Sebastian was getting his ass handed to him by Emile. He couldn't say he was surprised, though. Emile was the second most talented knight in his father's ranks. He had once been a proud member of the Eldai. As a child, remembered the man being an honest soldier. A kind man. A just man.

He had succumbed to his father's darkness, corrupted by promises of power and glory. Now, he was just a glorified lapdog.

How the mighty have fallen, Sebastian thought as he fell face-first into the sand.

The knockback spell that hit his chest still stung. A whole had bore into his shirt, exposing part of his torso. Groaning, he picked himself back up and conjured a shield charm just in time to deflect another attack.

Emile wasn't letting up. And it didn't help that Sebastian didn't have enough vitalae to perform any substantial attacks. He'd have to stay on the defensive until his opponent ran out of steam.

Judging by the speed and tenacity of which Emile was slinging balls of shadow energy at him, he wasn't sure when that would be.

Thorian and Sirus were still battling not too far away from where the boy stood. Sirus had the upper hand. He was sending shards of ice hurtling at the dark magician, who was struggling to keep up his shield.

Sebastian noticed he was using his Eldenarian artifact—something he rarely did. The man seemed to be drawing on his ring's energy to fuel his attacks. Sirus was using his artifact as well to control and manipulate the body of water at his back.

The water elementalist shouted a spell and flung his hands at Thorian. Multiple arms of water rushed from the ocean. Thorian sliced at them with his vayrir, but the blade failed at hurting the liquid. They ignored his efforts and lifted him in the air.

Sirus bellowed out another spell. More water rose from the ocean. This time, it encased him in a bubble and attached the water-arms to the outside, making him look like an octopus.

Sebastian and Emile stood amongst each other in awe as they watched Thorian rise in the air. The man fought against his binds. Sirus, his face contorted in concentration within his bubble, flicked his wrist.

The water arms flung Sebastian's father towards the ocean. He flailed in the water, but the waves were threatening to pull him under.

"My lord!" Emile yelled. He stepped toward Emile. He never made it to him, though, as a shard of ice smacked into his chest. The man fell, his ram's mask flying from his face after he hit the floor.

Sirus dropped his octopus armor and staggered over to Sebastian. Water—and probably sweat—dripped from his face. "Are you alright?"

Sebastian nodded. He was breathing hard and the pain in his injured arm hadn't gone away yet, but it was better than being dead. He shuddered at the memory of him floating in Nordor.

His soul had been so close to dropping into the bottomless pits that made up the underworld. But something brought him back. He wasn't sure if it was Siren's doing or fate or some other higher power.

All he knew was that he still had a job to do. And that was to protect Sirus and his family.

"Let's go," he told the man.

They nodded at each other and took off for the boat floating in the ocean.

The others had successfully made it on board. Ajax and Siren were making their way over the icy walkway stretching across the water. Sebastian and Sirus approached the shoreline. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted his sister lying motionless in the sand.

He slowed up, his eyes widening. She may have been the enemy, but she was still his twin sister. No matter what she did or what he did, he didn't want to see her dead.

A sigh of relief left his lips after he saw her chest rising and falling slowly.

He continued running for the pathway of ice over the ocean. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Makaela crying on the ground. It took everything in his power to not veer off course and comfort her. He wasn't sure what Siren did to her, but whatever it was incapacitated the girl.

A hoarse yell rang out from behind him.

His heart jumped into his esophagus. Over his shoulder, he saw his father crawling onto the shore. His black robes were drenched, and his silver braid had been unraveled. The mercury-colored strands were splayed around his sharp features.

To say the man was enraged was a gross understatement.

His eyes glowed with unbridled rage and his face was twisted in anger. He had his fingers pressed together as he fashioned some sort of spell together. Sebastian noticed his lips moving. His stomach turned after he caught a few of the words.

Uh oh.

"Sirus, get d—"

His warning was cut short by a wall of black magic colliding into his back. Both he and Sirus went crashing into the sand, their cries echoing across the beach.

Sebastian crawled forward, his nerves alight in agony. Every muscles and fiber within his body protested as he tried to move away from his nearing father.

Sirus got up first. The man helped Sebastian to his feet. "We need to move."

Swallowing his own blood, Sebastian nodded and hobbled towards the ocean. He was just a few yards away. If he could just get to the ice walk, Sirus could liquefy it and they would be home free. Shadow-jumping didn't work over bodies of water, so there would be no way for Thorian to chase after the boat once they made it aboard.

The mere thought of safety encouraged him to move faster.

Just a few more steps...

A chilling breeze passed over Sebastian. The ocean quieted as the tide went still for a moment. Everything went still. Shadows pulled together in front of him. He reached out for Sirus, but he was too far ahead of him. A cloud of smoke appeared in front of them. Thorian swiftly emerged from the rift and drove his scythe's curved blade into Sirus' abdomen.

Sebastian faltered. Horror surfaced through his face.

Sirus grunted once before going limp on Thorian's scythe. His eyes lulled closed. Thorian tossed him aside like a forgotten doll. He stalked towards his son, his weapon twirled in his hand.

"Such a disappointment," he said. "You could've been so much more under my teachings."

