— Emily Wisteria, “Emily’s Personal Journal.”
By the time Emily stepped out of the bath, the washroom had enough steam in it to be considered a sauna.
Her skin was flushed, and her muscles relaxed from nearly an hour of soaking. Emily had changed her mind. Baths weren’t just her favorite thing to do after a long run, they were her favorite thing to do to relax. She didn’t need to worry about the water getting cold, she could simply heat it up by expelling heat from her body, a nice little trick Mina had taught her to help warm her up. It meant she could lie in the bath for hours if she wanted to, soaking, letting the heat relax her tense muscles. The incline of the tub was just steep enough for her to lean against, and on one instance she had even fallen asleep, only for the chill of cold water to suddenly jolt her awake.
Emily wrapped herself in a thick towel and sat before the foggy mirror. She began brushing out her damp hair, letting it unravel like silk between the bristles. When she had steamed enough, she watched herself in the reflection. Her posture was straighter than it had been in days. Her ribs no longer ached.
It was hard not to wonder just how far that magic inside her could go. If a fracture could be undone in mere days… what about something worse? What were the limits? Every time she thought she was beginning to understand the power within her, it revealed something new. It was like living with a storm trapped in her chest. It was chaotic and unpredictable, but also undeniably hers. A force that could either save her or destroy her, depending on the choices she made. It scared her, how little she knew about it. And it scared her more that no one, not even Mina, had answers.
Would she ever understand it? Or would she spend her whole life trying to control something that refused to be controlled?
Emily sighed and set the brush down. She wanted to take some time to ponder it some more, perhaps even write about it in the journal Mina had given her, but she needed to finish getting ready.
Across the room, she had draped a gown over a short bench Mina had pushed up beside the washroom cabinet. Slipping into it felt different from when she usually dressed. She felt more elegant, more poised, more… adult. The midnight-blue fabric shimmered when it caught the light of the oil lamp hanging above the bath, flowing like water as she smoothed it over her hips. The bodice hugged her snugly but comfortably, not enough to press against her still-healing ribs, but not loose enough either to be noticeable. The neckline dips just enough to feel daring without being too revealing. She twisted side to side, watching the skirt ripple with the movement.
The Tailor had outdone himself. The lace sleeves alone were stunning, made from sheer and embroidered with black florals that reminded her of midnight blossoms. Tiny constellations were even stitched into the silk. She’d only asked for something simple, but the giant stuffed spider had laughed in her face.
“Simple is for peasants,” he had said. “You are not a peasant, my dear. You are a walking spectacle.”
Emily smiled. Her mom had always said she looked good in a dress. Emily used to roll her eyes at that. But standing here now, in this gown that made her feel like a queen, she had to admit, her mom had been right about more than a few things.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
“Come in,” she called.
The door creaked open, and Mina stepped inside. Predictably, she was still in full hunter's gear.
Emily gave her a once-over, unimpressed. “You’re not even gonna try to dress up?”
Mina arched a brow. “What’s wrong with this?”
Emily set her hands on her hips. “Oh, nothing… if you’re expecting an army of monsters to crash the ceremony.”
“I wear this to stay prepared,” Mina said, deadpan. “Just in case.”
“In case what?” Emily asked. “The last vampires barely made it past the town gates. You think they’re gonna fly in through the ceiling mid-toast?”
Mina crossed her arms. “Better to have your weapons and not need them than the other way around.”
Emily rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. But do you really need all of them?” She hiked up the edge of her dress just past the knee, revealing a pair of slim knives strapped to her calves. “See? I came prepared, and I look amazing.
Mina’s expression didn’t change. “Cute.”
“You could pull this off, too, you know.” Emily turned and twirled in front of the mirror, the skirt of her gown spinning around her. “I think you’d turn heads in something elegant.”
Mina scoffed. “Not for the right reasons.”
Emily sat back down, grabbing her brush again as she began braiding her hair. “When’s the last time you wore something nice? I’ve known you for a year, and the only time I’ve seen you without armor is when you’re in a towel.”
Mina didn’t answer.
Emily glanced at her through the mirror. “That’s what I thought.”
“I don’t need a dress to prove anything,” Mina muttered.
“It’s not about proving anything. It’s about feeling like someone else for a little while. Someone who doesn’t always have to carry a blade or keep looking over their shoulder.”
