Edric spent the party in near silence.
Since the gathering was expected to stretch late into the night, his family would be staying as guests. Servants moved in practiced rhythms around the hall, refilling goblets, carrying platters, laughing softly when nobles demanded it. Music drifted through the air, pleasant and distant.
Rhysek did not approach him again after their initial meeting.
So this is why everyone is afraid, Edric thought, watching the crowd from his seat.
Does my father know Rhysek is a poison expert? Or does he only fear his ties to the council?
Either way, it left Edric with a problem.
Dealing with him in my current state will be difficult...
And on top of that—
His brow furrowed.
I'm missing something. Important memories. Why are my powers weakening now, of all times?
Edric glanced down at the untouched plate in front of him.
I need to leave. I need to investigate.
Instead, his hand moved on its own. He grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it into his mouth.
I don't want to eat.
He chewed anyway. Then reached for more.
Why?
Annoyance twisted in his chest as he forced himself to swallow.
This body is still difficult to control, he thought as he ate. Even if our goals align, our personalities clash far too much.
William sat across from him, eating quietly, pretending nothing was wrong.
But his thoughts betrayed him.
How can Edric remain so calm after what just happened?
Isn't he afraid?
"Edric…" William had said softly. "It's alright to talk to me about your worries."
Edric nodded.
"I'm fine, Father," he replied evenly. "I never expected my situation to drastically improve after I was cured in the first place."
William's expression darkened at that.
They moved upstairs soon after, guided to their assigned guest room.
Edric dropped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
This is bad, he admitted to himself. I've gotten tangled in far too many messes. Is this what Ramon wanted me involved in?
William sat at the desk, quill scratching against parchment.
"What are you doing, Father?" Edric asked.
Almost startled, the quill slipped from William's fingers, smearing ink across the page.
"Oh—this is..." He stared at the ruined letter. "I just wanted to gather some information. Something to put my mind at ease."
"What kind of information?"
"I-It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Get some rest."
When you say it like that, it would be insane not to worry.
An arrow suddenly pierced through the ceiling.
It shot downward toward William's chest.
A flash of blue lightning tore across the room on instinct, vaporizing the arrow into ash midair.
"Whose there!?" William shouted, stumbling back as smoke filled the space. He coughed violently.
The floor split open.
A square-shaped portal unfolded at the center of the room, its edges unnaturally clean, revealing a different space beyond.
Before Edric could react, a hand emerged from it.
Fingers dug into the floorboards. The figure hauled himself up.
A masked man landed lightly on his feet, bow already in hand. A brown beard peeked out from beneath the mask—just enough to tell Edric he was likely male.
More followed.
Masked figures climbed out of the portal one after another.
Edric sprinted for the door.
He threw it open—
—and stared into a void.
This... It's someone with spatial magic. I can't call anyone for help.
"Wait!" William shouted, panic breaking through his composure. "This isn't what we agreed to!"
Edric froze.
Agreed to... what?
"Shut up, William," one of the masked men snapped. "The boy was never meant to be cured. The terms made that clear—even if it wasn't stated outright."
One of the men stepped forward.
"Dammit! I didn't mean to!" William cried. "I didn't try to cure him! I don't know how he neutralized the poison!"
My father... was involved?
"I'm sorry, William," the man continued coldly. "But at least your family will still have a successor once your daughter marries."
"No!" William shouted. "That man—I'll never let the council take over my family!"
"I'm afraid that your fate was sealed the moment Lord Valter took interest in you."
The masked man laughed and gestured forward.
"No!" William screamed. "Edric! Why couldn't you just stay sick? You should have sacrificed yourself for the greater good!"
Edric stood still.
What the fuck is happening?
His vision blurred.
My eyes... are watering.
So Edric... you're sad, aren't you?
Don't worry. I didn't have a great father either.
In a blink, Edric vanished.
He reappeared behind William, his palm pressed flat against his father's back.
Blue electricity surged.
William screamed as his body convulsed, flesh charring in seconds before collapsing into a burnt corpse.
Tears streamed down Edric's face as he stared at what remained.
"Why did you kill him, boy?" a masked man demanded.
"A father who doesn't act in his son's best interest," Edric replied calmly, "is not someone I would keep as an ally."
"I was told you were weak," the man snarled. "Did you train during the time that you were bedridden? No, that's impossible, the poison was too painful."
Edric smiled faintly through his tears.
"Do I really need to answer a dead man's question?"
He raised his hand, fingers shaped like a gun. Blue electricity spiraled around his fingertips, forming a lightning arrow bound by crackling strings connected to his thumb.
He released it.
The masked man in the center dodged—but the arrow split midair, scattering into multiple arcs that danced across the room, electrocuting those they struck.
Edric surged forward, electricity coiling around him like whips. He lashed them down. One after another, he thrashed down the whips on the group.
Those already stunned never had time to scream. Their hearts stopped instantly.
"How is he so strong!?" someone cried.
Edric answered with another arrow—straight through the man's chest.
"Use the portals!" someone shouted.
The remaining assassins dove into the central portal. Edric picked off a few, but many escaped.
The portal snapped shut.
There must be another exit, Edric reasoned. Spatial mages cannot trap someone in an area alone; they have to be in the area, which is perfect because killing this spatial mage is enough to break the spell.
He bolted through the door.
Just as he thought, there was no more void but another room. Unlike he predicted, however, the room was empty.
Huh? Where are they?
Edric looked around the empty room; it seemed to be a storage room of sorts.
Something rattled above him.
A masked man dropped from the ceiling with a knife.
Edric sidestepped smoothly and traced a line of electricity across the man's head as he fell. His scream was brief.
They're using portals to surprise attack me...
However, the mage has to be near these portals to create them.
Two portals opened—left and right.
Edric grabbed one attacker's wrist and slipped beneath him. The second collided with his ally just as Edric released a current.
Both collapsed.
Another portal opened above, but this time Edric was expecting it.
He had purposely brought his body low to redirect his opponent, letting his back be exposed to the ceiling. Using this opportunity, the spatial mage had sent someone to fight from above.
I don't need hands to cast!
Edric crouched low, then flipped his body upward as the portal formed.
Lightning erupted from his feet like a rod striking the sky.
Edric fell almost face-first when he landed, but he had succeeded.
The portal collapsed instantly.
The area around him started to break like glass. The walls shattered, revealing the void from earlier.
I need to return to the original room!
Edric moved slowly back to the guest room.
My body is too weak for fighting... just falling over once, and I'm all sore.
While entering the room, the hallway reappeared as the portal behind him vanished.
William's corpse lay where it had fallen.
How am I going to explain this?
He exhaled.
But at least I'll have more power now if I rise up as the sole heir to the family.
I need to keep the extent of my powers a secret if I want anyone to believe that I didn't kill Father, especially if his corpse is all burnt as it is right now.
Wasn't the smartest decision to do the deed myself when suitable subjects to accomplish the murder were right in front of me... but sometimes in life you just need to do what you want.
Edric stepped into the hallway and cupped his hands around his mouth.
"ASSASSINS!" he screamed. "ASSASSINS KILLED MY FATHER!"
He yelled as loud as he possibly could while letting the boy's emotions, which had welled up inside him, break free. Repeatedly he continued to scream over and over while collapsing into sobs as footsteps began to echo in the distance.