Lux remembered the way the world folded.
Not blurred—compressed.
The ground vanished beneath his feet and the sky stretched into a narrow ribbon overhead, pulled taut by speed that made his stomach lurch. Wind tore past his ears so violently it drowned out his own voice when he tried to scream.
Someone was holding him.
An arm locked around his chest, iron-tight.
He caught flashes as consciousness slipped in and out—snow flattening into streaks, dark structures bending away, the distant glow of the city swelling unnaturally fast. Each time he tried to fight, the pressure in his chest surged—and then collapsed inward.
Filtered through something stronger than him.
The last clear thought he had before darkness took him was Gavin's name, half-formed and already too late.
"—GAVIN!"
Lux jolted upright, the name tearing out of his throat before he was fully awake.
His lungs burned as he dragged in air too fast, hands flying to his chest as if expecting pain. There was none—no frostbite sting, no cracked ribs, no ache from the cold that should have been there.
Instead, there was warmth. A steady and enveloping warmth that felt unnatural to Lux.
His fingers closed around fabric thicker than anything he had ever worn. The bed beneath him was wide and unmoving, its surface firm beneath the padding. When he swung his legs over the side, his feet met stone that held heat rather than stealing it.
Lux froze.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
The room was wrong. It wasn't damaged nor was it decrepit. It was wrong in the way a place could only be if it had never known scarcity. After all, it was only human instinct to reject that which is unfamiliar to them, and Lux's instincts are arguably sharper than the average person.
Paneled walls, smooth and unscarred. A lamp that burned without smoke or flicker. Furniture built to last, its polish unmarred by use. Even the air was different—clean, neutral, unburdened by oil or rot. No wind clawed through cracks. No distant shouting echoed through walls.
His heart began to pound.
The realization settled heavy in his chest.
Memory rushed back in sharp fragments.
Heattearing through snow.
Varik bleeding out in the snow and Gavin's crushed body buried under rubble.
Lux clenched his jaw until it hurt.
"They're gone."
A light knock came at the door—gentle, almost cheerful in its precision.
"Master Lux?" a woman's voice called softly. "May I come in?"
The door opened a moment later.
A young lady stepped inside with a small, practiced smile, hands folded neatly at her waist. Her luscious brown hair was tied neatly in a bun without a single loose strand. Her uniform was clean and well-pressed, her movements smooth and unhurried. She inclined her head slightly toward him, the gesture respectful without being stiff.
"I'm very glad to see you awake, sir," she said warmly. "You gave us quite a scare."
Lux stared at her with bewilderment and caution. "Are you talking to me?"
The lady spoke with a warm smile on her face, "Yes, Young Master."
His confusion grew even more. He swallowed air and asked "Who are you and where am I?"
"I am Geltry, the temporary maid assigned to tender to your every need young master." she replied pleasantly, as if answering a harmless question. "You are currently in one of the guest chambers of The Achrion Estate, the greatest and most esteemed family in all of Acrem Futri."
Lux's confusion reached a point where he didn't know what else to ask so he just stared at the young lady with a strange expression but he was still cautious.
"You were unconscious for some time," she continued, her light tone a bit off, "The physicians said you would recover quickly, but even so… waking so soon is rather impressive. As expected of a Young Master."
Lux's eyes narrowed. "What did you do to me?"
Her smile didn't falter. "Oh, nothing improper, sir. Merely what was needed to ensure your comfort and safety."
He felt it again—that strange pressure in his chest, distant and muted, like fire banked beneath ash.
"Why am I here?" he asked.
Her gaze dipped politely. "I'm afraid that isn't something I'm permitted to discuss."
Of course.
"The Patriarch will see you shortly," she added, brightening just a touch. "I'm to escort you when you're ready."
"I didn't agree to stay," Lux said with hostility.
She tilted her head, still smiling. "I am afraid neither of us have a say in the matter young master. If I could do something to alleviate your tension so you can see the patriarch more comfortably please tell me."
