I remember that day I didn't sleep at all.
My plan was simple: sleep during the afternoon, rest properly, and wake up at midnight to infiltrate the castle.
But it didn't go that way.
That whole week I had gotten used to sleeping little… and badly.
That day was no exception.
It was worse.
I couldn't even close my eyes for a single minute.
I lay there in bed, staring at the ceiling.
Thinking.
About what I was about to do.
About whether it was truly the right thing.
I went over it again and again.
But in the end…
there was no turning back anymore.
And as if that weren't enough, Helen showed up.
Her soft knock on the door pulled me out of my thoughts.
She always knocked the same way.
Soft.
Recognizable.
I forced myself to get up and opened the door.
—Hey, Ren. What are you doing?
—Nothing special.
—Then I'm not bothering you, right?
—Not at all… come in.
She entered.
We sat down.
And for a while… neither of us said anything.
A strange silence.
Uncomfortable, but not entirely.
As if we both knew there was something to say… but neither of us wanted to start.
—Hey, Ren… —she finally said—. That thing you told me about Aether… how are you handling it?
—Fine.
She looked at me.
—Just fine?
—I can't really give much more information.
—I see…
She paused for a moment.
—So… you're going to do it.
I didn't answer.
But I didn't need to.
It was one of those silences that says everything.
Suddenly, Helen stood up and hugged me.
—Be really careful, okay?
Her voice sounded different.
Lower.
More serious.
I hugged her back.
It felt warm.
Too warm.
Lately… I was getting used to that feeling.
—I will —I said—. You don't need to worry.
After that, the conversation changed.
It became lighter.
More natural.
Helen started remembering stories from when we were kids.
Silly things.
Meaningless moments.
But I couldn't stop looking at her.
Her smile…
calmed me down.
For a while… I managed to forget everything.
The plan.
Aether.
The night.
Until she left.
And the silence returned.
I was alone again.
With my thoughts.
With everything.
I lay back down on the bed.
Staring at the ceiling.
Thinking about nothing specific… and everything at once.
And that's how the hours passed.
Slow.
Heavy.
Until little by little…
it grew dark.
At that moment, when I confirmed there was nobody in the streets, I knew the time had come.
There were no more excuses.
I grabbed the essentials.
The training sword.
Some water.
A candle.
And the map the king had given me.
Nothing else.
I didn't need anything else.
I left the house.
The streets were completely empty.
Dark.
Silent.
It felt strange.
Especially in the commercial district, where there was normally always people, noise, movement…
Now there was nothing.
Only the distant sound of the wind.
And my footsteps.
I moved forward without rushing, but without stopping.
Looking from side to side.
Out of habit… or out of fear.
The palace began to appear in the distance.
Imposing.
The main entrance was there.
Tomorrow… it would be full.
Of people.
Of noise.
Of life.
But at that moment…
there were only two guards.
Standing still.
Watching.
I stopped.
Waited.
Observed their movements.
And when I saw the opportunity, I stepped out of their line of sight and began circling the palace.
I didn't remember exactly where the back entrance was.
I only knew it existed.
That it was small.
And that I had crossed through it once before.
But now it was different.
It was night.
Everything looked different.
More confusing.
For a moment I thought I should have come earlier, during the day, to locate it better.
But I dismissed the idea instantly.
Too risky.
Too many questions.
I kept moving.
Circling that enormous building.
Step by step.
Until…
I saw it.
A door.
Small.
Wooden.
Almost hidden.
I approached slowly.
Looking behind me one last time.
Nobody.
I placed my hand on it.
And pushed.
It opened.
Without resistance.
Too easily.
It was obvious the king had prepared everything for me.
I stepped inside.
And closed it behind me.
Carefully.
I was inside now.
And the moment I crossed the threshold…
I felt it.
The atmosphere.
It was different.
Heavier.
More tense.
As if the air itself weighed something.
As if I didn't belong in that place.
I tightened my grip on the sword's handle.
If they discovered me there…
there would be no way to explain it.
No easy escape.
I lowered my gaze to the map.
Took a deep breath.
And started moving.
I tried to follow the king's map perfectly.
But it wasn't that easy.
Some hallways felt familiar, memories from my last stay.
Others… didn't.
It was like a labyrinth.
And to make things worse, I only had the trembling light of a candle.
But the worst part wasn't that.
It was the noises.
Small.
Constant.
Distant.
Footsteps.
Metal.
Echoes.
As if there were guards everywhere.
I knew there couldn't be that many.
Ten at most.
But my mind didn't think that way.
I felt like someone was going to appear at any moment.
Like they were going to see me.
For one absurd instant…
I even felt as though the walls themselves were watching me.
I tightened my grip on the sword.
I had to keep going.
According to the map, at the end of that hallway there were stairs leading to the second floor.
Exactly what I needed.
I moved forward.
Slowly.
