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I wasn’t expecting such wondrous scenery to surround the castle. The steep mountains that border us are capped with white peaks. Mist covers them like a blanket; the tops of the pines are barely visible through the clouds. The lake below is the culprit of the thick air that fills my lungs. Fresh, cold breaths cloud into the winter sky. A smile spreads across my lips.
What a beautiful, slumbering place, hidden away like a cancerous beast.
The three of us cross the bridge to another enormous part of the castle. I glance back to the circle of people standing before the main doors. Raine’s eyes are trained on them too. They’re all circled around two individuals.
“What are they doing down there?” I tentatively look ahead at Arthur. He walks in a slow, steady stride, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark military jacket.
“Hm? Oh, they are participating in the Culling Assessment. We can’t take in too many students at a time. It’s horrible, but what hasn’t been awful in this war? Most of them are Tauris or Dvars anyway. Many don’t even make it to the doors of Alkrose; they are either euthanized or sent to the front lines as bait.” He says each word heavily. He hates what Fernestia is doing as much as we do.
“Why not just send them to battlefront then? Why do all of… this?” Raine asks coldly.
Arthur nods thoughtfully. “Would you send potential experiments to the battlefront without assessing them first? Everything here is closely observed and documented. Also, we can’t have strays causing problems on the front lines. If you were sent, you’d surely run away, wouldn’t you? That leaves a good chunk of soldiers who need to be babysat. The purpose of this is quite simply power—destruction of all the Shadowless. Dr. Cein is particular about his vision for Fernestia, a perfect world of only strong individuals in whom he sees purpose,” Arthur mutters with a calm voice. He tilts his head at Raine. “Does that answer your question?” he asks, not unkindly.
I butt in before Raine can respond. “Why are you doing all of this if you clearly don’t approve?”
Arthur’s shoulders tense. “What makes you say that?” He shifts, those gray eyes giving nothing away. “I suppose I’m just tired, is all. You mistake my boredom for disapproval, I’m afraid.” My brows pinch with skepticism but I decide he’s not going to tell me even if I press him about it, so I let my eyes fall to the hundreds of students once more.
Raine watches the fighting below, wincing when one student slices another's head clean off. The spray of red is easy to see against the bright snow backdrop.
My eyes trail, indifferent, to the next section of the castle. The Nova House is its own separate structure. It looks like a cathedral, cold and lonely against the harsh, biting winds. It boasts extravagant two-story lancet windows that reflect the world behind us like mirrors. Twin ebony doors arched into a point open seamlessly as Arthur pulls the handle. As we step inside, it’s as if we pass through a veil of magic keeping the heat inside from escaping.
My eyes widen and Raine’s do too. Arthur grins as he catches our surprise. “Nifty little trick we’ve come up with. Sealing veils are rather complex; I’m afraid you won’t learn those until your second year.”
I press my hand through the doorway to feel the odd invisible veil once more. It’s like slipping my fingers through water, only breaking the surface to find the emptiness of air on the other side. “How long are we supposed to stay at Alkrose?”
“It is like any other academy—four years. Each is broken up into two semesters, at the beginning of which we hold an exam.”
Raine shifts on his feet uncomfortably at my side as he asks, “Like the Culling?”
Arthur smiles but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yes. Precisely. The first-semester exam always starts, unfairly, the day after the first-year students arrive. Shall we continue?” He turns and lifts his arm sweepingly to show us the room.
I interject, “Why aren’t we down there then?” Not that I want to be, of course, but it seems wrong that we get to skip it while the others… Well, the others are slaughtering each other.
“Novas don’t need to be culled. It’s mainly to gauge the other students, specifically Polaris, Ekko, and Cosmos,” Arthur says plainly. Raine shifts uncomfortably beside me and I remember we’re still covered in dried blood. When neither of us says anything else, Arthur returns to his gesture of the grand room.
Everything is adorned in black: the walls, tiles, furniture, and drapes. The only source of light is the massive fireplace. A roaring blue fire licks into the air ferociously. I’ve never seen such an alluring flame, cobalt colored and obviously filled with magic. An enormous coffee table sits in the middle of the homeroom, four long couches surrounding it. Ebony fur blankets and pillows are neatly placed on the corners.
It looks like no one has ever lived here. Everything is untouched .
Did Elias live alone here all this time?
“This is the Nova House homeroom.” Arthur makes eye contact with me again and I quickly look away. Elias would be pissed if he knew my cheeks warmed under Arthur’s heavy stare. It’s not fair that he’s unnaturally beautiful and reserved—he doesn’t flash haughty smirks that drip with lust like Raine and Elias do. “We will hold meetings here, but it is also your new home, so please do make yourself comfortable. The other House students will likely congregate here so you can all get to know one another.”
Raine steps forward and brushes his fingers along the spine of the black sofa. “Do you reside here in Nova House?” he asks Arthur.
Arthur nods. “Yes, my quarters are across the hall from Terra’s room. My study is in the east tower.” He tilts his head to an ascending staircase on the right side of the homeroom. Another staircase leads upstairs on the left, which I’m assuming is where our rooms are located.
My brows knit together. “Was it just you and Elias here until now?” There’s a coldness here. Perhaps it’s the dark colors, or the emptiness. The lonely look in Arthur’s eyes makes more sense now that I’m breathing the stagnant air of his home.
“Yes, for quite some time. But I spend most of my time at Za’Afiel now. There’s more laughter there and the children don’t fight for their lives like the adults do here. They don’t even know where they are, they just know they’re content. I dread the day that Dr. Cein approves them for further… studies.”
Raine tsks and gnashes his teeth. “How could they be content? Their entire families have been slaughtered. And what the fuck do you mean by studies?”
Arthur dips his head momentarily, and when he lifts it again, his face is somber. “I take their memories and keep them locked away until they’re ready to join us at Alkrose. Za’Afiel is the only peaceful place left in the world. Laughter and ignorant bliss fill the halls.”
“So, what, you just sit in a dark study all day, alone, and listen to the last cheerful voices before they're eventually extinguished?” Raine snaps at him, but anger doesn’t take Arthur’s emotions. He nods and firms his lips.
I can’t help but feel bad for him. “You hold onto all their memories? How does that work?”
