The heavy and ancient air of the study was kneaded not only with floating dust motes but also with the solid density of unspoken words and suppressed sobs. The cheerful noise of the world outside had long since melted away behind these thick marble walls and heavy velvet curtains that stifled the light; it had been replaced only by the rhythmic ticking of a centuries-old clock and footsteps echoing with a restless rhythm on the stone floor. These sounds struck the cold surfaces of the room, where silence had settled like a shroud, shattering and scattering seeds of uncertainty into every corner. Tobias was tracing endless circles in the middle of the room, like a wounded animal searching for an exit in a labyrinthine dungeon within his own mind. The beads of sweat accumulating on his forehead, his furrowed brows, and his vengefully clenched fists were the most naked, most painful evidence of the great spiritual storm he was trying to hide behind his aristocratic nobility. Adeline and Elora were buried in silence in the leather-bound chairs at the edge of the table, looking like marble statues. Johann, having shed his usual cynical armor, had sought refuge in the depths of the ornate, gold-leafed Rococo armchair directly opposite; his gaze was locked onto the intricate carpet patterns on the floor, as if searching for a hidden geometry that would save the world.
Elora's gaze followed Tobias's agitated steps like a shadow; with every stride, she memorized the imaginary, faint traces left on the marble. Adeline's pure countenance appeared paler than usual through the play of flickering candlelight, as fragile as transparent paper. Her eyes were fixed on a distant, ominous point that no one else could see; her mind had begun to slide toward a bottomless well, far darker than reality. Johann had taken his face into his hands, immersed in an absolute silence under the unbearable weight of his own inner world. Tobias stopped suddenly. Squaring his shoulders as if trying to shake off the enormous responsibility upon him, he cried out in a voice that tore through the stagnant air like an executioner's sword: "This is an injustice! A terrible, heart-wrenching injustice! We must do something. The mere thought of him sitting there, in that moldy cell, burns inside me like a live coal, and now for this death sentence to be passed... This is not justice; it is only the victory of blind hatred!"
As his words echoed in every corner of the room and returned to him, the settling silence was denser than before. The sharp anger in Tobias's voice evolved a moment later into a swallowed, suppressed hopelessness. As if murmuring to himself, he said, "Just because his soulbound is Ridas... it does not mean he will necessarily fall into the lap of darkness and sell his soul to a monster..." This sentence struck everyone's heart like a silent but heavy sledgehammer blow; it was the ice-cold breath of an inescapable truth. Elora suddenly sprang to her feet; her patience had shattered like glass under the weight of this unfair decision. Standing directly in front of Tobias, she guided him toward Johann with a gentle but unshakable resolve. "Forgive me, my Lord, but you are thinking too much. And this intense grief prevents your mind from making clear decisions like a thick smoke. We all know the King; his iron stubbornness, his unshakable and rigid laws. We do not have the power to change this decision through legal means. We must accept this bitter truth. But..." Elora paused and let her gaze wander slowly over each of them, as if trying to read their souls. Her voice was now as low as a whisper but as sharp as a blade: "There is only one thing we can do... Break Lord Erhard out of here. We must accept this; there is no other possibility."
Time in the room seemed to freeze at that moment; even the flames of the candles stopped flickering for a second. Then, a faint beam of light like hope sparked in Tobias's eyes. "Actually... it might work," Tobias said; his words were fluttering in the air like a fragile thread of hope. But immediately after, a whisper of doubt escaped his lips: "But how? How will we bypass those sealed doors and stone walls?" Elora sank back into her seat under the weight of her thoughts. She interlaced her fingers and turned her gaze toward Adeline, as if waiting for a key to salvation. Adeline, maintaining the new, noble, and equally gentle tone in her voice, replied, "Unfortunately, my Lord, I do not know a way yet... However, I need some time to pull my mind out of this darkness." Johann leaned his head back and closed his eyes tightly. The invisible knot in his throat was like a shackle imprisoning his words inside. Adeline rose slowly from her chair and, taking a deep breath, turned to Tobias: "My Lord, if you would permit, I desire to withdraw to a room where I can be alone for a while. I need to rest my soul."