Careful with every step.
And then…
I saw it.
A light.
At the end.
I froze instantly.
My heart started beating harder.
I advanced even more slowly.
Carefully.
Until I reached the end of the hallway.
And peeked just enough.
Only my head.
Enough to see.
Two guards.
Right where the stairs were supposed to be.
Watching.
Standing still.
I pulled my head back immediately.
My pulse skyrocketed.
I extinguished the candle at once.
Too risky.
If they saw the light…
everything would be over.
Darkness surrounded me.
Suddenly, I could barely see anything.
Nothing.
I took a deep breath.
Trying not to make noise.
Trying to think.
What do I do now?
I couldn't go through there.
Not even close.
And without light…
I didn't even know exactly where I was.
Was there another staircase?
Another route?
The map said nothing.
Or… maybe it did, but right now I couldn't see it.
I clenched my teeth.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
I couldn't stay there.
But I couldn't move forward either.
"Think, Ren… think…"
I repeated it to myself again and again.
I peeked again.
Slowly.
Just enough.
The guards were still there.
Moving.
Each one in a different direction.
Patrolling.
There had to be an opening.
There had to be.
But… which one?
I hid again.
My breathing sped up.
Too much.
I could hear it more clearly than anything else.
I couldn't concentrate like this.
It was impossible.
Calm down.
Calm down.
I closed my eyes.
Tried to ignore everything.
But I couldn't.
The footsteps.
The echoes.
My own heartbeat.
Everything mixed together.
Then I thought about Helen.
Her voice.
The way she looked at me.
Her hug.
Warm.
Calm.
Safe.
And little by little…
my breathing steadied.
I peeked again.
But this time… I didn't try to see everything.
I focused.
On them.
On their movement.
On the rhythm.
One moved slower.
The other faster.
Out of sync.
There it was.
If they kept moving like that…
there would be a moment when both of them would look in the same direction.
A blind spot.
Small.
But enough.
The problem…
was the noise.
I would have to move at the same time they did.
Step when they stepped.
Breathe when they breathed.
Any mistake… and everything would end.
I swallowed hard.
There was no other option.
I waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
My heart pounded in my throat.
Every instant felt eternal.
Until it happened.
The moment.
Both of them turned.
Toward the same side.
I didn't hesitate.
I moved.
I ran.
Everything happened in less than a second.
I passed behind them.
Brushing past them.
For a moment… I could swear I stepped wrong.
A slight slip.
The tiniest sound.
My heart stopped.
But nothing happened.
Neither of them turned around.
I kept going.
I climbed the stairs.
And I didn't look back.
When I reached the top…
silence.
Calm.
Too much calm.
The danger had passed.
At least for now.
Then I remembered the map.
I pulled it out.
And hesitated.
How was I supposed to see it without light?
I stood still for a moment.
Thinking.
And then I understood.
If I had been able to notice the guards…
then I could see this too.
I focused.
Brought the map closer.
Squinted my eyes.
I didn't try to see everything.
Just… distinguish.
Lines.
Shapes.
Directions.
At first, nothing.
Then…
something.
Very faint.
But enough.
The lines appeared.
Blurred.
But clear to me.
I no longer needed the candle.
From there on, the path became easier.
Hallway after hallway.
Turns.
Silence.
Until I arrived.
The door.
I opened it slowly.
Very slowly.
Careful with every sound.
And entered.
The room was… normal.
Too normal for what was about to happen.
A sofa.
A table with a mirror.
A wardrobe.
And a window overlooking the city.
I had to hide.
I thought quickly.
There weren't many options.
The wardrobe.
It was either that.
Or nothing.
But not yet.
It was still night.
I sat on the sofa.
Looking toward the window.
The city was silent.
Distant.
As if it had nothing to do with me.
The exhaustion began to hit me.
Heavy.
Constant.
My eyes kept closing on their own.
No.
I couldn't fall asleep.
Not now.
I forced myself to stay awake.
Clenching my teeth.
Breathing deeply.
Time passed.
Slowly.
Far too slowly.
Until light began to enter through the window.
Weak.
But enough.
It was time.
I stood up.
Walked to the wardrobe.
Opened it carefully.
Stepped inside.
And closed it as best I could from within.
Inside there were clothes.
White.
Golden.
Too clean.
Too perfect.
They suited Aether.
Though… they were missing something.
That purple shade.
I set the sword down beside me.
And sat.
No space.
No light.
No vision.
There was only one thing I could do.
Listen.
And wait.
And the waiting…
felt eternal.
There was a lot of noise. You could hear the people outside the castle, full of anticipation. Just like me.
My breathing was fast, as if something was about to happen at any second. And then it did.
The door opened.
—Wait here, Aether.
I recognized the male voice. Aether didn't respond.
A second later, the door closed behind him.
And then I knew.
We were alone.
The moment of truth had arrived.