Sebastian could barely her his father's scathing words. His attention was focused on Sirus, who wasn't moving anymore. He could see the man's blood leaking onto the white sand. His throat tightened.

"I expected more from you, boy," Thorian continued. "You were meant to be my heir. You were supposed to continue the Thauvin dynasty after my time on this earth ended."

Sebastian slowly backed away. A tidal wave of fear had crested over him. His hands trembled and he could barely discern a single thought in his head. He couldn't stop replaying the image of his father's blade ripping through Sirus' stomach.

Another person gone at the hands of his father.

When would it end?

That's when he realized it wouldn't. It would never stop as long as he was alive. Even if he did manage to achieve his goal of world domination, the murders wouldn't stop there. Anyone who spoke out against him or did something he didn't like would face his wraith. They would be cut down with hesitation.

Or tortured. Or thrown in Ravenshold. Or murdered completely.

And none of it would ever be traced back to him. The man was a maniacal tyrant. A harsh dictator. A complete psychopath. He needed to be stopped.

And Sebastian was the only one around who could do it.

"You're stubborn," Thorian noted. "You get that from your mother."

Sebastian's lips twitched. Anger welled from his core and pressed against his insides like pressurized air.

"Maybe you should join her." He held his palm towards his son. "Massacris!"

"Repellis!"

The two streams of magic clashed, lighting their faces with bright light. Red flecks of energy shot from Thorian's spell while speckles of blue emitted from Sebastian's. They both held fast, refusing to back down. Thorian's killing spell slowly ate away at Sebastian's knockback spell.

He pushed his feet into the sand and pushed, forcing his magic forward. Through the flashing lights, he saw concern cross his father's face. But it was short-lived.

The two surges of magic exploded, sending Sebastian skidding across his backside. He stopped and fell onto his back. Pain rippled throughout his body. His hand was smoking, and his violet mark had dimmed—darker than he'd ever seen it before.

He was out of vitalae. He wouldn't be able to cast effectively for at least a full day, possibly even longer.

Groaning loudly, he desperately tried to get up. But he couldn't. He could barely breathe. Moving seemed like the hardest thing in the world at that moment.

With his heart racing, he choked back a yell and tried scooting away from his father.

"You also inherited your mother's stupidity," Thorian whispered in his ear. "Did you really think you could take me on? I taught you everything you know, boy!" He kicked his son in the face.

Sebastian saw stars—literally and figuratively. Black spots dotted his vision as his head snapped up to the sky. White and blue lights lit up the night. He tasted blood on his lips. He blinked a few times, preparing for the pain in his face to reveal itself.

He could barely keep his eyes open. But he wasn't done fighting yet.

He grabbed his father's ankle, his fingers wrapping around his pant leg.

Thorian snarled at him and tried wrenching his leg free. Sebastian's hold was tighter than a vise.

"Let go of me, boy!"

He mumbled a series of jumbled, unintelligible curses at him in reply.

Thorian kicked him in the stomach. He refused to let go.

"Why...are...you...still...fighting?" With every pause his father took, any kick crashed into his burning gut.

"You won't break me," Sebastian muttered. "You won't. You can't."

Thorian's black boot connected with his stomach. His hand went limp and he released the man's leg.

"I should have sent you with her," Thorian spat. "It would've saved us all the headache."

Sebastian looked up at the man and gave him a bloody smile. Thorian tilted his head at him. "You...won't win."

"Look around, boy. I am winning. I will win."

He shook his head. "You won't. As long as someone is alive to stand against you...you'll never win."

Thorian snarled. "Enough." He pointed his palm at Sebastian. His purple mark warmed, growing in color. "Massac—"

He was tackled to the ground in a blur of blue and gold. Sebastian lifted his head. Sirus had tackled Thorian to the ground and had him pinned there. The blond turned slightly, his face slick with sweat and his tanned skin paling by the second. Blood was smeared across his hands.

"Go!" he ordered, struggling to keep Thorian down.

Sebastian scrambled to his feet. He stuttered, trying to think of how to help the man.

There was no way he could, though. His father's surprise at Sirus' attack would wear off in the next few seconds. Once it did, Sirus was as good as dead.

There wasn't anything Sebastian could do for the man. He was too weak to fight back, and if he did, they both would die.

He didn't want to leave Sirus.

But he didn't have a choice.

His vision blurring, Sebastian took off for the ship in the sea—ignoring the aches flaring across his battered and bruised body—and never looked back. Tears streamed down his face. As he ran, he caught a flash of red in his peripheral vision. He could feel the death in the air. It suffocated him, squeezing his lungs and crushing his windpipe.

Sirus Lombardi, lord of House Aegeon and the greatest water elementalist of his generation, was dead.

It's all my fault, Sebastian told himself. He repeated the words over and over again. They rang throughout his head like haunting echoes in an empty cathedral.

It truly was his fault. He brought the Order of the Black Lotus to Thania. He got Luka killed. He got Aren the Guard killed. He got himself shot with a poison arrow, preventing him from aiding his friends in the fight.

He got Sirus killed.

The souls of those who died that night weighed him down like an anchor. They threatened to drag him through the waves and onto the seafloor to drown. A strangled cry rose from his throat as he pounded his feet across the icy walkway.

It was all his fault.