My body was dangerously cold, shivering from the chill, and twitching from Fatigue. Everything I touched turned to ice. Not just freezing, but ice.
Blacking out, I came to, surrounded by others. Most kept their distance, scared they'd freeze.
Sir Chiron bends over me, using his Will to guide essence back into my body.
The ice around my fingers crumbled and returned to normal. My entire body was a shade paler than before, a sickly grey.
"Make room, servant." A man calls out from the surrounding crowd, behind Sir Chiron.
He adjusts his position while continuing to cycle essence into my body, allowing a man in a simple red suit to kneel by my other side. His elegant attire stirred more attention from its bold colour than design, which lacked any of the sort. But more imposing was the man who wore it.
"I can warm the boy." Lord Von Leer said steadily, casting his hands over my form.
Feeling the trickle of essence entering my body, it collected in my core before vibrating out to my limbs. Bringing with it a tingling wave of sensation.
Using his mastering control over fire, Lord Von Leer created an aura of heat directly to my body, leaving the surrounding floor just as cold as before. The part of the ground I had turned to ice was still just as frozen as before.
As he heated me up, feeling came back to my limbs, and I could breathe properly again.
For the first time in a long time, I felt warm. Not just a lack of cold, but true warmth.
My skin was still pale, and my extremities still twitched from the cold and Fatigue, but a radiating heat of comfort spread from my core. Pulsating in waves, spreading farther and farther, warming up more parts of my body.
By the time Lord Von Leer was done, my body felt as if it had been sitting by a fire, wrapped in sheets.
A feeling I had long forgotten. A feeling I cherished.
Standing up, he walked over to Lord Elgin, eyeing him disdainfully. "How dare you! You should be ashamed of yourself, forcing all this on the boy!" He waved his arms out, gesturing to everything. "You'd best treat this how it is, ending it here. But I know you better than that." He walked a few steps past Lord Elgin, towards the door. Before he got too far, however, he turned back. "I hope this shows you where you lie, Elite Elgin."
Lord Elgin doesn't respond. Instead, he looked down at the floor, with the angriest grimace on his face I've ever seen. A dark shadow was cast over his entire being.
Walking off, Lord Von Leer left the Meeting Hall, along with the rest of the Lords and Elites. Foregoing the plan to leave periodically. Only the Grimwalds and Sir Chiron remained.
Wind Vestige Hugo regards the scene with stark impassiveness. No shake of the head, twitch of an eye, or movement in his posture. Before turning to leave with the rest.
After a minute of complete silence, before everyone managed to funnel out of the hall, Lord Elgin quickly turned towards the door. Violently pushing past everyone that was left.
I was unsure where he went, but it definitely was not back to the party.
Sitting up, only slightly feeling the backlash of Fatigue, I gazed at the frozen floor between my legs. Remaining in silence just like everyone else.
…
Epilogue
Blake Von Leer
Standing in the office of my estate, terribly late at night due to the party, I gazed out the window, with only a slight twitch of my lips to express my anger.
As a knock rhythmically tapped on the door, without looking away from the vista outside my room, I called out for the arrival on the other side to enter.
The shuffling of feet and rustling of clothes stirred before a tense silence settled.
"Leave us." I calmly uttered.
A bit more rustling and shuffling later, and the room was quiet once again.
Turning around, I face my younger son. He stiffened slightly at my gaze. His eyes drooped with fatigue from the late hour, yet wide in alertness.
"Wha–" He stammered before lowering his eyes and body into a small bow. He stayed like that, averting my gaze. "What did you hail me for? Father."
"That boy at the party, the Grimwald Substitute, Rin Reyguard." I pause, letting the authority in my words settle. "There are claims that he holds the Will of a Lord Beast–"
"That's not possible!" My son cuts me off. "I sensed his Will myself, there's no–" He faltered.
I raised my hand to shut him up.
"Do not… cut me off." Speaking with the support of my Aura to drive my demand. "I've heard news of his future attendance at the academy." I step closer. "If you wish to earn the flames of the family, you must begin to prove you deserve it. Upon his enrollment at the academy"–I step closer still–"you shall observe his every move, hear his every word… and discern his every truth. Report only to me, and find out if these claims of his Lordship are true. Succeed, and I shall grant you your wish of Fire."
He looked up from his bow, his mouth twitching in revelation. "An–and, if these claims turn out to be false?"
Stepping as close as possible, my form imposed over him. Bending down until our faces were mere centimeters apart. "Elgin is no liar. Despite his ludicrous claims."
His whole body shakes. Visible sweat poured from his forehead. "If–if I fail?"
"Do you intend to fail?"