Lux stayed silent.
The words sounded accommodating.
The reality beneath them was not.
She stepped aside and opened the door fully, gesturing with one hand.
"Very well then. This way, if you may Young Master."
Lux followed—not because he trusted her, but because it felt like the only option he had at the moment.
The corridor beyond was wide and carefully lit, its walls adorned with subtle sigils and insignias he didn't recognize. Everything about the place was deliberate. Balanced. Designed to appear welcoming while leaving no doubt that it could close in at any moment.
As they walked, Lux's thoughts churned.
He knew who had brought him here.
He knew how easily it had been done.
Despite his naive nature and young age Lux was no fool. Being raised in the slums doesn't leave room for foolishness. He had already realized the truth.
Whatever this place was, it was no refuge for him. All this sweet talk was merely an attempt at a distraction from the fact that he was brought here against his will. It was to try and distract him from the fact that Gavin and Varik are most likely dead and Lux was in enemy territory with no one on his side.
The corridor widened as they walked.
Not abruptly—nothing in the Achrion estate seemed to do anything abruptly—but gradually, as if the house itself were easing Lux toward something important. The ceilings rose higher. The light shifted from warm lamplight to something cooler, more deliberate. The silence here wasn't empty; it was maintained.
The maid stopped before a pair of tall doors fashioned from dark metal-veined wood. Subtle sigils were worked into the grain, they seemed to serve some purpose but whatever it was Lux couldn't know.
The lady turned to him and inclined her head again.
"The Patriarch is inside, Master Lux," she said, voice still pleasant, still carefully neutral. "Please… speak freely, but respectfully."
The doors opened without a sound.
Lux stepped through.
The room beyond was vast, though not in the ostentatious way he had expected. No towering pillars. No excessive ornamentation. It was wide and open, designed to feel stable. Like a place that had never needed to prove its authority.
Tall windows lined one side of the chamber, their panes layered thickly enough to hold back the slight chill beyond. The outside was visible as a vast well kept and beautiful vast property where the calm snow served more as aesthetic than a force of nature, far removed from the slums Lux knew. The elevation alone made his stomach tighten.
At the far end of the room stood a single desk.
Behind it sat a man who was writing something in a book. The man didn't even acknowledge Lux's presence for a few minutes. The room was awkwardly silent and those few minutes felt like hours for Lux.
Just as he was about to try and say something the man stopped writing and finally acknowledged the demure boy.
"I commend you boy. Despite what the rich may say, patience is the foundation of true decorum and most importantly, strength."
He then placed away his pen and closed the book and arose from the chair.
The man was tall, his posture straight without rigidity. His hair was dark and neatly kept, touched lightly with gray at the temples. His clothes were understated—well-tailored, clearly expensive, but absent of unnecessary flair. Everything about him suggested control exercised so often it no longer needed emphasis.
His light brown eyes settled on Lux and with them a pressure that almost made it hard for Lux to take a breath.
"You're awake," The man said. His voice was carryied easily across the room without being raised. "Good. Allow me to give you a formal welcome to the Achrion Estate. I am the Patriarch, Vincent Acrion."
Lux didn't respond.
He stood where he was, shoulders tense, hands clenched loosely at his sides. He was painfully aware of how small he must look here—thin, wrapped in borrowed clothes, standing on polished stone that probably cost more than entire blocks back home.
Vincent let out a slight chuckle but to Lux it sounded like a cold sneer "I can understand your restraint given the circumstances but dont make yourself so tense." He then gestured toward the chair opposite the desk. "Please. Sit."
Lux hesitated.
Then sat.
The chair was comfortable but it did little to calm his nerves.
"I won't waste your time," Vincent continued, resuming his seat. "You've been through something… extraordinary. I imagine you have questions. I'll answer them all to the best of my capabilities."
"Where are my brothers?" Lux asked immediately.
