The sky above the Pierce Estate was gray—not with clouds, but with tension.
Aaron stood before the iron gates, Ashen beside him, both cloaked in dust and silence. The wind had changed. The estate no longer felt like a sanctuary. It felt like a waiting beast.
> "Something's off," Aaron muttered.
Ashen didn't reply. He gripped Aaron's hand tighter than usual.
---
🏰 Inside the Estate
Frankfurt Pierce stood in the grand hall, gazing into the hearth fire that didn't warm him.
Kain entered quietly. "The boy has returned."
> "Good," Frankfurt said, eyes narrowing. "Then the real game begins."
---
🔥 The Return
The doors opened. Aaron entered.
His boots left small trails of ash across the marble floor. The silence stretched.
> "You look older," Frankfurt remarked, eyeing the blue flare still flickering in Aaron's eyes.
Aaron nodded once. "And you look more cautious."
Frankfurt gestured to the long dining table. "We have much to discuss."
Ashen was led away by Kain. The child glanced back once, uncertain.
---
🍷 The Conversation
They sat.
> "Lucien was waiting for me," Aaron said. "He knew where I'd go. He knew... what I'd see."
Frankfurt poured a dark crimson drink. "And now you know who he is?"
> "Worse," Aaron said. "I know who I might become."
Frankfurt studied him.
> "Good," he said finally. "Then you're ready."
Aaron blinked. "For what?"
> "To stop reacting. And start moving pieces."
---
🕯️ The Council's Invitation
Frankfurt slid a sealed letter across the table. The wax bore the sigil of House Eldemar — a sun split in two.
Aaron read it quickly.
> "The Council wants to speak with me?"
Frankfurt nodded. "They know you're alive. And they're afraid of what that means."
Aaron's jaw clenched. "So they invite me for a talk?"
> "No," Frankfurt said. "They invite you to test your silence."
---
🌒 A Hidden Warning
That night, while Aaron walked alone through the west garden, a whisper crawled from the hedge maze.
> "Don't trust the stars."
Aaron turned sharply. No one there.
But etched into the bark of a nearby tree were three words:
> "They killed her."
His hand ignited with flame—but it wasn't rage.
It was recognition.
---
🔚 End Scene
Ashen watched from a high balcony.
He no longer feared Aaron's fire.
He feared what would happen when Aaron learned to aim it.