment, the air in the room thinned. I stared at her, waiting for the part that made sense.
"Bandits?" I said slowly. Cassandra…? Against bandits? No. That didn't make sense. She was a knight of Ardent trained, deadly, disciplined. Common thieves wouldn't even have time to scream.
My voice dropped. "And?"
Her gaze faltered. "And… she disappeared."
She swallowed hard. "And… she disappeared."
The words sank into the silence like stones dropped into still water. The sound of the wind against the window suddenly felt louder, sharper.
"Disappeared?" I asked hesitantly.
"Yes, young master. Near the western ridge."
Three days. Bandits. Blood. Disappearance.
It didn't fit. Cassandra wouldn't lose to anyone like that. Which meant only one thing something stronger, something worse, had taken her.
Gail's voice broke through my thoughts again. "The search party is still out, but… there's been no trace but this bloodied dagger that belongs to the young miss" Gail then took out a familiar object wrapped in cloth. Cassandra's jade dagger handle covered in dried crimson. I'd notice it anywhere.
I looked at her again, then at the dagger. My chest felt like it was caving in. I could feel something boiling deep inside me anger, grief, helplessness all clawing against each other.
"Anything else?" I asked her. She simply shook her head. I nodded back as I took the dagger.
"You can leave" i didn't know what else to say. It came out of my mouth but I just wanted to be alone and process the information I got. I knew...maybe I should investigate for more but the look on gil's face said everything. This was how it was.
This was how you'll put me down huh.
Her lips parted, as if she wanted to say more, but I didn't look at her. I didn't want to.
"Y-Yes, young master," she whispered, bowing before slipping out.
The door closed softly behind her.
I stood there for a long time. The light from the window fell across my face, warm but distant, like the world had decided to keep moving while I stood still.