Iris brushed a big chestnut horse. Its coat was silky, and its mane plaited in a running braid. 'You look stunning today, Penelope,' she said to the animal who perked up its ears. 'I bet you will be the star of tomorrow's meeting. How about your tail, hmm? Shall we braid it too? Or do you prefer it wild and loose?'

The horse turned its big head and nuzzled her cheek.

'All right! All right!' She giggled. 'Loose it is then!'

Iris heard quick stomps of someone running, so she put the brushes back to the shelf. The horses neighed nervously. She frowned and walked out of Penelope's box, gently patting the mare's neck on the way. She was not surprised when she found a little boy with a mischievous grin on his dirty face.

'Cody? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at church having your lessons?' she asked, narrowing her eyes.

'We finished early today,' the boy replied, a playful glint in his eyes. 'Minister didn't feel very well.'

'Oh, and you have nothing to do with that, I hope?'

Cody gave her the purest and most innocent smile. At the age of ten and being a notorious urchin, her little brother mastered it perfectly. 'Why would I have anything to do with that? It was probably something in his food,' he shrugged. 'But now I have some free time.' His green eyes lit up visibly. 'Why don't you tell me a story?'

'I don't have time, Cody,' she said, although she already knew he wouldn't give up once he smelled the story opportunity. 'I have to prepare Penelope for the merchant's meeting tomorrow morning.'

The boy strolled past her and popped into the mare's box. The horse nuzzled his hair gently, and Cody giggled with delight.

He turned back to Iris. 'She looks ready to me. You even made her this silly braid. Come on, Iris! Tell me a story, and I promise I'll leave you alone!'

Iris rolled her eyes. 'Fine, just one, and that's it! And you must help me with the feeding afterwards. Deal?'

'Deal!' cheered Cody jumping up with excitement. He sat cross-legged on the ground, not bothering with dirt.

Iris knew better than scolding him. His young mind didn't care for such tedious things as dirty clothes. She only sighed, took an empty bucket, and sat on it. 'Very well, Cody. What story would you like to hear today?' she asked with emphasis. They did that often. She pretended to be a great storyteller, and he was her devoted audience. He loved all the stories, the real ones and those she made up. And with all her complaining, Iris loved those little moments they shared.

'The one about the Cursed Ritual!'

'Again?' Iris groaned.

'Yes, please! You know it's my favourite!'

'But you know it so well you could tell it yourself!' she teased.

'It doesn't matter. Just get on with it, please!' Cody said, giddy with excitement, his little face beaming.

'Fine, whatever!' Iris closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she started speaking. 'It happened over eight years ago. The times were different, happier. The world, as we know, was different too. Our Lord Sun was shining so brightly that you could not look directly at Him because He would blind you. The air was much warmer, and you could clearly distinguish the seasons, unlike now. The fields were gold with the crops, the plains full of green grass and flowers that bloomed in all possible colours.'

'Was that for real?' Cody interrupted. His little brows frowned. 'Have you seen it yourself, or are you making this up?'

'I still remember it. I was around your age when the Ritual happened. I still dream about it sometimes, but not very often.'

'It must have been so weird. Having all those flowers and stuff.'

'It was beautiful,' she replied with a sad, wistful smile. 'But then everything went wrong. The Crown was pressuring the Order of Mages to boost the country's defences. Our closest neighbour, Egraria, is a warmongering country. They kept raiding the outskirts to plunder. Unfortunately, the Light Magic was extremely limited. There was only so much power the Mage could draw from his surroundings and use before it was exhausted.'

'So, they decided to conduct the Ritual to boost their powers!' exclaimed Cody.

'Yes, they did. Unfortunately, there were some old manuscripts in the Order of Mages describing harnessing the power of our Lord Sun himself. It was an unlimited source that never runs dry. But one person couldn't tap into such a distant spot. That's why no one ever tried it. But after thorough research, the Mages discovered a way.'

'And they gathered all the Mages together!'