“I don’t get to not carry a blade,” Mina said. “That’s a luxury I can’t afford.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to get a makeover every now and then. After you took me in and cut my hair, I felt like a completely different person. And, speaking of hair, I had an idea recently.”
Mina narrowed her eyes. “Which is…?”
“You should dye your hair.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not? It’d be a fun change. Your hair’s already white, so it’s like a blank canvas! You could go red, black, maybe something deep green.”
“I’m not trying to stand out.”
Emily snorted. “You walk around in a trench coat with a two-foot sword strapped to your back, and bullets around your waist. You already stand out.”
“This is my natural color, Emily.”
“Because you’re Vaelari, right?”
Mina tilted her head. “You finally got around to the book on elves?”
Emily nodded. “I needed to do something to kill time.”
Mina crossed her arms. “And how do you know I’m Vaelari?”
“I didn’t read all of it, okay, I skimmed a lot of it, but I remember something about the Vaelari living on islands off the coast, and along the southern jungle line. The white hair comes from the chemicals in the water and plants there, right?”
Mina nodded in approval, cracking a faint smile. “Mhm. The archipelago south of Ageria.”
“You guys had like… fishing cities built into cliff-sides and spiral towers made from coral and petrified wood.”
Mina gave her another nod. “Dense jungles, monsoon winds, volcanic soil.”
Emily tilted her head, turning back to look her in the eyes. “Do you miss it? The Vaelari?”
Mina hesitated. “I don’t remember much of it. I didn’t live there for long. My parents brought me to Peccatum when I was still young.”
“You’ve never gone back?”
She shook her head. “Never felt a need to.”
“What about visiting other elven cultures? Like the… um… the Sahvrii? I think they were the desert ones? They had darker skin.”
“Sahvrii, yes,” Mina said. “I’ve visited them before. Most of them dwell in the great northern savannahs now, but their ancestry comes from the desert rim.”
Emily smirked as she turned back to the mirror. “I didn’t realize there was so much variety. People usually just say ‘elves’ like it’s one big thing.”
“They do that with most people,” Mina said dryly. “It’s easier to simplify than to understand. Elves aren’t a monolith. Just like with everyone else, we’re shaped by our culture, environment, and heritage. It’s the same with dwarves. It just so happens that the forest elves are the most common in this region of Ageria.”
“Well… I think it’s cool that you’re from somewhere like that. Makes sense now, the white hair.”
Mina gave a noncommittal shrug. “It’s not that interesting.”
Emily grinned. “It kind of is, though. You’re like… part jungle-elf, part vampire. And if you dyed your hair, no one would be able to tell.”
Mina let out a long sigh. “No.”
“You could at least try a darker shade, something low-key.”
“No.”
“Not even a streak?”
“No.”
“Just a single—”
“Emily.”
She pouted. “You never want to have fun.”
“I keep you alive. That’s my fun.”
Emily huffed and went back to her braid. A few minutes later, she tied it off and turned toward Mina. “So? What do you think?”
Mina looked her up and down. “It’s… nice.”
Emily grinned. “That’s high praise coming from you.” She glanced at her reflection again. “Y’know… my mom used to try so hard to get me to wear stuff like this. I always thought she was being pushy. But I think I get it now. It feels good.”
Mina leaned against the doorframe, arms still crossed. “You’ve come a long way.”
Emily nodded. “Thanks to you.”
Mina pushed off the door. “You finally ready?”
“Mhm!” Emily said proudly. “Let’s go!”
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Mina kept close to Emily as they came into the plaza.
It had been cleaned as well as it could. The rubble had been hauled away and stacked in neat piles behind the watchtower’s ruin. The decorations that had been destroyed by stray embers had been replaced, and thankfully, no other buildings had burned down.
The air smelled like wine and pastry dough, probably spiced with clove and orange peel to cover the smoke still clinging to the air. It didn’t help.
There were no smiles, only sullen faces and lowered heads.
The Sandman was gone, and four small caskets were left in its wake. Mina had learned their names over the past few days. Margaret Whitlow, Thomas Reed, Eleniel Virellis, and Darrin Stonebrow. Two humans, one elven, and one dwarven. All young, and all buried in velvet and wood.
What had once been planned as a celebration of remembrance, a symbolic honoring of lives lost long ago, had turned into an actual funeral. The morning was no longer about memory. It was about mourning.
The town gathered again in the plaza, but not to dance or drink or listen to music. That would come in the evening, when the mourning had passed, and the time for celebration was to begin. There were no musicians. No laughter. Only silence.
