Seasons had changed since Dante's death.
Fall arrived, cool winds weaving through golden leaves, their descent slow, deliberate, like fading memories reluctant to let go.
Nike, once a proud force, an unyielding pillar, now spoke in quiet glances, in the silence between breaths. She moved like a ghost through the marble halls of Wolfhard Keep, her steps light, her voice seldom heard. Her once piercing gaze now flickered with the dull light of regret, as if she mourned not just her son, but something deeper, something unspoken.
And Caesar—ah, Caesar. A boy sculpted by shame. A son who looked at his mother and saw betrayal. Who looked at his father and saw a god he needed to impress. Guilt does that to a child. It twists love into penance. He trained harder, all for a nod from Grey that never came. Perhaps he thought that if he was useful enough, he'd be forgiven for a sin he never committed.
But the world didn't revolve around House Wolfhard. Beyond their walls, the world kept moving, a storm brewing.
Whispers slithered through the empire like serpents, coiling around throats, choking the light from every corner they touched. From across towns and strongholds, through markets and courtrooms. House Cygne Noir, also known as the House of Spear, was rising.
The phoenix-blooded. The descendants of the Spearmaiden, who had once danced on the battlefield alongside Arthur Romaeus van Wolfhard I and Niklaus Lucian de Leonis to vanquish the Demon Lord. Her spear piercing through the blackened sky like the morning star, were reclaiming their legend. For centuries, they stood among the Six Great Houses of Stella, wielding honor, pride, and cold ambition. But now...now their name carried something else.
Fear.
They said House Cygne Noir had grown powerful enough to rival the two dominant forces of the empire, House Leonis of the imperial bloodline, and House Wolfhard, the sword-bearers. No longer just a House of tradition and martial excellence, they were a rising shadow, a new threat to the fragile balance of power.
And the most outlandish rumor of all?
That House Cygne Noir was hiding a dragon within their territory.
I couldn't help but laugh when I heard it.
A dragon?
Now?
Dragons weren't meant to emerge yet. Not in this arc. Not in this part of the story.
I would know.
I wrote the damn thing.
The dragons of my story were bound by fate:
One, was still chained, its soul sealed in unbreakable runes.
Two, should've already found her, raising her in secret, to follow her destiny.
Three, likely in a foreign empire, causing unspeakable havoc.
And four, in the south, living among the Amazonians, worshipped as a god.
So what caused this rumor?
Perhaps someone saw something, an oversized wyvern maybe. Something big and winged and powerful-looking.
Even if it was a dragon, even if by some madness, House Cygne Noir had somehow lured one into their grasp, it would be suicide.
Dragons were not pets. They were not weapons to be wielded. They were calamities. If they had truly brought one into their lands, it wouldn't be a show of power—The newspaper headlines would read that House Cygne Noir, reduced to nothing but ash, only ruins remained, and the 5 great Houses would gather together for a funeral, one fewer House among their ranks.
Just thinking about all this gave me a headache. I decided to forget it.
And I did.
Until a week later.
That's when an owl from House Cygne Noir arrived. It flew through the arched windows of Grey's office and dropped a letter on his desk, a neatly sealed letter in silver wax with the Cygne Noir crest.
Grey broke the seal and read the letter.
Its contents? An invitation:
[To the Esteemed House of Wolfhard,
It is with great honor and heartfelt anticipation that House Cygne Noir extends its most sincere invitation to your noble Household for the celebration of a most cherished occasion—the tenth birthday of our twin daughters, Lady Eclissa and Lady Selène du Cygne Noir.
This milestone marks not only the blossoming of their youth but also the strengthening of the bonds between our two great Houses. As Lady Selène has been promised in sacred betrothal to Arthur Romaeus van Wolfhard II, a union we believe destined to forge a new era of unity, power, and shared legacy between our lineages.
The celebration shall be held at Château de Cygne Noir on the third moon of this season, and shall include a feast, a formal presentation of the young ladies before their peers, and a ceremonial blessing of the betrothal—discreet yet meaningful. Your presence, and that of Lord Arthur, would be considered both an honor and a sign of goodwill between our families as we look to a future built upon mutual trust, strength, and shared purpose.
We humbly request the presence of the Lady Sushila, yourself Lord Grey, and of course, the young heir himself. Should you choose to attend, we will ensure the finest accommodations and the warmest of receptions.
In unity and high regard,
Etienne du Cygne Noir.
Head of House Cygne Noir
Lady Miralys du Cygne Noir
Lady of House Cygne Noir]
The letter was later sent to my chambers.
The parchment trembled in my hands as I read and re-read the names inked with careful precision.
"Do you want to attend?" Grey asked. His voice was neutral, unreadable, as always.
I nodded slowly. Not because I cared for birthdays. Not because I wanted to see Selène.
But because of one detail I couldn't shake off.
An error perhaps.
Twins? No, that couldn't be right. There had never been two Selènes.
I would know, after all, I'm the one who created her. Selène, singular, as the only daughter of House Cygne Noir, with two older brothers.
So who the hell is Eclissa?
Selène was the intended bride of Arthur Romaeus van Wolfhard II from birth, betrothed the moment he opened his eyes with the red gleam of the Founder. House Cygne Noir moved like war tacticians to secure the bond before the other Houses could. Even though Selène was two years older, they believed Arthur was a prodigy who might one day rival the first Wolfhard.
But when Arthur failed to live up to his myth, discovered to have failed to awaken a mana core, they withdrew. Quietly. Coldly.
The engagement nullified.
Who would want their daughter bound to someone so powerless, so easily broken?
House Wolfhard took it as an insult. Pride wounded.
Grey pushed back. But Selène herself issued the final verdict.
A duel.
If Arthur could best her, the engagement would stand. If not, it would end.
She defeated him easily. And said she'd never marry someone weaker than herself.
And now the engagement lingered only because of my recent accomplishments. Because I was rewriting the fate of this body, and perhaps the fate of this entire world.
Even the Emperor himself had spoken with Etienne du Cygne Noir, hinting at marrying me to Princess Zephyra.
A union between House Wolfhard and the Imperial bloodline.
That must've shaken Etienne.
Perhaps now, he wanted to keep his claws in me a little longer.
I would've refused the invitation. I didn't want to deal with more ghosts of my own creation, more characters trying to test me, judge me, unravel me
I wanted rest, from scheming, from rewriting fate, tired of finding new ways to get away with murder.
But if I was forced into doing it again?
I would.
But this Eclissa, made me want to go.
I needed to see her. I had to know who she was.
A character that was never in the script.
Who had written her in?
Who had edited my world?
I needed to understand how she had slipped into my world unnoticed.
The days crawled toward the third moon of the season. Sushila, bound by obligations, couldn't travel with us.
Caesar, took his chance. He asked Grey to let him accompany us. Grey agreed.
We made our preparations.
Three days before the third moon of the season drew near, we departed.
The Wolfhard knights shadowed us from above, their wyverns cutting through the clouds like blades.
And below, our carriage carved its way through the roads of House Cygne Noir. Horse-drawn, lacquer-black, and marked with the crest of House Wolfhard.
We were on our way to face whatever awaited us at Château de Cygne Noir.