Ailn’s niece was standing in front of him. He’d only found out she existed two days ago—and by all rights she should be two days’ ride away.
“...Béatrice?” Ailn uttered in disbelief.
His niece tilted her head in confusion. “My name’s Bea… Like a bzz.”
... 2025-05-27 13:17:22 +0000 UTC View PostCamille arrived at the ark-Chelon estate not long after Ailn—by way of a Gren carriage, insisted upon by her father. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of dissonance after leaving his household.
In Varant, her noble blood felt almost incidental—she was a knight, first and foremos...
2025-05-25 17:17:00 +0000 UTC View PostThis was the first Ailn had even heard of an echo stone.
“Tonight?” Ailn blinked. “You’re telling me there’s an artifact that can communicate hundreds of kilometers away instantly?”
Havrek gave Nisé a curious look, his brow furrowing. “Have we not already dispatched env...
2025-05-22 15:18:10 +0000 UTC View PostAs he walked through corridors of rooms reserved for visiting nobility, Ailn briefly considered retiring to the barracks instead of the suite prepared for him. His eyes were still throbbing, the pain about as bad as a lingering migraine.
If Ailn had trust issues before, getting burned...
2025-05-20 06:05:41 +0000 UTC View PostAiln found himself instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword. His body was in a cold sweat, and his breathing was unsteady. The pain searing through his eyes was enough to put him into fight-or-flight.
Even in his agony, however, a moment’s thought was enough for Ailn to real...
2025-05-18 15:50:08 +0000 UTC View Post“Ashton…” Ailn eyed the proffered handshake warily for just a moment, before accepting it. Then he stifled a shudder—something about this guy gave him the creeps. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“One hopes it was all laudatory,” Ashton said, his eyes crinkling at the corners...
2025-05-15 18:20:14 +0000 UTC View PostThe Mayor Gorwin of Venlind was in a predicament.
For years, the mayor had watched over the child of one of Venlind’s residents—a youthful woman who’d settled in their small village, not even twenty when she’d arrived, escorted by knights.
There was an exhaustion i...
2025-05-13 15:40:18 +0000 UTC View PostThat night, after settling Bea into bed, Ciel sat beside her, reading a bedtime story.
“...But the bell in the tower was never truly alone. The stars would come out at night to keep it company. The angels and gargoyles kept their watch upon the cornices and spires, for they, too, had a pu...
2025-05-11 13:53:55 +0000 UTC View PostThe first thing Ailn noticed about Ciel was how sleepy she looked—half-lidded eyes, a faint, persistent frown, and a slight lag in her reactions. But as she made her way down the stairs, he realized her movements weren’t sluggish. They were considered. And her seemingly bleary gaze was watchi...
2025-05-08 16:50:55 +0000 UTC View Post
One week later, Ailn found himself in the Singing Mountains of ark-Chelon.A further day’s ride would bring them to Calum—the capital—and to Ailn’s eyes, it made sense to take care of Sigurd’s personal matters beforehand.
He’d had ample time during his trip to think about j...
2025-05-06 15:08:03 +0000 UTC View PostSigurd grimaced, as he made his way through the barracks, toward a chamber most knights now avoided—partly out of superstition, partly to spare themselves the weight of old memories.
It was Aldous’s old office. The knight commander scowled, remember how all of his personal effects...
2025-05-04 15:09:37 +0000 UTC View PostCeric Windrider was in a bad way.
The man looked gaunt, like he’d barely been eating. He’d already been in bad shape from his multi-day stint exploring Varant’s catacombs, so it was especially worrying.
Had he just been laying in bed these last two weeks? Between Cer...
2025-05-01 09:23:01 +0000 UTC View PostSafi was shivering.
It was cold, and so was their reception. Things had gotten heated for a moment between Ailn and his older brother, but that just made the subsequent atmosphere feel that much more chilly. The knights and the servants were giving her distant, gauging looks.
An...
2025-04-29 09:24:44 +0000 UTC View PostWhen Sigurd came to, he was riding in the carriage of state. Across from him sat Sophie, staring sullenly out the window as they returned to the castle, clutching the new puppy that was supposedly meant for Renea.
He owed her his life. Possibly all the knights at that watchtower did. And fo...
2025-04-27 19:03:33 +0000 UTC View PostThe knights atop the wall were still occupied by the shadow beasts which remained. For now, Sigurd was alone facing the two unique shadow beasts—the first like an elephant, the second like a leopard.
As if it were part of the miasma, Sigurd dispersed the sentiment that had encroached his ...
2025-04-24 17:21:58 +0000 UTC View PostThey were not ill-prepared. But they had simply not prepared enough.
The swiftness of the encroachment and its intensity exceeded Sigurd’s expectations. They had around four dozen knights on hand, yet there were hundreds of shadow beasts rushing toward them.
That wasn’t the ...
2025-04-22 20:04:29 +0000 UTC View Post