Within the dimly lit office of Lord Aelyzabeth Thors, the pallid glow of a single fluorescent lamp reflected upon the cold metallic walls.
She and Lieutenant General Vito Vilozyver burst through the door—and what they saw froze the very rhythm of their hearts.
Aerys stood in the centre of the room.The sleeve of his white shirt was drenched in a deep crimson stain seeping from his right arm.In his hand gleamed a small knife, and he stared at it blankly—as though pain itself had abandoned him.
"Aerys! What in God's name have you done!"Vito cried out, snatching the blade from his son's hand.
Aelyzabeth knelt swiftly beside the boy, pressing a bandage to the wound.Yet he neither flinched nor made a sound—his gaze unfocused, distant—until a drop of blood touched the cold steel floor.
Then, his eyes turned scarlet.His breathing, once shallow, rose into a shrill whistle—a piercing tone that clawed through the silence of the night.His whole body trembled, as though something within sought to rend him apart.
"Vito! Take the children to the shelter—now!"Aelyzabeth commanded, her voice sharp as tempered glass.
When the door sealed behind them, only mother and son remained.
Aerys lifted his head.His eyes were no longer human.A sound—a keening, metallic shriek—tore from his throatbefore he lunged toward her, faster than sight could follow.
Aelyzabeth evaded by instinct, the faint azure radiance of her HERB glimmering around her frame.Every motion of the boy was feral, every strike meant to kill.She refused to retaliate—only the sounds of breath, struggle, and impact filled the room.
At last, in a fleeting opening, she darted forward and wrapped her arms around him—holding him tight despite his violent thrashing.
"My son… it hurts, doesn't it?I know… it's all right… I'm here,"she whispered near his ear.
Minutes bled into twenty.The shrill whistle faded; his trembling eased.Finally, Aerys collapsed, unconscious, into her arms.
Alisu panted, bruises marking her shoulders and arms,yet she smiled faintly through the pain.
"It's all right now… Mother's here, Aerys."
When Vito returned, he froze at the sight before him.For a moment, silence reigned—then he spoke softly.
"Aelyzabeth… are you hurt?""Only a few bruises," she replied, her tone weary."But Aerys… I fear he no longer knows when it happens."
She laid her son upon the bed.His face was peaceful, almost angelic—as though nothing had ever occurred.
"The ninth time this year…"Aelyzabeth murmured."Yet I cannot believe he is mad—he is merely lost, still searching for a way out of the darkness within his soul."
Thus ends Chapter A-III.