The caskets were arranged in a neat row beneath the gaze of Kasia’s statue, which, by some miracle, had survived the collapsing watchtower.
One by one, villagers stepped forward, laying down flowers and whispering their goodbyes. Later, when the sun began to fall behind the western ridge, the children would be taken into the grove just beyond the cavern. There, beneath tall, swaying trees and moonlight-filtered leaves, they would be buried. And when night came, the village would light lanterns, lift glasses, and try, somehow, to celebrate the lives of all who had been lost.
Whether they could or not… that remained to be seen.
Together, Mina and Emily joined the end of the slow-moving line of mourners. The townsfolk wore their finest, or what passed for it in a place like this. Long dresses, stiff suits with ornate stitching, and dark shawls.
At the front of the line, a knight offered each mourner a midnight blossom. The flower’s petals shimmered like velvet, and when Mina took hers, a chill seeped onto her fingers, as if the flower itself was grieving. She pinned it just above her left ear like everyone else.
The crowd ahead moved slowly, somberly, past the caskets. Karaline was standing solemnly behind the row of coffins. She was wearing a black dress, and Violet beside her, was wearing something other than purple for once. It was a gray dress, though it still possessed purple embroidery. She had left her purple cloak behind and let her hair drape down over her shoulders. Her face, though, remained hidden behind a smooth porcelain mask. It was smooth, simple, and respectful, not her usual skull. And lastly, floating beside her, were four limp marionettes.
Henrik stood near the Mayor as they watched over the event. Mina had the opportunity to meet the older gentleman the day after the incident, and he thanked her just as Henrik had. Though even now, she could see the hesitation in his eyes as she joined in the line to give her sympathies. Between them sat a mother and her boy. His eyes were bandaged, and his hands clasped in his lap, motionless.
Finally, they reached the caskets. As Mina rested her hand gently on the final casket, she felt it again, that invisible pressure behind her, like the weight of a hundred stares. Eyes boring into her back. Whispers that would never be spoken aloud. She had felt it the moment she stepped from the stagecoach, and she would feel it long after she left Serenity Gardens.
Let them look. Let them hate her if it helped them sleep. She knew what she had done. She had saved the rest.
Still… there was one gaze that lingered. It was heavier than all the others, and it gnawed at the edge of her awareness. She turned, slowly scanning the crowd, but found no culprit. Just grief and judgment. No one met her eyes. Yet somehow, the presence felt familiar, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
After they paid their respects, Mina and Emily drifted toward the edge of the plaza. The rest of the town was beginning to gather near Kasia’s fountain, many already kneeling, hands clasped in prayer. They stood in silence for a while, side by side, watching the crowd grow.
“You know what?” Emily said softly. “I think Kasia was speaking to me.”
Mina glanced down at her. “What do you mean?”
“When the Sandman ran… into the mist… I heard her. A woman’s voice. She guided me to Violet. Warned me where the Sandman was hiding.”
Mina’s eyes softened. “She was protecting you.”
Emily looked down. “I hope she can protect everyone else now.”
“She will,” Mina said. “Because of you.”
Emily gave a bitter little laugh and looked away. “Right. Yeah. I definitely didn’t screw anything up.”
“You didn’t.”
“I lost control,” she said quickly, like she was expecting an argument. “I could feel it… slipping. The fire was spreading, and I couldn’t hold it. I had to stop. I could have destroyed more.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Because I stopped.”
“Exactly.”
Emily fell quiet, furrowing her brows.
“You have better control now,” Mina added. “Not perfect, but better.”
“Better’s not enough when people are depending on me.”
“It was enough to kill a Sandman.”
Emily hesitated. “But not enough to save everyone.”
“No,” Mina said gently. “But you saved most. That’s what matters.”
The girl didn’t answer. She only nodded, just once, and looked out across the crowd as Henrik stepped before them to give a speech. Her hands clutched tightly in front of her, knuckles white, the midnight blossom still pinned in her hair like a star about to fall.
As the day went on, the frowns started to fade.
Henrik gave a speech before the caskets were buried, and again in the evening when it came time to honor the dead rather than mourn them. Food and wine were passed around, music filled the air, and come sunset, the Midnight Blossoms spread their mist. The plaza was starting to look more like a festival.
