In the heart of the desolate woods, concealed beneath the twisted canopy of gnarled trees, there lay a den shrouded in an air of sinister mystery. The entrance, obscured by thick vines and thorny brambles, hinted at the clandestine secrets that dwelled within.

As one dared to venture closer, the oppressive darkness swallowed the feeble daylight, and the atmosphere grew thick with an unsettling stillness. The den, carved into the cold, damp earth, emitted a putrid odour-a sickening amalgamation of rotting wood, damp moss, and the faint scent of decaying flesh.

The air itself seemed to pulse with malevolence, clinging to the skin like an invisible shroud. Every step deeper into the den felt like a descent into madness, a journey through the shadows of unspeakable secrets and the twisted desires of those who sought refuge within its cursed embrace.

The shadows danced with sinister glee, as if the very essence of the den revelled in the unspeakable deeds that unfolded within its confines. Flickering candlelight cast grotesque shadows on the uneven walls, revealing eerie symbols etched in crimson across the rough-hewn stones.

The complex den, connected by winding, claustrophobic tunnels, resonated with dissonant whispers that seemed to emanate from the very walls. Torturous moans and ghostly murmurs echoed, creating a cacophony that reverberated through the damp corridors.

In the heart of the den, a chamber of unspeakable horrors awaited discovery. Rusty chains dangled from the ceiling, ominous symbols stained the cold stone floor, and dimly lit alcoves displayed grotesque artefacts-a macabre collection that told tales of rituals long forgotten and dark rites performed in the name of forbidden knowledge.

Against the same stony wall, gaunt and battered, was the young heir of Romersai, hung limply by rusty chains. Cold and unforgiving they bound his emaciated frame, biting into his wrists and ankles. His tattered clothes clung to his malnourished body, and unkempt hair fell across his pallid face, obscuring the torment etched upon his features. His breath, shallow and laboured, revealed the toll of prolonged suffering. His unconscious form bore the scars of malevolent rituals, his tormentors having left their mark in cruel patterns across his frail skin.

An abrupt splash, frigid water assaulted Auden 's face, snapping him back to consciousness. The cold shock gripped his senses, and his eyes shot open, dilating in surprise, the tendrils of the dream he had been engulfed in dissipating like morning mist.

Gasping for breath, Auden surged upright, water droplets cascading from his face. The sudden revival left him disoriented, his gaze darting through the cavern's unfamiliar surroundings. The cave revealed itself in the ethereal glow of suspended candles, their flickering light casting an otherworldly ambiance that heightened the ominous atmosphere.

Auden's awareness returned slowly, and he violently shook his head, trying to rid his eyes of the water's residue. He surveyed the scene, struggling to piece together the fractured fragments of his memory. As he attempted to move, the reality of his situation hit him—he was bound. Chains held him tight against the cave wall, a few feet off the ground. The rough, coarse links bit into his skin, leaving painful imprints.

A few feet away stood a silhouette cloaked in black, a presence both dreaded and painfully familiar. It was none other than Lord Gan. His upper body retained the shape of a man, but his lower half was entirely serpentine, adorned in glistening scales. Auden wondered why Gan hadn't transformed back into his fully human form—perhaps the demon spirit was stuck.

But Auden had no time to dwell on it. He could care less about Gan's struggles. More pressing matters demanded his attention now, such as the absence of memory about what had transpired at Crepusculem after Gan took over. And the odd, chained position he found himself in, hanging from a wall, was far from ideal.

"Where... am I?" Auden croaked, his voice hoarse and unsteady.

He recalled the night's events only in fragments. Meeting Ada, drugging her, and delivering her to Crepusculem as Gan had commanded. Beyond that, his recollections were a chaotic swirl of confusion and terror.

"Take a guess. Ada might have shared this tale as a bedtime story," Gan's silvery voice taunted from the shadows.