Tobias could not fully grasp how the complex gears in her mind were turning, but he sensed the unshakable determination in her eyes, standing as if she had undertaken a sacred mission. Bowing his head slightly with great reverence, he approved: "Of course, Adeline. Come with me, I shall escort you personally." They left the room in absolute silence. The footsteps echoed in the marble corridor, each step filled with the massive weight of a decision waiting to be made. When they stood before the imposing door at the end of the corridor, adorned with gold leaf and engraved with ancient symbols, Tobias opened the door: "One of the servants will wait in front of the door. I will order them to escort you back to us when you are finished, Lady Adeline." Adeline bowed her head gracefully in thanks: "I am grateful to you for your kindness and understanding, my Lord." She entered, closed the heavy door behind her, and turned the key silently. She moved toward the soft, silk-covered bed; before sitting down, she let her fingers glide over the smooth fabric as if saying goodbye. Placing her hands on her knees, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the heavy silence of the room.
"Seraph..." she whispered into the void. Silence wrapped the room like a white shroud. Even the ticking of the clock could no longer be heard, and all the chaos of the outer world suddenly vanished. Adeline, trying to suppress the trembling and the hope in her voice, called out again: "Seraph, I beg of you... give me a voice. Will you speak with me?" Suddenly all sounds faded; the flow of time ceased as if a river had stopped, and that silvery voice that caresses the soul resonated: "I am here, Adeline. I am with you and within you." The massive burden on Adeline's shoulders lightened for a moment. Without opening her eyes, she spoke with a sincerity coming from the deepest part of her soul: "Thank goodness... I thought you wouldn't answer, that you'd leave me alone in this darkness. You know Lord Erhard's situation, that execution noose placed around his neck, don't you?" "I know, Adeline. I hear every cry of pain, every drop of sorrow." "Is there no way to save him... from that suffocating shadow of Ridas? Please show me a light, whisper a way to me."
Seraph's voice wavered in the room like a soft current, a breeze: "I am sorry, Adeline... Under normal circumstances, this is not possible. Soul bonds are locked directly to a person's soul, to its deepest fibers. Unless the soul leaves the body... the side spirit cannot be torn from that body." Adeline's face fell instantly upon receiving this answer; her voice spread through the room like a wail: "So... is the only solution that ice-cold death? Are we this helpless?" Following this question, an entirely different and soothing scent, resembling neither rose nor lavender and taking one's soul to heavenly gardens, began to wrap around the room. When Adeline opened her eyes, a silhouette woven from light appeared before her, every particle shining. Snow-white hair, deep violet eyes, and a body as graceful and noble as a swan. "Seraph... is this truly you?" Adeline said, her breath catching in wonder. "Yes, it is I," said the spirit, a mournful but reassuring smile on its lips. "There is another way to protect Lord Erhard, to make him free even if it does not separate him from that dark seal, Adeline."
Adeline sprang up in excitement. Her heart was beating wildly with hope: "I beg you, tell me, what is that way? What is required of us?" Seraph smiled wisely and continued: "Take him to the Elaya Mountains, to those peaks that touch the sky. There, he must remain for forty days in the absolute silence of the caves. This is the only, most difficult way for him to establish a life with Ridas, yet without bowing to his dark chains." Adeline's brows lifted in excitement. This was a miraculous way out, a door to salvation: "Divine Seraph, if you were to tell the others this yourself, your words would carry a much greater impact on Lord Tobias. Please, will you come with me and give them this good news as well?" "Gladly," Seraph said and took Adeline's hand gently, as if holding a feather. Seraph followed her like a beam of light with silent and graceful steps. When the door to the study opened, all heads in the room turned toward them as if waiting for a savior. Adeline stepped aside with dignity and pointed to the luminous figure behind her. When Seraph entered, Tobias and Johann stood up instantly as if caught in a spell. Elora was petrified with astonishment and this divine beauty.