Mina lingered at the far edge of the plaza, perched on a low stone wall near an alley. She held a drink, something spiced and dark, poured into a clay cup by Karaline before she disappeared again toward the wine table. Mina hadn’t seen Emily for a while. Last she noticed, the girl had melted into the crowd with Violet. That was good. Emily needed this more than she did.
From the corner of her eye, she caught the gleam of chainmail and the weighty tread of armored boots. Henrik. She didn’t need to look; his presence had a certain gravity to it, one that pulled the air around him taut, and it wasn’t just the aura emanating from his silver armor.
She said nothing as he approached.
“Still not joining in the festivities?” he asked.
Mina took a sip of her drink, her eyes forward. “Not really my scene.”
Henrik came to stand beside her, folding his hands behind his back as he looked out at the dancing villagers. “Nor mine. I’ve always found more comfort in watching from a distance. There’s a kind of peace in knowing the people are safe… that they can celebrate without fear.”
Mina chuckled softly. “Yeah… I get that.” The proximity of the silver gaze gave her skin a slight tingle, but she ignored it. For a while, they stood in silence, watching the plaza sway and breathe. Mina’s fingers tensed slightly around her cup.
Henrik broke the quiet again. “Karaline tells me you’ll be leaving soon.”
Mina nodded, still watching the crowd. “She’s heading back to Cresthill. We’ll be moving on too. No reason to stay where we’re not wanted.”
Henrik glanced at her. “You really believe that?”
“I’ve seen the way they look at me. Every step I take, there’s someone behind me praying I don’t lose control and turn on them. I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t trust someone like me either.”
“They’re afraid,” Henrik said carefully. “But fear and hate aren’t always the same. Give them time. People remember bravery longer than they remember discomfort.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Mina muttered. She drained the rest of her drink and set the cup aside on the wall.
“What’s next, then?”
Mina sighed, arms folding. “Honestly? I wish I knew. For now, we keep moving, keep training.”
Henrik’s eyes followed hers to the crowd, landing on Emily and Violet as they twirled to the music. Emily was a bit slower, holding her side at times, but there was a smile on her face. She was showing Violet a dance step, likely one she barely remembered, but her enthusiasm carried it.
“You think she’s ready?” Henrik asked.
Mina was quiet for a moment before answering. “She’s better than she was. Stronger. Smarter. Still reckless sometimes, still scared. But she’s not the same girl I pulled out of that burning church.”
“And where does she falter?”
“She hesitates,” Mina said simply. “With her magic. She doubts herself, questions her power, fears what it might do. Even now, after everything, she still fights herself more than anything else.”
“Why do you think that is?”
Mina ran a hand through her white hair, exhaling slowly. “Part of it’s what she’s been through. Peccatum University didn’t nurture her, not the way they should’ve. The teachers there aren’t the ones who care about education, just progress. And then there’s her mother. She’s told me little about her, but I can gauge enough. She was strict, pragmatic, always measuring Emily by how useful or controllable she could be. That kind of upbringing doesn’t build confidence. It builds cages.”
Henrik frowned. “And the fire of Pillio’s Watch?”
“Karaline mentioned that?”
He nodded.
“She blames herself for that, too,” Mina said. “Even if it wasn’t her fault, the trauma stuck. Fire’s always been the element closest to her, but it’s also the one she fears the most.”
“That explains the restraint. She fears becoming what she could be.”
“Exactly,” Mina murmured. “Even when she’s in control, she second-guesses herself. That hesitation could get her killed, or worse, someone else.”
“She’ll grow past it,” Henrik said. “Or she won’t. But it sounds like she has the right teacher.”
“I’m doing what I can.”
A pause.
“You think she could stand against Draven?” Henrik asked.
At that, Mina turned to him.. “Not yet. Maybe not for a while. But when the day comes, I want her to at least have a fighting chance.”
“You think he’s coming.”
“I know he is,” Mina said coldly. “He doesn’t let go of grudges. I scarred his face, stole the conduit, and humiliated him in front of his own court. Even if he laughed it off to save face, he hasn’t forgotten. I know his kind. He’s been stewing for a year. Plotting, waiting. He’ll make it personal.”
“You think he’ll come for you?”
Mina shook her head. “He’s too smart for that. He won’t just try to kill me. He’ll want to unmake me. Take everything and everyone I care about and burn it down until there’s nothing left. He’ll come for Emily. Maybe Karaline, if he ever learns of her. Or Violet.”
“Then you should go to him first.”
“That’s the plan,” Mina said. “When she’s ready. When I’m sure she can survive it.”
