The white marble corridor outside the imperial infirmary was suffocatingly quiet, punctuated only by the low, panicked chants of the High Priest and his healers echoing behind heavy mahogany doors.
Lucien paced the hallway like a caged beast, his dark coat soaked in his son's blood, his jaw locked tight in a terrifying mask of controlled rage. Cassian sat on a stone bench, his face buried in his hands, trembling softly as he prayed to whatever gods were listening.
Aurelian sat curled on the cold floor in the corner, his knees pulled tightly to his chest. His hands, still stained with crimson, he shook uncontrollably. The silence in his own head was louder than any shout.
'I killed him. I killed my brother.'
Heavy, rapid footsteps echoed from the end of the long corridor.
Sora appeared. His hair was slightly disheveled, probably because the commotion woke him from his sleep. His ivory robes billowed as he glided down the hallway, flanked by Caelen, who looked pale and shaken. The moment Sora took in the scene—the blood on Lucien's chest, the grief on Cassian's face, and the red-stained gravel scattered on the floor—his eyes immediately locked onto his son.
"Where is Tristan?"
Sora demanded, his melodic voice strained with a rare, sharp edge.
Lucien didn't stop pacing.
"He is in surgery. The blow fractured his skull. They're trying to stop the brain bleeding."
Sora's breath hitched, but he forced his composure back, turning his attention entirely to the crumpled figure in the corner. He walked over, stopping directly in front of Aurelian.
"Aurelian," Sora said, his tone cold and commanding. "Look at me."
Aurelian flinched, but slowly raised his head. His eyes were hollow, red-rimmed, and streaming with fresh tears.
"What happened on those grounds?" Sora asked, but Aurelian suddenly lost his voice to respond.
"Caelen told me you two were arguing. Tell me the truth. Now."
Aurelian swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat felt like broken glass stinging him.
"We–... we were fighting."
"A physical brawl?" Sora's brows drew together, disbelief filtering through his sharp features. "You are nineteen years old, trained in high martial arts and mana control, and you engaged in a street brawl with your brother?"
"I didn't mean to!" Aurelian sobbed out, his voice cracking into a desperate wail that echoed down the quiet hall.
"He came to the ring... he was yelling at me... and I snapped!"
"You snapped?" Sora repeated, stepping closer. "And what did you say to him, Aurelian? Tristan would never raise a hand against you unless pushed beyond his limits. So what did you say?"
Aurelian buried his face against his blood-soaked knees, weeping hysterically.
"I–... I called him a bastard. I told him he was Lucien's tragic mistake... and that Cassian only pitied him."
A suffocating silence fell over the corridor.
Cassian dropped his hands from his face, looking at Aurelian in utter disbelief filled with heartbreak. Lucien froze mid-stride, his blue eyes snapping toward Aurelian with a fury so cold and absolute that even the air in the hallway seemed to drop several degrees.
Sora looked down at his son as if he had been struck. The sheer disappointment radiating from the elven lord was far worse than any physical blow.
"Is that what you truly think of Tristan?"
Sora whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of grief and disgust.
"Is that the cruel, arrogant creature I raised?"
"Father, please—"
"Do not call me that right now!" Sora cut him off, his voice ringing sharply against the stone walls.
"I spent nineteen years teaching you honor, restraint, and the value of family! I watched you grow up alongside Tristan! And you used the most painful wound of his life as a weapon because your own selfish pride was bruised?"
"I was jealous!" Aurelian shrieked, looking up with raw, ugly desperation. "I thought Cassian loved him more! I thought I was being replaced! I was angry, and when he hit me, I shoved him with my mana—I didn't see the iron rack! I swear I didn't see it!"
"That is no excuse!" Sora shouted, tears finally brimming in his eyes.
"You used raw magic against an unarmored opponent in a fit of rage! That is not an accident, Aurelian—that is reckless, monstrous negligence!"
Aurelian recoiled as if slapped, sobbing violently as he clutched his own head.
Before Sora could say another word, the heavy mahogany doors of the infirmary swung open with a slow, agonizing groan.
The High Priest stepped out, his white robes splattered with blood, his face pale and exhausted. The entire hallway went deathly still as everyone turned to face him.
*****