Auden was still dressed in the ceremonial garments from that night. The once-opulent fabric now hung in tatters, loose and torn. The intricate embroidery, meticulously crafted by Crepusculem's maids, had unraveled and distorted in the chaos. The knots that once held his attire snug had come undone, mirroring the disheveled state of both his clothing and mind. The unmistakable scent of smoke clung to him, along with mysterious ash particles that hinted at the fires he couldn't fully remember.

"Ada! Where is she? What have you done to her?" Auden demanded, panic lacing his voice as he strained against the chains. The uncertainty of his sister's fate, coupled with his helplessness, sent a surge of fear through him.

"She escaped," Gan replied with thinly veiled disappointment.

"Escaped? What do you mean, escaped? Why am I in chains?" Auden shouted, thrashing against the bonds, his fear turning to frustration.

Gan glided closer, his black robe trailing like a shadow. His lower body—the serpent's tail—undulated across the cave floor, leaving a subtle trail of dust in its wake. "You are in chains because I cannot regain control of your body," Gan hissed, lifting the Luna Pearl from its chain. "Something is wrong with this—something that's preventing me from transforming, too."

The hiss of his movement echoed through the cavern, a sinister melody that deepened Auden's unease. "As for Ada, she's stronger than you said. I couldn't break her will, even with both of us working against her."

"Is she hurt?" Auden yelled, desperation rising in his voice. "You promised you wouldn't hurt her!"

"What's the point of loyalty to someone who abandoned you?" Gan's voice dripped with venom.

"She's my sister, you monster!" Auden spat. "What do you even know about her?"

"Oh, I know far more than you think," Gan sneered. "This cave knows too. It knows what kind of witch she really is."

Gan's words set Auden's skin crawling. His anger flared hot in his chest, mixing with the betrayal he felt. He had trusted Gan, but this—this was too much.

"Traitor!" Auden howled. "You deceived me!"

"I deceived no one," Gan retorted, his voice cold and calm. "I promised you freedom, and free you are. You gave yourself to me—your body, your magic. You promised me salvation, and I need Ada to piece back my soul. Until then, I am incomplete. It is I who was betrayed."

"You promised not to hurt her!" Auden cried out, his voice trembling with rage and anguish.

"In keeping bigger promises, sometimes the smaller ones must be overlooked," Gan reasoned, his voice infuriatingly calm. "Besides, I said I wouldn't hurt her. I never said I wouldn't kill her."

Auden's heart stopped. His jaw dropped, and his wide eyes filled with tears. "You—you killed her?" he gasped, choking on the words. His heart hammered violently against his chest, and a sinking dread twisted in his stomach.

"Not yet—"

"YOU MONSTER!" Auden roared.

"Relax, little boy—"

But Auden couldn't relax. Rage surged through his fragile body, fuelling him beyond his limits. His dormant powers sensed his desperate state, and they responded. Magic bubbled up in his chest and burst out through his palms in bolts of silver light.

The cavern flickered with his power, casting dancing shadows that mirrored the turmoil within him. the chains that bound him started to rattle and he despertaely strained against them. the silver light dominated the shadwos around and illuminated the whole cavern. 

"Stop that, Auden! Stop it right now!"

"I wont! Let me go!"

"You're going nowhere. You promised me salvation and now you'll be my slave!" 

Without warning, a searing pain tore through Auden's side. Gan had struck with terrifying speed, his claws digging deep into Auden's flesh, like burning iron branding his skin. A primal scream of agony ripped from Auden's throat as his head snapped back, the pain radiating through him like wildfire. His chest heaved, each breath laboured, the silver light flickering momentarily but refusing to fade entirely.

"I am no one's slave!" Auden snarled through clenched teeth, his body trembling with the effort. His magic surged once more, the silver light intensifying to a blinding level. The cavern trembled under its power, the chains rattling as if they were moments away from breaking.

But Gan wasn't willing to let go. His claws twisted deeper into Auden's side, the pain unbearable, threatening to smother the boy's will. "You will obey me, Auden!" Gan hissed, venom dripping from his words as he tried to suppress the magic surging through Auden's body.

