"Dear Ren, I hope you are doing well and are prepared for the mission you must face…"
I frowned.
Prepared…
I didn't even know if I wanted to do it.
"Remember that this task is for the good of the entire kingdom. A man like Aether, a ruthless murderer, does not deserve to belong to the court…"
I tightened my grip on the letter slightly.
"Also remember that this is your chance to take revenge for the tragic event involving your brother…"
I swallowed hard.
My brother.
For a second, his image appeared in my mind.
His smile.
His voice.
I closed my eyes for a moment… and kept reading.
"I hope you keep all of these things in mind."
I let out a slow breath.
Yeah… I had them in mind.
Too much.
"That being said, I will now explain the instructions you must follow…"
I felt my body tense up.
Here came the important part.
"You will carry out your mission on the very day of the ceremony, Wednesday of next week…"
So soon?
I quickly did the math.
A week and a half.
That wasn't much time.
"You will need a weapon for your mission. I understand you have a good sword you used to train with Elijah…"
I glanced toward the sword resting against the wall.
The same one.
The one from always.
The one we used together.
A knot formed in my throat.
"…that one will do."
I looked back at the letter.
"The ceremony will take place at the palace at noon. You must sneak in the night before, during the early hours of the morning, to avoid being seen…"
My breathing slowed.
Sneak into the palace.
"We do not want any unfortunate incidents."
Right…
As if none of this already was one.
"You will enter through the back entrance, the same way you left last time…"
I nodded faintly without realizing it.
I could picture the path.
"From there, I have drawn you a map…"
I ran my fingers over the letter, noticing another sheet.
"…you will find it inside, with the route to the room where Aether will be waiting before being called to receive his title."
My heart skipped slightly.
Aether.
"When you arrive, he obviously will not be there yet. You will have to wait there, hidden, until he arrives and is alone…"
Wait.
Alone with him.
I felt a chill run down my spine.
"…that is when you make use of your weapon and leave…"
I stayed still.
Staring at those words.
As if they were something distant.
Unreal.
Was I really going to do that?
Kill him?
—Wait… —I muttered quietly.
I frowned.
How was I supposed to get out of there with everyone inside the palace?
I lowered my gaze.
And kept reading.
"Everyone will be in the coronation hall, so you should be able to leave the same way you entered without being seen."
I blinked.
I guess… that made sense.
Even if it didn't reassure me at all.
I kept reading.
"And then this great problem will finally be over for everyone. Do not worry, I will make sure everything is left open so you can enter without much difficulty."
I let out a small humorless laugh.
Of course.
Without much difficulty.
"I trust you, Ren…"
Those words… weighed more than all the others.
Did he really trust me?
"By the way, you must burn this letter once you finish reading it."
I looked at the candle.
The flame was still flickering.
"Good luck."
Silence.
I slowly lowered the letter.
I looked at it.
Then at the sword.
Then at the door.
Everything was calm.
Too calm.
I swallowed.
This… wasn't just an idea anymore.
It was real.
And it had already begun.
I kept staring at the letter, turning it between my fingers.
I had to burn it.
That was what the king had said.
But first… I had to memorize it.
I couldn't afford to fail.
I read it again.
Once.
Twice.
And once more.
Each line slowly engraved itself into my mind, though I wasn't sure if it was enough.
At some point… I started doubting again.
Was I really going to do this?
I stayed still, the letter in my hands.
Thinking.
Waiting… though I wasn't really sure for what.
But I reached no conclusion.
In the end… I simply acted.
I brought the letter closer to the candle.
The flame touched one corner first.
And it started to burn.
I watched it in silence.
The paper twisted, darkening little by little.
The fire moved slowly, devouring the words.
The instructions.
The orders.
My future.
I was careful not to burn myself while holding it.
Until there was nothing legible left.
Just a blackened, warped piece.
Not quite ashes… but enough.
I left it on the table and waited for it to cool down.
After that, I picked up the map.
I spread it out in front of me.
It was detailed.
Too detailed.
Hallways, rooms, doors… everything was there.
And over it, a line drawn in ink.
My path.
I traced the route with my finger.
Slowly.
Imagining every step.
Every turn.
Every possible mistake.
It didn't look like an easy task.
Not even close.
But at that moment… I didn't want to think anymore.
I was exhausted.
Too exhausted.
I got up, walked to the bed, and let myself fall onto it.
I closed my eyes.
And this time… sleep came instantly.
—Come on, Ren, grab your sword. We're going to train.
That voice…
I would recognize it anywhere.
I opened my eyes abruptly.
There he was.
Elijah.
Standing in front of me, pointing his sword at me like he always did.
Before I could say anything, he turned around and walked out of my room, as if expecting me to follow him.
I didn't hesitate.
I grabbed my sword almost without thinking and ran after him.
He was already outside.
Waiting for me.
In position.
—Get into stance.
—Elijah…
Even so, I listened to him.
I stood in front of him.
The moment I did, he shot toward me.
Fast.
Too fast.
I couldn't even react.
One strike.
And I was on the ground.
Like always.
—As always… you're way too strong —I said with a smile.
A tear slipped down my face before I could stop it.
Elijah smiled.
He walked closer.
And held out his hand to help me up.
Like always.
I reached out mine to take it.
But then—
A sharp sound.
A knife.
Stabbed into his stomach.
My hand froze in the air.
—What…?
Elijah lowered his gaze.
First, he fell to his knees.
And then… to the ground.
—Elijah!
I threw myself toward him.
But before I could reach him—
I saw him.
Aether.
Standing there.
Smiling.
A calm smile.
As if nothing mattered.
He raised his hand.
Toward me.
And just as he was about to touch me—
I opened my eyes.
My room.
Dark.
Silent.
It had been a dream.
I started sweating.
That dream…
What did it mean?
Did it even mean anything at all?
People always say dreams have meaning.
And if this one did…
it could only mean one thing.
I had to put an end to Aether.
I swallowed hard.
I stared at the ceiling.
Everything was silent.
It was still night.
I closed my eyes again.
But this time… it wasn't so easy.
The dream didn't come back.
And when sleep finally did… it was light, uncomfortable.
Like every night that came after.
The days passed.
With a strange kind of normality.
I still kept meeting up with my friends.
We talked.
We laughed.
Sometimes I even managed to forget everything for a few minutes.
But it always came back.
The plan.
Aether.
The letter.
I didn't tell anyone else.
Sometimes Tarin would ask me if I was still thinking about doing it.
If I was really going to go through with it.
I… avoided answering.
I brushed it off.
It was similar with Helen.
Though she…
Seemed more interested than usual.
That felt strange to me.
She was probably just very worried about me.
Or at least, that's what I told myself.
The truth was that those week and a half weren't meant to be lived.
They were meant to be waited through.
To think.
To prepare myself.
And I wasn't the only one.
The entire city was the same.
There were posters everywhere announcing the big day.
Aether's silhouette appeared on them, imposing.
Everyone was talking about it.
Whispers in the streets.
Conversations in taverns.
Expectation.
Only a few privileged people would be able to attend the ceremony.
The tickets were absurdly expensive.
And even so… they sold out instantly.
Everyone wanted to witness that moment.
Everyone was waiting for Wednesday at noon.
Everyone…
except me.
I wasn't waiting for that moment.
I was waiting for the early hours of the morning.
The moment when I would have to sneak into the palace.
The moment when everything would change.
And finally…
as the days passed…
it arrived.
The day when everything would be decided.