'Yes. There was an ancient ritual they could perform. If you gather enough Light Magic users in one place, it said, and combine all their potential, you could amplify their abilities to harness the light from outside. And because the Mages were greedy for power, they did not consider the risks and consequences. They summoned almost all the Order and performed the Ritual. They partially succeeded. They tapped into our Lord Sun himself and started to draw his power into themselves.'

'And that's when things went wrong,' said Cody, his chubby cheeks red with excitement.

'Yes, something went horribly wrong. You see, Cody, our Lord Sun's power was not meant for the mortals. Once the power started flowing, the Mages discovered they couldn't stop it. Their bodies were not used to accumulating so much energy. They were falling, one by one, their hearts stopped from over-exhaustion. But the accumulated power didn't just dissolve. Once harnessed, it needed to be used, but the Mages were trapped by their pride and greed and couldn't stop what they started. But all this brilliant radiance attracted something else.'

'The Shadow Realm's creatures!' exclaimed the boy.

Iris smiled sadly. 'Yes. All this raw light attracted all sorts of creatures from the other side. The Veil between the realms is usually thick. That's why we can't see what's beyond our world. But the Shadows are always attracted by brightness. Even if we don't notice them, they are lurking in the darkness, waiting for the opportunity to sneak into our realm.

'When so much light was gathered in one place, the Veil started to tremble. It was slow at first, but you could see fragments of the Shadow Realm peeking through the air. And countless Shadows were prowling there, waiting patiently for the opportunity to cross. Sure enough, the Veil itself shattered, and there was a big hole in the middle of the Ritual's site. And then the creatures broke out, killed the remaining Mages, and devoured all gathered energy. In the end, no Mage survived. The Ritual itself was broken with the death of the last member of the Order, but our Lord Sun was already drained, damaged beyond repair. He was left in a form we know today, barely a fraction of His former glory.'

'Wait!' interrupted Cody. 'If all Mages were killed, how do we know all this?'

'There were other people there besides the Mages,' she explained. 'Servants, assistants, scholars. When the Veil cracked, many of them lost their lives too. But some were fortunate enough to escape and alert the Church about the danger.'

'And then the Inquisition fought off the Shadows,' finished the boy.

'Yes, they did. Although, they couldn't close the hole in the Veil completely. Until this day, there are places where the border is so thin that the Shadows can slip into our realm. That's why we are not allowed to leave the city after sunset. It's too dangerous now,' Iris finished and stood up.

Cody was still sitting, his chin propped on his hand, eyes looking at some distant point as if he were lost in his own world.

'I wish I could be the Light Mage,' he said wistfully.

'What?' Iris asked, shocked.

'I said...' But he couldn't finish the sentence because his sister darted to him and put a hand over his mouth.

'Don't you dare say that again, Cody! Ever!' she scolded him. 'Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to speak such nonsense?'

'Get off!' He shoved her hand away. 'We're not in a church, you know! There's no one here to listen!'

'You can't know that!'

'Just think about it, Iris!' he continued, still flustered. 'Wouldn't it be wonderful to be someone better than a simple servant? Instead of spending your days in stinky stables, you could perform miracles with light! And don't you think that the Mages could fix the Veil? The Church can't do that. They can hold off the Shadows, but they can't fix it for good. If they could, they would have done that already!'

'Oh, Cody,' Iris sighed. She was flabbergasted by his words and because of how accurate they were. But those were dangerous thoughts that could not only get him into trouble but even lead to his death. If he only knew the truth...

She kneeled in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders, looking deep into his eyes. 'Listen to me. You can't run around saying such things. It's heresy, do you understand me? Do you know what the Church does with those accused of heresy?'

He scowled and looked away, but she took his chin and turned his head back to her.

'Tell me, Cody!'

'Executes them,' he mumbled, but his eyes still burned defiantly. It was a heart-breaking sight. The sole thought of her cute little brother being accused of heresy made Iris shiver.

'That's right. Please, don't be a fool. And there's nothing wrong with being a servant. We are fortunate we can work for master Dawson. He pays us fairly and provides a roof over our heads.'

'But we are still servants,' the boy protested. 'Haven't you ever dreamed of being something more, Iris?'

