Akinari PoV
The sun cast long shadows across the ground as I held the blue knife in my trembling hands. The cool metal felt foreign yet oddly empowering, as if it pulsed with potential—a promise of strength I had long desired. Margaret's words echoed in my mind, urging me to embrace the darkness that had begun to swirl around my ambitions.
My mother, the reigning Magus Maximus, had kept me in her shadow for too long. The title was meant to signify greatness, but to me, it felt like being a cage bird, unable to soar. I could feel the fire of resentment burning within me, fueled by years of being overlooked, underestimated, and belittled by others. I was ready to rise, to claim what was rightfully mine.
"What do you think, Akinari? Is this something you can do?" Margaret's voice pulled me back from the brink of my thoughts, her gaze steady and unwavering.
