Under the pouring rain, the howling wind mixes with the crashing waves slamming against the cliffs. Each icy gust lashes against the skin, and the storm continues to dump water from the pitch-black sky, making the air feel heavy and suffocating.
Cassius stands there, at the edge of a high cliff, where just one step forward could send him plunging into the deep abyss. He clutches the black cat in his arms tightly, feeling the faint rise and fall of its tiny breaths as it curls against his chest.
Celeste stands not far behind him. Her cloak is soaked through, and her long silver hair clings to her face. Though the rain makes anyone look ragged, she still carries an air of elegance, calm and cold.
Her face shows no expression. Only her silver eyes focus steadily on Cassius.
"I-I'm j-just taking a little walk" Cassius stammers, trying to find an excuse.
But she doesn't respond. She only takes one step closer.
Her eyes shift slowly to the left, glancing down the cliffside. From where she stands, the stormy ocean is clearly visible, gray and furious, with wave after wave smashing into the rocks below, spraying white foam into the air. Her gaze returns to Cassius, standing right at the brink.
Celeste's silence weighs heavily in the air.
Instinctively, the boy takes another step back. His heel presses against the crumbling edge of the cliff.
Crack
A dry sound echoes.
A small section of rock beneath his foot fractures. Tiny clumps of dirt crumble and fall straight into the abyss, making Cassius whip his head around in alarm.
Below him is nothing but empty space. The screaming sea. The gaping black void. Rain keeps pouring down. The wind feels stronger. It feels like the world itself is tilting forward.
He turns his head back.
Celeste, at some point, has moved closer.
She now stands barely an arm's length away.
Rain slaps against their faces. His hair whips in the wind. Water runs down his cheeks.
Cassius takes half a step back. His heel now rests fully on the cracked stone.
"Mother…"
Cassius's grip on the black cat tightens. Despite the soaked cloak chilling his skin, he can still feel the small, warm body in his arms trembling.
The cat, the strange, talking creature, is now silent. It rests quietly in Cassius's hold, its golden eyes narrowed, gaze sharp as a blade and fixed on the woman standing before them.
Celeste remains as eerily composed as ever. Even drenched head to toe, even in the heart of a raging storm, her face doesn't waver. Her silver gaze seems to cut through the rain, pinning Cassius in place as if reading every thought in his mind.
Cassius swallows hard. His throat feels dry, as if the ocean winds have sucked the breath from his lungs. Celeste doesn't look away. Then, very slowly… she lifts her right hand.
Her arm stretches forward, not fast, not slow, but to Cassius, the motion feels endlessly drawn out. Every joint, every finger, every nail, etched into his mind with perfect clarity, as though time itself has stopped.
Cassius holds his breath.
"Cassius…" Celeste's voice cuts through the storm, soft and cold like wind whispering past his ear.
Her index finger rises higher, then begins to trace a circle in the air.
A faint trail of light appears from her fingertip.
She's drawing a symbol
"You shouldn't be here" Celeste says.
The moment her words leave her lips, the air behind her shimmers with a red glow.
At first, it's only a single spark, like a drop of blood suspended in space. But it rapidly expands, spiraling inward as if tearing open the air itself.
With every passing second, the crimson light spreads wider. A massive magic circle slowly forms behind her. The lines are made of countless indecipherable glyphs, rotating, glowing, then fading back into the core of the red halo.
Celeste silently walks around behind Cassius and places one gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Let's go" she says, her voice quiet but firm.
Cassius flinches, but doesn't resist. His body is stiff, his mind stretched thin. It feels like an invisible thread is tugging at him, pulling him forward step by step.
He follows her voice. His feet feel like lead as he walks toward the glowing red portal spinning in the cold night air.
The light from the magic circle grows blindingly bright. With each step, Cassius feels like he's slipping into a dream. The crimson glow pulses wildly, so intense that he has to raise a hand to shield his eyes.
And then, everything turns white.
—
When Cassius lowers his hand, he realizes he's no longer at the seaside cliff. The rain is gone. The roar of the waves has vanished.
Instead, he now stands in a familiar wide hallway, dimly lit by magical lamps casting a soft glow on the cold stone walls. In front of him is the large door leading into the private chambers he shares with Celeste.
Confused, Cassius turns around, Celeste is there, just a few steps behind him.
She looks completely different from earlier. Gone is the rain-soaked figure. Now, she's back to her usual appearance: perfectly dressed, long platinum hair neatly arranged, as if she's never set foot outside the castle.