"Lord Tobias," Seraph said, her voice echoing in the room like a melody of a law, "You possess a soul that carries the sacred light of the High Ignis. To withhold a greeting would be to dishonor that ancient heritage you carry." Adeline immediately intervened, breaking the silence: "My Lord, the Divine Seraph has a profoundly important suggestion regarding Lord Erhard. Please, listen to her." Seraph presented her suggestion with a soothing smile on her clear face. "He must spend forty days in the Elaya Mountains. Only then can our dear Lord keep Ridas under control." When Seraph finished speaking, a deep silence formed in the room. Johann's voice rose, tearing through the silence like a knife: "Divine Seraph... would you share the power of nature and the elements with us in this plan? With your help, everything will be much easier." Seraph understood everything at a glance. A faint, wise smile appeared on her face: "Indeed, nature is our faithful companion." Johann continued with eyes gleaming with the vision of the plan: "With the help of the Divine Seraph, it will be much easier to slip Lord Erhard out of there." After Johann explained his plan in detail and looked around at those nearby, Tobias looked at Johann with admiration as if appreciating a genius: "A brilliant plan... But Divine Seraph, can you really create imitations of guards realistic enough to deceive even the actual sentries?" Seraph's face spread into a peaceful smile: "Indeed, my Lord. Wherever there is light, the shadows are also at our command." Elora's concern was still in place: "That's good, but what if the real guards become suspicious? This plan is far too risky. If we fail, we all fall under the weight of this treason." Adeline stepped forward with determined looks: "Taking a risk is far better than leaving Lord Erhard to death, Elora. If anyone has a better idea, let them speak now. Otherwise, we seal this plan tonight." The room was buried in a silence no less than the stillness of a graveyard. A decision had been made. Adeline said, "Then the plan is finalized." Tobias put the final point, looking at the silvery darkness outside the window: "When the moon reaches the very peak of the sky, we move under that silent light."
In the cell, in that dark void smelling of mold and blood where time had stopped, Erhard startled at a whisper. His eyelids were as heavy as lead, and every movement etched a new shade of pain into his skin. But that voice... That voice pierced his heart like a thorn. "Erhard..." The young man wheezed, "WHO IS THERE?!" Sesi echoed against the cold walls of the cell. "It is I, Erhard... the one you wish to flee from, your other half; your soul companion." The words were mocking; uncanny and soulless like a mist curling insidiously. "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! GET OUT OF MY MIND!" Erhard shouted, clenching his teeth. Ridas laughed. His laughter echoed through the darkness, multiplying as it returned: "Because of me? It is they who threw you here, Erhard. Those of your own blood... they are the ones who allow you to rot here. They don't even care about you. They fear your power. They no longer want you in this kingdom because they know you would be invincible." Erhard wailed, "NO! MY FATHER LOVED ME!" "He loved you..." Ridas dragged out the word like a snake. "Past tense, Erhard. Now, you are all alone," Ridas said mockingly.
Erhard's eyes were glowing, but it wasn't anger... It was absolute heartbreak. Ridas struck the final blow: "I suppose you haven't heard the verdict... You are to be executed, Erhard. In seven days, your corpse will be hung in the square as an example to all." Erhard's eyes widened. His heart could no longer fit in his chest. Seven days... Only seven? He murmured to himself with a trembling voice, "Was life only this? Only pain, disappointment, and darkness? I am only nineteen years old... I haven't even loved... I haven't even felt..." "No one cares about you anymore," Ridas said. "Don't you see?" Just as Erhard was about to let out a cry, the heavy door of the cellar creaked open. A massive shadow entered the cell. The imposing man looked at him—there was neither pity, nor anger, nor mercy on his face... only a void. Then a sorcerer approached, holding a sickle with an ominous glow. And from Erhard's lips, that cry that would shake all of Arcadia poured out: "FATHER!"