Vincent didn't blink. "You were not brought here with anyone else."
The words were simple. But they hurt.
Lux swallowed.
"They were with me," he said, more sharply now. "Two others. Older."
"I am aware," Vincent replied. "There was a sweep of the area where you were rescued. The report stated that there were no others found. It is sad but I am afraid those two boys are dead."
Lux's fingers dug into the armrests. He knew deep down that Varik and Gavin were probably dead but he still held on to the hope that maybe at least one of them could have survived. To hear it so clearly cut Lux's heart like a blade of ice.
"I understand you may not believe me so whenever you feel ready we could escort you to the area where you can see for yourself."
A long silence passed and then finally broke.
"Why was I brought here?" Lux asked with a dejected voice.
"You were brought here," Vincent continued, "because you have potential. You have potential to be the greatest asset to humanity and there are people out there who wish to use that potential."
Lux's expression shifted to what looked like a mix of anger and sorrow.
"Is this really what all of this was for? Are you telling me that man killed Gavin just because of me?! Are you saying that the other man left Varik to die because he saw no worth in him?! Are you telling me none of those deaths matter in the slightest to you?!"
Vincent studied Lux and replied with a tone colder than any blizzard the boy had ever experienced.
"No, none of it matters."
Vincent placed a single finger on the desk and a great pressure enveloped the room making every breath Lux took feel like a burden.
He then said with a tone that earned all attention, "There is something you must understand here boy. The only things that matter in this world are worth and results. Humanity as a whole has survived this endless winter for so long because we prioritize those with more worth and in turn they yield the greatest results. I have deemed you worthy so I will invest in your future but in return I expect you to grant me the results I and humanity desire. Nothing else and no one else matters. If I see that your potential for humanity cannot be realized then I will make sure it cannot be realized for someone else because that is my duty."
The pressure within the room finally receded and Lux could begin to breath normally again.
Vincent continued, " I am giving you a chance to not only do something with a life that would've been otherwise wasted, but to also create a true future for yourself. Will you really let all those sacrifices be in vain?"
Lux's breathing fully stabilized and he removed his hand from his throat. He could finally register the words being spoken by the domineering man infront of him. He did not like him in the slightest but he had to admit that what he is saying is all true. As much as Lux didn't like it, for as much as he knows Varik and Gavin are dead. They died trying to protect him. If he were do something dumb and die here he would be wasting their sacrifices.
Lux finally spoke, his voice still a bit raspy, "I know what you're saying is true but all I am hearing is that I'll be a slave."
Vincent smiled. It wasn't a comforting smile. It was a smile one made when they knew they got what they wanted.
"You are safe here. You will be clothed, fed, educated and trained. You will not be harmed and you will have the backing of the entire Achrion family. All you have to do is show results. This isn't slavery, it is a transaction."
Lux stayed quiet.
That honesty landed heavier than reassurance would have.
"You are not a prisoner," Vincent continued. "But neither are you free."
Lux met his gaze. For the first time since waking, something hot flickered behind his eyes.
The air in Lux's chest stirred.
Vincent stood once more, signaling the end of the meeting without stating it outright.
"For now, you will remain here," Vincent said. "You will recover. You will learn. And in time, you will decide what you wish to do next."
Lux rose slowly, his legs unsteady.
"And if I decide to leave?"
Vincent's gaze held his.
He said evenly, "I trust you are smarter than that."
The doors behind Lux opened again.
The maid was waiting, posture perfect, smile gentle.
"This way, Master Lux," she said brightly.
Lux turned back once more.
Vincent Achrion was already seated again, attention returning to the documents on his desk—as if Lux's presence had been important, but never essential.
As Lux stepped out of the room, one thought pressed heavily against his skull:
"I'm alone now."
There was no one around to protect him anymore. Lux was determined to survive this place no matter what. He refused to let Varik and Gavin sacrifice end in futility. From now on he only had himself and their memory to rely on.