>>Amber

"What?" I blinked at him in confusion.

"I said, I can't," He replied

"What?" Shock overtook me, "Why? Hael, don't do this, we don't have much time! Please do something." I was fretting pretty badly.

"That's the thing." He said and then looked at the body on the ground, "He's already dead." He scratched his cheek with his index finger, "I never said I won't do it, I said, I can't, because I can't bring back the dead." He took to the ground, "No one can,"

A wave of shock and disbelief washed over me, leaving me numb with horror. My heart hammered in my chest, "No," I shook my head in disbelief. Guilt clawed at my conscience, its icy grip tightening with each passing moment, "No, it can't be," I hurried down by the body and placed my fingers on his neck, not caring that the blood that had pooled on the ground got on my dress. Not caring that I was getting my hands soiled in blood.

I frantically checked for a heartbeat, but there was none, "Oh no," Fear coursed through my veins like a venomous tide, flooding my mind with thoughts of the consequences, "He is dead," My eyes were wide in horror

A soft laughter escaped Serena's lips, "Finally," She whispered and I looked at her.

She had a deranged expression on her face, "Oh! Finally!" She was more than happy about the situation.

"Serena," I stood up from the ground, but my legs trembled. I almost fell back down when Hael caught me and helped me back up without a word.

"Let's leave," Serena said, "Someone else will discover the body. We'll be safe."

I shook my head at her, "We won't be-" I paused, "You might be, but not me. There's always a chance I'll get caught since it was my fault." The mere thought sent shivers down my spine, leaving me trembling with apprehension.

She didn't do it. Rather, her problem got solved while I dived into a mess.

Tears stung my eyes as the gravity of the situation settled over me like a suffocating blanket, "Oh God..."

I killed someone!!

"Then," Serena grabbed my shoulders, making me look at her, "Have him take care of it." She turned her head to look at Hael and I copied her action.

Hael had his hands on my waist. It was due to his support that I was standing.

"H-hael," I called his name with a shaky voice.

He leaned his face closer to mine, "Yes, My Lady?" His voice was soft.

"Hael, I," My mind went into a state of confusion.

"Yes," He had a subtle smile on his face, "What do you want?" He whispered, "I'll do whatever you ask of me."

Trembling with fear and desperation, I turned to him, my voice barely above a whisper. "Please," I begged, my words choked with emotion. "You have to help me. I can't... I don't know what to do."

Hael looked into my eyes, "You do," He said, "You have something in mind," He whispered, "Say it,"

I gulped, my body started shaking as a whole. And my mind went into further dismay. I never thought a day like this would come where I would kill someone. I glanced at the body. The blood from it was reaching my shoes.

!!!

I looked at Hael again, "Get rid of the body," Everything I said was out of fear,

"Anything else?" His eyes flickered with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction at my plea, a cruel smile tugging at the corners of his lips

"Get rid of it, so that no one ever finds it!" I was trying to hide my crime, "Please,"

"Yes, My Lady," Relief flooded through me as he let go of me and stepped towards the dead body. My body didn't stop trembling but since Serena had her hands on me, I managed to remain standing.

With a flick of his wrist, he summoned the dark red tendrils of magic that danced at his command, enveloping the lifeless form of the man in a shroud of shadow.

I averted my gaze when the air crackled with energy as the flames of his magic consumed the body with an otherworldly intensity. His body was lifted into the air and the magic balled into flames.

Serena looked away as well but the stench of burning flesh filled the air. It was a blind spot, filled with darkness but the glow of the fire illuminated the whole place brightly. The heat was so intense, I began to sweat like crazy, but then again, it could also have the fact mixed in that I was scared and panicking.

It scared me that someone might notice it and come but luckily enough, it was over before anyone got the chance.

As the last traces of the man's remains were reduced to ash, Hael turned to me with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with a malevolent light. "There," He said, his voice laced with satisfaction and I turned to look at the body. The flames disappeared from mid-air. Ashes of the body could be seen as the ball of flame diminished but they never got a chance to hit the ground as the wind carried them and scattered them away, "Problem solved." Hael words made me look at him, "Like you requested, no one will find him, ever."

I swallowed hard, my stomach churning with a mixture of revulsion and maybe even gratitude, "I," But I was still in shock. Everything happened a bit too fast and my body hadn't stopped shaking.

So Hael stepped towards me and placed his hands on my waist again, "Lady Serena," He looked at her, "How about you go back in?" Serena looked at him, "And if anyone asks, tell them the saint wasn't feeling well, so she retired to her room."

"..." Serena slowly nodded her head, "Alright," She then stepped back, turned around and walked away.

It was right when she was out of sight that my legs gave out. I would have fallen to the ground but Hael was already holding on me. When I stumbled, he picked me up in his arms.

"Should I take you to your room?" He asked and I immediately shook my head

"No," I needed space, "I don't want to stay in the palace," And I needed my space away from this place.

"So? Where do you wanna go?"

"Take me far away from this place!!"

While I was desperately looking at Hael, his eyes traveled to look somewhere, in the direction Serena left. A sly smile appeared on his face, "Of course," And right the next moment, a teleportation circle appeared beneath us, "I'll take you somewhere far away from here."

And the next moment, the light flashed, making me shut my eyes

***

>>Ahin

I was looking for Amber. I had an idea she was the new saint. I had gotten a message from Aira about what happened in the city square. But it was unexpected that she wasn't being sent to the temple, but rather the Magic Tower.

I looked around the crowd in the hall but I couldn't find her. She seemed disturbed. I saw it on her face when she was standing on the stage and she even rushed down in distress.

But where did she go?

I should check outside. I walked out the exit but before reaching the garden, I noticed a deep red glow

I paused

Someone was using magic, but it was clear that it was high grade magic. What is going on? I stepped outside and the glow faded away.

It came from that side of the garden!

I began to walk towards it. It was giving me a weird feeling. Darkness engulfed that area I was walking too but I stopped in my path when I saw someone walking towards me.

I had to squint my eyes to see that it was a woman. Then the figure came into better view, surprising me.

Lady Serena?

She glanced at me. She was pale but it also looked like she was sweating. She ignored me and walked inside. I looked in the direction she came from and noticed someone talking.

I brisk walked towards the sound and noticed Amber there

It was a moment of relief but then I saw that she was in the arms of the Magic Tower Master. I began to walk towards them and Hael glanced at me.

A smirk appeared on his face that seemed to taunt me. It was like he was saying he had the upper hand here, which annoyed me.

I began to run towards them but he used his teleportation magic.

"Amber!" I called out to her, but before I could reach them, the magic flashes, making me stop and close my eyes.

By the time I opened them again, they were gone. My heart fell. Why does it look like she keeps slipping away from me?

***

>>Amber

The soft glow of moonlight spilled through the window, casting ethereal shadows across the floor

I sat on Hael's bed and he brought a warm tub of water which he placed on the ground. Crouching down, he gently held my feet and put them in the tub. The comfortable heat from the water enveloped me like a comforting blanket, soothing away the shivers that racked my body and easing the tension that had coiled within me.

I let out a breath of relief.

I stared at Hael. At the moment, he looked just like the Hael I knew from years back.

The Hael that was nothing more than a slave

"Why are you doing this?" I asked but my voice came out in a whisper. He raised his head to look at me and I continued, "You're the Master of mages," I gulped, "Why are you sitting there massaging my feet?"