She silently watches Cassius, her silver eyes glinting with cold calculation. After a moment, she lifts her right hand. From her palm, glowing red sigils begin to swirl, forming slowly drifting magical characters in the air.
"Bring Hela here" she commands.
The light vanishes instantly. Celeste steps toward Cassius.
"Don't worry" she says gently "Hela will be here shortly to help dry you off."
Then her gaze shifts downward
"And you" she says, pointing at the black cat curled in Cassius's arms "come with me"
"Meow…" The cat lifts its head, tilting slightly as if it doesn't understand what's going on.
But Celeste doesn't mistake it.
"I know you're not an ordinary cat"
She reaches toward it.
Just as her fingers are about to touch it, the cat's body flashes, and it disappears.
A second later, it reappears on the other side of the hall, perched on a window ledge, its tail flicking slightly, eyes wary.
Celeste says nothing. She simply stares at the cat, then lifts her hand again. Blood-red sigils reappear in the air.
"What are you doing…?" the cat speaks, this time, a clear voice, female. Young, but sharp. Its black tail twitches like it's ready to flee… but it can't. Its entire body is frozen.
Celeste slowly walks forward, leans down, and lifts the cat with one hand—gripping the scruff of its neck like catching a wild creature.
The cat hisses in fury, but still cannot move.
Without another word, Celeste turns and walks away, carrying the small creature toward her study.
Just then, Hela arrives, her face calm, holding a towel and a cloak.
Her gaze lands on the soaked Cassius, but she shows no surprise.
"Young master, allow me to dry you off" she says, bowing her head slightly.
Cassius blinks, surprised that Hela doesn't question why he left the castle.
"…Okay" he nods.
The two enter the room together. After helping him change and drying his hair, Hela quietly leaves, leaving Cassius alone on the white bed.
The room falls silent again.
Cassius lies there, eyes blank as he stares at the ceiling.
The images from earlier replay over and over in his mind: the sea, the cliff, Celeste, the red portal, the cat, and again, Celeste.
How can she stay so calm?
Every action Celeste takes, from appearing at the cliff, bringing him back, to handling the cat, everything is so… smooth?
His thoughts are interrupted by a faint scratching sound at the door.
Click. Cassius quickly gets up and opens it.
Before him is the black cat from earlier.
"Hey there, kid. Cassius, right?"
"…Blackie?" Cassius blurts.
"Blackie?!" The cat frowns. "I'm Rimi. That's my real name, don't go giving me random nicknames."
Rimi pushes past him, slipping into the room, then sits beside Cassius's feet.
"Thanks for earlier. I'm not sure why, but you healed me."
"Healed you?" Cassius frowns. "When did I do that?"
"You didn't notice?" Rimi looks up at him. "Must've been instinct. Your ability… it's interesting."
Cassius falls silent.
"…Rimi, why are you here? Where's your home?"
The cat goes quiet for a few seconds, then casually replies
"You could say… from now on, this place is my home."
"Here?!" Cassius exclaims. "But I've never seen you in this castle before!"
Rimi stares at him, then says slowly
"You could say I just… made a small deal with the white-haired lady from earlier"
—
Not far from there, at the peak of a desolate mountain.
A crimson circle appears in the air, tearing through the night. From within it, Celeste steps out, her platinum hair fluttering softly, a pristine white umbrella in her hand.
The wind howls, thunder rumbles.
Below the mountain, hundreds of figures move.
They are not human.
Atop their heads are pointed ears, tails swaying in the wind. Beastkin, creatures that resemble humans but are not quite the same.
They carry weapons, swords, spears, bows. Their eyes are sharp, wary.
Celeste takes a few steps forward, standing at the highest point of the slope.
She raises her right arm, and glowing red sigils begin to swirl in the sky above.
From her palm, a red mist pours forth like blood being released. It spreads rapidly, blanketing the sky, casting a deep crimson hue over the mountaintop.
She clenches her hand.
The mist begins to contract.
Hundreds of tiny, razor-sharp spikes form from the mist, hovering midair. Each one gleams with deadly precision, vibrating as if waiting for a command.
Celeste lowers her hand.
Instantly, a rain of needles descends.
No warning. No hesitation.
The crimson spikes tear through the sky, piercing houses, bodies, trees. Screams erupt. Blood splashes. Weapons fall to the ground.
The slope of the mountain is stained red.
A/N: Long time no see hehe