The pain was overwhelming. Auden's vision blurred, his mind boggled, barely able to focus. The raw agony was too great, and his body felt like it was tearing itself apart under the strain of his magic. His eyes squeezed shut, his breaths coming in shallow, ragged gasps as he fought to hold on.

But even in the face of that overwhelming pain, Auden refused to submit. With a final roar, fuelled by pain and desperation, he unleashed everything he had left. The silver light surged out of him like a tidal wave, a pulse of raw energy that tore through the cavern. Gan recoiled, hissing in fury, as the force of the magic drove him back, his claws ripping out of Auden's side.

The chains cracked and shattered, the metal links breaking apart like fragile glass. Auden collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, his side bleeding heavily from the deep gashes left by Gan's claws. His limbs trembled, too weak to move, his body utterly spent. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think; the world around him was spinning, his vision wavering.

He could hear Gan's enraged howls echoing in the distance, the serpent's scales scraping across the stone floor as he moved closer. Someone—something—was choking him. The pressure around his throat tightened, but he was too weak to fight back. His strength was gone, his magic spent. The darkness was closing in, and this time, he couldn't resist it.

Auden's vision faded, his consciousness slipping away into the void. And as the darkness swallowed him, visions of Ada's desperate escape, the fiery chaos of Crepusculem, and his own betrayal flooded his mind in a disorienting montage. Regret flooded Auden's senses, a cascade of emotions drowning him in the consequences of his impulsive aggression. 

The echoes of his own actions reverberated louder in the recesses of his consciousness. He had acted on a misguided impulse, driven by the turmoil within him and the relentless pursuit of an identity not meant for him.

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦

He was never meant to be the Heir of Romersai, for such a position required qualities he inherently lacked. Only a pure-blooded Romersai born on the first full moon of the year, one who had mastered the intricate dance of controlling their inner darkness, could bear the Luna Pearl. The delicate balance required for this sacred duty eluded most, and Ada was the rare embodiment of all the necessary qualities; not Sinatzai Zen or Hannah who were the descendants of the three adopted children of Akmu Romersai -- not even him, he wasn't a moon-born.

Yet, as fate would have it, his sister's love-draped judgement had veered her astray. In a moment of tender but misguided affection, she placed the Luna Pearl around the neck of a soul that had descended into the abyss of madness and darkness. In her defence, the true extent of Gan's insanity had eluded anyone's perception at the time. Nevertheless, this act changed nothing of the harsh reality that unfolded.

The weight of responsibility pressed upon young Auden . The absence of a crucial qualification made the Ritual Ceremony an essential precursor, designed to ensure that the Luna Pearl wouldn't one day reject him for his lack of celestial connection. The weight of Romersai's reputation, as the oldest mage family to thrive over a millennium, pressed upon him, chaining him to a destiny he hadn't chosen.

Frustration gnawed at Auden's core. The title of heir brought not empowerment, but a sense of helplessness. Under the supposed guidance of Elixir, he felt more like a manipulated puppet, his youth stolen away in the most brutal manner imaginable.

The destruction of the Luna Pearl, even if it meant the ascent of darkness, seemed a small price to pay for freedom from the suffocating pressure that came with being the heir. Every step on this treacherous path seemed like a mistake now. Trusting Gan was the pivotal error that set the stage. The forbidden magic, a potent force that Romersai existed to protect the world from, became the instrument of his undoing. The summoning of Gan had marked the beginning of the tragedy Auden imposed upon himself, a spiral into a maelstrom of darkness.

In hindsight, Auden should have known the deceit in the silver-headed creature with scales and a forked tongue. Gan was not to be trusted; he was a liar, a cunning monster. The years in prison could not have cured his insanity, Auden should have known. And his manipulation knew no bounds. He had convinced Auden that unlocking the Luna Pearl required only Ada's involvement but now see where they had ended.