If only then I had known the truth of our presence in Nex, I might’ve been able to rewrite our fate and the history of the empire.

Fate sat at the wide balcony and peered through the balusters at the idle marketplace. The community, like the palace, sat dull and lifeless.

In spite of her tender age of seven, Fate had already spent many turns viewing the community outside the palace. For every twenty-five of the Rahma’s turns, she—and all of the other Ancients—aged only one turn. Thus, the seven-turn-old, who had only lived in the palace for two of her turns, had spent fifty Rahma summers and winters in Nex.

This left for her an odd, glaring question: What happened during the first five turns of my life? Where did those memories go?

Fate watched the community every day, asking herself that same question. She remembered her first day in Macellarius, and often discussed it with her brother. In that memory, she and Abyssus gazed upon a forest of glowing trees.

She remembered the trees singing and whispering to her. They told her secrets and stories, but those secrets had dissipated long ago.

Neither she nor Abyssus recalled how they first moved to this bleak palace in Macellarius.

Since sharing this fact with each other, and given the five ‘lost’ turns that had vanished from memory, they found it difficult to trust others. This included their father, King Neco, though Fate remained compliant because he proved nothing but kind. He provided them every necessity, and adored them as any loving father should.

At least, he adored Fate. He often held her close, and liked watching her as she slept. He spent more and more time with her as the turns went by, regularly separating the siblings.

Fate meandered the palace hallways, dodging bustling servants as they decorated for her party. They strung tiny white lights through each room to cast away the shadows. The people of Mu feared the darkness but, more importantly, they feared the Grim.

Fate thought of this as she stepped into the main hall, staring up at the lights. She’d first learned of the Grim when she and Abyssus began searching for the truth of their origins.

The siblings possessed traits passed on through few Ancient families. These special families, the Elementals, were born with only one ability. Strangely, Fate and Abyssus carried several of these traits. They could conjure up electricity like the Feh, and darkness like the Grim, but their dark hair and violet eyes served as a symbol of the Capital Royals, the Iu—Masters of Body.

Fate and Abyssus most relied on their darkness. All darkness elementals connected to the Abyss. If they called to the shadows and submerged themselves in the vision of space, the Abyss would respond and allow them to manipulate the shadows.

Fate had always wondered how she and Abyssus managed to acquire such a wide range of abilities. She especially questioned their darkness.

Could we be like the Grim? Will we also leave this world?

Abyssus stepped beside her, taking her by the hand. He shone a radiant smile to quell her discomfort. His presence always soothed her, even when she feared the worst. “Sis, the party will start soon. Come with me. Let’s go see the decorations in the yard.”

When they crossed through the doorway to the backyard, they spotted a member of Neco’s private guard, Ignis Firmus. He carried a table in each arm and set them up on the lawn in the yard.

Abyssus rushed to Firmus’s side and the tall guard stopped to greet him.

Firmus spoke softly, his expression lightening. “Good evening, Abyssus....”

He had a strange habit of trailing off mid-thought, which often brought Fate to believe he might be restraining something.

He soon resumed his greeting with a bow of his head. “...and Lady Fate.”

Fate grasped the open air in search of her brother’s hand. When she realized how easily he’d left, a hollowness grew inside of her. She accepted the bond between Abyssus and Firmus but refused to accept that Abyssus so easily told their secrets to an outsider. She liked keeping their secrets—they made her world with Abyssus feel safer and more special.

Firmus nodded towards the doorway. He knew about Fate’s distaste for him but never attempted to win her favor. As long as Abyssus loved him, he could overlook everything else.

Fate spun on her heels to meet with her father. For once she almost felt grateful for King Neco’s summoning. She quickly followed him to avoid further complications with Firmus.

The guards opened the front doors and let in a crowd of finely dressed nobles. The guests greeted Neco upon arrival and exchanged jokes.

Aside from the tactless yarns, Fate also struggled to understand her father’s glances. Every so often, his emerald green eyes beheld her in a strange and captivated manner.

She curtsied to the guests to distract herself, but none of the guests showed any interest in her. They seemed more interested in Neco.

Nevertheless, he soon grew tired of greeting and passed the responsibility to the guards and servants. Once they assumed their positions, he joined the celebration in the yard.

Fate waited in the hallway and watched the lights, preferring observation to participation. Without Abyssus, she lacked the motivation to socialize. She hoped he would find her so they could separate from the rest of the party, because something about it made her uneasy.

Finally, he returned, dragging Firmus along with him.

Fate scowled at them. “Must you bring Firmus everywhere?”

Abyssus asserted, “I must! Firmus will get lonely, after all.”

“I’m sure.” She reminded herself that she liked Firmus and Abyssus, and even liked seeing them together. She simply feared that Firmus would take Abyssus away.

Firmus paid little attention to their commentary. He watched the entrance, where a woman in a fur coat greeted a huddle of interested guests.

“Oho!” She swung a long sleeve and swept a piece of brown hair from her cheek. “Really, you’re all too kind.”

Firmus often appeared more brooding than he intended, but when he saw the woman, his gaze grew darker, even haunted. “Fortuna?”

The striking woman cast a glance over at Firmus. Her golden eyes glowed like embers, a distinct trait of the Ignis Family. She turned her head, and her diamond earrings twinkled in the light. A bright smile formed on her full lips, and she giggled almost in mockery. “Oh, dearest Firmus, how dreadful you look.”

Fate wondered which part of Firmus looked dreadful. He stood tall and robust, a revered soldier even at a young age.

He ignored the woman’s comment. “Fortuna, you were invited?”

She snorted, flapped her hand, and crossed through the room to him. “Oh please, it would hardly be a party without me.” Her eyes moved over him slowly. Moving closer, she readjusted his grey sweater. “Ooh, look at you, so rugged. Honestly, what have they done to you? You look like you haven’t eaten properly since you left.”

He brushed her hand away. “What are you doing here?”

She looked into his eyes but said nothing in response. Instead, she turned to Fate and leaned down, exposing a great deal of her bosom.

“You must be Fate.”

Her flaunting astonished Fate, who had never seen such a seductress before, though she had heard of such women.

“Who are you?” She’d intended to ask what a regal woman like Fortuna meant by visiting the palace, and why she, unlike the other guests, took the time to acknowledge Fate’s presence.

Unfortunately, Firmus interjected. He put his hands on the woman’s shoulders to restrict her movement. “I apologize. This is my sister, Fortuna.”

Fate glanced between the siblings, astonished by their difference in temperament. “Sister?”

A man’s boisterous greeting echoed through the main hall. “Oh, what a surprise!” His sudden outburst drew the attention of the Ignis siblings to the entrance. He jumped up and down, forcing his way through the crowd.