She felt her throat tightening, but she quickly collected herself and replied with a forced smile, 'No. I'm happy with my life.'

He scoffed and shrugged her hands off his shoulders. 'Whatever. You'd never understand me then.'

'Cody, please!'

'It's fine. I won't go blabbering around. I just thought... You, of all people, would get me. I was wrong,' he blurted, still angry, turned on his heel and ran out of the stables.

'Cody!' she called after him, but he didn't stop.

***

Iris finished all her tasks and left the stables. She put on a thick woollen cloak, but when she came out in the open, the cold wind still made her shiver. The Lord Sun was barely visible today. Iris sighed and rushed toward the manor.

It was an early afternoon, so the courtyard was busy. Servants were running around fulfilling their duties. The kitchen girls carried baskets full of fresh food toward kitchens or dragged heavy bassinets full of laundry. The messenger boys were running to and fro. Iris stopped abruptly to avoid collision with one of the spirited youngsters. Just a few months more, and Cody can start to work as a runner too. Maybe it would be good for him, keep him out of trouble.

She walked, lost in thoughts, not paying attention to her surroundings. The earlier outburst from her little brother worried her. It's not that he was wrong, not entirely. But it was perilous to oppose the holy truth spread by the Church openly. This organisation held the most power in Athia and defying them was equal to a death sentence.

She felt someone's presence close behind her, but before she turned around, a hand clasped over her mouth, and another grabbed her by the waist. She found herself dragged into the narrow alley behind the servants' mess. She thrashed in panic, but her captor's grasp was firm. When they reached the dark end of the passage, her assailant suddenly released her. Iris whirled around, ready to scream. She faced a handsome young man, smiling cheerfully at her.

'Milo!' she gasped. 'Are you out of your mind? You scared me senseless, you big dummy!' She punched his shoulder.

'I'm sorry! Please don't hit me!' He raised his hands in mock surrender.

'Ugh, you are unbelievable.'

'Yeah, but you still love me,' he said with a grin, put his arms around her waist, and pulled her in for a kiss. She was hesitant at first, but she returned it after a moment. When their lips parted, Milo leaned his forehead against hers with a sigh. 'I'm so sick of hiding.'

'I know, Milo. Me too,' she agreed, caressing his cheek gently. 'But you are still on the apprenticeship in the Church. And you know they are not looking kindly at anyone interested in anything besides their duties.'

'I know, I know, but this is ridiculous,' he complained, playing with a loose strand of her brown hair. 'Love has nothing to do with my ability to work.'

'Well, you better don't say that to the Minister, all right? It would be best if you didn't lose this opportunity. And, if you think about it, it's just a few months until the end of the year. It's not that long.'

'It seems like an eternity!'

'Oh, don't be such a cry-baby,' Iris scolded him and ruffled his fair hair. 'After that, we will be free to do whatever we wish. And you will have a job in the Church's administration secured.'

'Will you marry me then?' he asked with a smirk, fully confident in her answer. 'And move into a little house on the outskirts of town? With a nice garden?'

'That sounds perfect,' she replied with a smile and kissed him. It was the dream that kept her going every day. Just a few months and they can move out from this crowded place. Live somewhere more remote, just the two of them, without prying eyes.

The clock tower's bell chimed, and Milo cursed. 'I have to get back to work now. When will I see you again? After dinner in a usual place?'

'I can't, not today. There is something I need to discuss with my mother. It's about Cody. I'm worried about him lately.'

'That little urchin? Oh, come now, he'll be fine. He always manages to get out of trouble.'

'I know, but I can't help it. Tomorrow maybe? Master Dawson leaves for the guild council tomorrow morning, so I'll have less work then.'

'Tomorrow it is then,' Milo agreed and kissed her again. 'Wait for me by the stables. I'll come to get you,' he said and quickly left the alley, waving goodbye.

Iris waited a few moments, enjoying a throbbing sensation on her lips before she headed out herself. She quickly looked around, but no one paid any attention to her. She smiled and walked back to her quarters. 

___

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