Silence filled the archives. Lilith clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm through the paper.

No one moved. Councillor Renault belonged to one of the oldest noble houses in the kingdom.

Lilith had chosen caution, stability, and patience. She had already spared the family from execution once, but her naivety came to bite since it seems that the brush from death didn’t scare them but only built more resentment.

Atheline watched her carefully. She closed her eyes briefly then opened them again.

"That was a mistake."

No one disagreed, since she was right. Zelpher nodded.

"Yes."

Lilith looked toward the growing piles of evidence, years of betrayal, conspiracy, and hidden activity operating beneath her kingdom. And she had allowed it, though not intentionally, it still irked her.

Atheline stepped beside her and placed his hand in the middle of her back. She didn’t look at him.

He spoke quietly.

"You couldn’t arrest someone without proof," he glanced towards her once, "You made the right decision with the information you had."

Several seconds passed then Lilith exhaled slowly. It wasn’t really a disagreement but also not an agreement, it was something in between like she herself couldn’t decide how to throw the blame without bringing logic into this.

Zelpher cleared his throat.

"There’s one remaining issue."

She turned toward him. His expression had become troubled.

"His family," he calmly said gesturing to one of the, "We searched the entire estate... They aren’t here."

Atheline frowned. He already remembered they had gone through the same template with the human kingdom.

Zelpher continued.

"Only servants, remained. "

Lilith’s eyes narrowed.

"How long?"

"We don’t know."

Zelpher gestured toward several reports.

"No travel records, official departures, or witnesses."

Atheline felt immediate concern, the family was gone and that wasn’t a good sign. They might have captured Councillor Renault but his family might possess far more information.

.

.

.

Three weeks before his arrest.

Councillor Renault sat inside a hidden chamber beneath one of his remote estates outside the Court in a small village. The room was small, deliberately so.

No servants or guards entered and no records existed that the chamber had ever been constructed. Only two people occupied it.

Councillor Renault and his youngest son, Cassian.

With the ongoing turmoil caused by the attempted assassination of the queen consort, everything had not been going as the protector had hoped it would but that wasn’t something to worry about.

Something about Cassian felt off today. The usual jovial look was gone and what remained was detachment, a lack of emotion, almost as though he were only half paying attention to the world around him.

Councillor Renault sat across from him. Neither spoke for a long time. A single crystal illuminated the room, its light flickering against stone walls.

Eventually, the older man reached inside his robes. When his hand emerged, it held something unusual.

An Aether core.

But that was not the unusual part, what stood out was its colour. It was a faded grey as though the colour was dying.

Cassian’s eyes immediately focused.

Councillor Renault looked down at the object for several seconds, almost reverently, then he placed it onto the table.

The crystal light reflected across its surface. Something moved inside it, almost in an unsettling manner.

Cassian finally spoke.

"What is it?"

Councillor Renault’s expression softened slightly, a rare thing.

"It is hope, my son."

Cassian frowned. Councillor Renault continued.

"It is the future."

The core sat motionless between them. At that moment, the room suddenly felt colder.

Cassian looked at it again.

"This is what you’ve been searching for?"

Councillor Renault nodded.

"For years. We were unfortunately searching for it in the wrong place. We found it amongst the blue bloods."

His voice carried absolute certainty, the kind that only fanatics possessed.

Cassian raised an eyebrow.

"The high elves?"

"Yes, they’re a very greedy race."

Cassian remained silent. Councillor Renault leaned forward.

"When the time comes..." he said, while pushing the core closer, "you will swallow it."

Cassian’s expression finally changed.

"Swallow it?"

Councillor Renault nodded.

"It will strengthen you. It will open your understanding," he said in an almost fanatical tone, "It will allow you to hear them."

Cassian’s brow furrowed.

"Hear who?"

Councillor Renault smiled. The smile of a believer discussing scripture.

"The dead."

Uncomfortable silence filled the chamber. Cassian looked at the core again then at his father. Councillor Renault’s eyes shone with conviction.

"The world has forgotten the old truths and the old powers," his voice became quieter, almost reverent," the dead remember."

Cassian said nothing. Councillor Renault continued.

"This kingdom has become weak, polluted, and ruled by those who should never have sat upon the throne."

The familiar anger and bitterness entered his voice. Cassian lowered his gaze, he had heard these speeches before, many times.

Councillor Renault leaned back.

"The Queen believes she has won," he mummbled his lips curling, "she believes the old royal bloodlines are broken. She believes history has ended."

His eyes drifted toward the grey core.

"She is wrong."

The room fell silent. The crystal flickered again as though acknowledging what he had said. Councillor Renault eventually slowly stood.

His age showed more these days, yet his conviction remained untouched. He walked toward his son and placed a hand upon his shoulder.

He spoke quietly, "If anything happens..."

Cassian looked up. Councillor Renault’s expression had become serious.

"If anything happens to me...You must remain hidden."

Cassian frowned.

"Father..."

"No," councillor Renault interrupted immediately.

"You listen."

Silence returned. Cassian nodded. Councillor Renault continued after seeing he had calmed down.

"You do not leave, reveal yourself or act," his voice hardened," not for anyone."

Cassian stared at his father, this was not what he had expected the interrogation, about the queen consort routine, would change into.

Councillor Renault’s grip tightened slightly.

"You remain hidden until the Protector comes."

Cassian frowned.

"The Protector?"

The councillor nodded.

"If he calls for you, then you follow."

Cassian nodded, understanding. The protector had been the one to give him rewards for the observation of Atheline.

Councillor Renault merely smiled. The smile of someone who believed he understood truths others could not.

"It is my will."

Silence lingered in the room; eventually, Cassian accepted the core. The grey object disappeared into his robes.

Councillor Renault nodded, satisfied, then turned away. Neither knew it would be the last conversation they ever shared.