The great hall of House Sylvaris remained illuminated despite the falling night. The flames of the enchanted lamps cast long shadows over the ancient tapestries, making coats of arms and scenes of past battles appear to move slowly along the walls.
Lady Elena sat at the head of the table, her hands clenched around a letter read countless times already. The paper trembled slightly between her fingers. Marcus paced back and forth before the fireplace, the dry sound of his boots echoing on the marble.
— How reliable is this information? — he asked, without stopping.
Cordelia remained standing behind her mother's chair, her fingers resting on the carved backrest.
— The contact came directly from Eldria — she replied, keeping her voice firm. — It didn't pass through intermediaries.
Lord Aldrich observed the courtyard through the high window, his hands crossed behind his back. The dying light of dusk outlined his rigid silhouette.
— Three months of silence — he said, without turning. — And now this.
Nathalia leaned slightly over the table.
— They reported he was seen at the Guild. Talking to an attendant. Asking about registration.
Dominic looked up from the papers scattered before him.
— The location coincides with the last confirmed trail. The trail was lost in the western forest, but Eldria was always the most likely destination.
Elena's gaze wandered to the empty chair at the opposite end of the table. Kaelus's place had remained untouched since his disappearance.
— If it was him… — she murmured. — Why didn't he come home?
Lady Elena took a deep breath, but her voice failed nonetheless.
— If it truly was my son…
The silence that followed weighed more than any answer. Absence had become a constant presence in that room. Marcus interrupted the stillness, already moving toward the door.
— I'm going to Eldria now.
Cordelia stepped forward, blocking his path.
— No. Not alone.
— Every lost hour matters — he retorted, his jaw tense.
— Or every hasty step could cost us everything — she replied. — We've followed false leads before.
Nathalia nodded.
— Silvanum. — The word was enough.
Lord Aldrich finally moved away from the window.
— Cordelia is right. — His voice did not rise, but it ended the discussion. — We will confirm the sighting before acting. Notify our allies in Eldria. I want certainties.
The children fell silent. The decision was made.
Later, in Aldrich's study, maps covered the mahogany table. Light crystals cast a steady glow over routes and districts.
— We will need eyes in every neighborhood — Marcus said, pointing to strategic positions.
Cordelia traced the Guild symbol on the map.
— If he registered, there will be records. No inscription goes unnoticed there.
Aldrich's mind, however, was distant. He remembered the last breakfast with Kaelus, the youthful enthusiasm when discussing magical theory as if the world were too malleable to contain ideas.
Cordelia closed her eyes for a moment. She remembered her brother's unique sensitivity, the way mana seemed to respond to him even before any formal instruction.
Meanwhile, Nathalia observed the outer garden, calculating political implications. In recent days, alliances had moved too subtly to be ignored.
Lady Elena, alone, retreated to Kaelus's room. Nothing had been touched since his departure. The books, the unfinished notes, the small enchanted stones aligned by the window. She touched the spine of her son's favorite volume.
— Where did you lose yourself… — she murmured.
The answer came in hurried footsteps echoing through the main hall. Bernard appeared at the door, his face flushed with effort.
— My lord… my lady… — he bowed quickly. — I had to come personally.
Elena rose immediately.
— Bernard?
— I saw him.
The sentence fell like a muffled blow. Marcus and Cordelia returned to the hall at the same instant.
— Where? — asked Aldrich.
— In Eldria. Behind a temple. He was sitting under an ancient oak. — The merchant's voice wavered. — The hair… the eyes… when I spoke to him, he denied being Kaelus. But…
He straightened up.
— I have traded with this house for twenty years. I am not mistaken.
— When? — asked Dominic.
— This morning.
Nathalia approached.
— Did he seem injured?
— No. But… different. Too reserved.
Elena brought her hand to her chest.
— My boy…
— We are going to Eldria — said Aldrich, without hesitation.
The following dawn seemed inevitable. Before then, however, the sound of hooves echoed in the courtyard. Three riders dismounted under the gate arches: two with silver cloaks of the Mages' Guild, one with the black of the royal guard.
The emissary spoke first.
— Lord Aldrich Sylvaris. By order of His Majesty, your family is invited to attend the Arcane Championship.
The royal guard presented the king's seal.
— With guarantees of security… and a private audience.
— The throne's interest has been piqued by singular talents — added the mage, with excessive care in his words.
Silence returned to the hall. Aldrich held the parchment for a moment too long.
— We depart at dawn — he said, finally.
Hope was not certainty. But for the first time in months, it was not just a painful memory.