“She’ll never be ready, not in the way you want her to be. You know that.”
“I know. But I have to believe she can get close. If not for her sake, then for everyone else. Draven won’t stop with me. If he wins, he won’t stop with her either.”
They both looked out again. Emily had collapsed into a laughing heap beside Violet, flushed and breathless. Violet was smiling too, just barely.
“She’s young,” Henrik said. “She deserves more time.”
“None of us ever gets what we deserve,” Mina said quietly. “We make do with what we get.”
Henrik rested a hand on her shoulder. “Then make the most of it.”
Mina didn’t flinch at his touch, though the silver did sting slightly. She simply nodded once, watching Emily laugh as if, for just one night, the world wasn’t broken.
“Might I propose a suggestion?” Henrik said.
Mina smirked. “You’re not about to ask me to dance, are you?”
“No dancing,” Henrik promised, then turned toward her slightly. “It’s about Emily.”
Mina glanced his way.
“I agreed to teach her geomancy,” Henrik said, “but between preparing the town, coordinating repairs, and keeping an eye on potential threats in the aftermath of the Sandman… I’ve failed to follow through on that promise. I apologize for that.”
“She won’t blame you. Besides, she needed rest.”
He nodded. “Still. A commitment is a commitment. And I intend to keep mine. If you would allow it, I’d like to join you in Cresthill, to train her properly. Once she’s ready, I would accompany you in your pursuit of Draven.”
Mina blinked and tilted her head. “Hm?”
“You heard me. I want to help. I think it’s time.”
She stared at him. “You’d abandon your position, your home, to chase down one of the most dangerous purebloods alive?”
“I wouldn’t call it abandonment,” Henrik said calmly. “My knights are more than capable. I’ve trained them for years to stand without me. Every one of them would give their life to keep Serenity Gardens safe, and more importantly, they know when not to.” He looked out at the crowd. “This festival wasn’t born from joy. It was born from trauma. A ritual to remember the ones we lost when Draven first tore through our lives. We don’t celebrate tonight, we endure it. We drink because it’s all that numbs the memories. The blood, the screams, the smoke choking the air. I see it still. Every time I close my eyes. I see what he left behind. The bodies. The children. My own wife among them. Strung up like theater props, torn apart just to make a statement. And every year I have sworn I would see an end to him. I didn’t know how. But then… you came.”
Mina sighed quietly. “I’m not your miracle, Henrik.”
“No,” he agreed. “But you’re the closest thing to a plan we’ve had. You, Karaline, Violet… and Emily. Each of you brings something no army could match. And between your resilience, Karaline’s immortality, Violet’s forbidden knowledge, and Emily’s raw potential, I believe we have a real chance. But she’s the key. And she’s not ready yet. She’s come a long way, yes, but still has further to go.”
Mina nodded.
“She trusts you,” Henrik said.
“That’s the problem. I can’t be her crutch forever. She needs to trust herself. Needs to know that she can fail and still stand back up.”
“That’s where I can help. I can teach her what it means to control something as rooted and stable as the earth. Ground her, so to speak.”
Mina stared out at the plaza again. Emily had stopped dancing and pulled Violet aside. They stood just outside the ring of people, and was speaking to Violet more animatedly. Her hands moved as she talked and laughed.
“You’re serious about this,” Mina said.
“As serious as I’ve ever been. Let me come to Cresthill. Let me train her. When the time comes, I will march beside you into whatever hell Draven has built.”
Mina studied him. She was hesitant at first, but the more she thought of it, the easier the decision became. Sure, they had started off on the wrong foot, but Henrik would make a powerful ally against Draven, and if he could strengthen Emily, all the better. “I think Karaline has a spare room,” she finally said.
Henrik gave a small laugh. “I’m sure she wouldn’t mind my presence for a short while.”
“She might even waive the rent if you let her sneak off with a couple of bottles.”
“I consider that a fair price.”
He turned to go, but paused after a few steps. “Give me a day. I’ll make the arrangements, and then I’ll meet you in Cresthill.”
Mina nodded, watching him disappear back into the crowd.
She turned her attention once more to Emily, who was dancing again with Violet. She dodged dancers with grace, her dress flaring out around her as she moved. There was still so much of the girl in her. But there was a fire, too. Mina had seen it when Emily stood her ground against the Sandman, when her hands had burned like stars and her eyes had filled with something ancient.
She’ll get there, Mina thought. She has to.
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