—A… death rune?
I felt the words hang in the air.
They didn't sound real.
Or at least, I didn't want them to be.
—And… what does that mean? —I asked, my voice much lower than usual.
Aria didn't answer immediately.
She stayed silent for a few seconds.
Looking down.
As if she were thinking of the best way to say something so it would hurt less.
But I guess there was no way to soften something like that.
Finally, she spoke.
—It means you're connected to Aether in some way… —she paused briefly— and that, at some point… you'll die because of it.
My body went still.
Completely still.
Die?
Me?
I felt a strange emptiness in my chest.
As if something had suddenly sunk deep inside me.
I couldn't process it.
I didn't know what to think.
I didn't even know how to react.
The rune…
Did it mean my death?
A few seconds passed.
Or minutes.
No idea.
My head was spinning.
And in the end, the only thing I managed to ask was:
—When?
My voice sounded broken.
Smaller than usual.
—When am I going to die?
Aria looked away.
—I don't know…
She sighed softly.
She looked uncomfortable.
Worried.
—Runes are a very strange kind of magic. I'm not an expert, I only managed to read a few things quickly before I had to leave.
I nodded slightly.
Or at least I tried to.
—From what I've seen… there are two types.
I felt my stomach tighten.
I didn't want to hear any more.
But I had to.
—The first type works with time —she continued—. Like a timer.
Every word made me more nervous.
—When a certain hour arrives… on a certain day…
She paused briefly.
—The rune activates.
I swallowed.
My hands felt cold.
No.
No, no, no.
That sounded horrible.
But the worst was still coming.
I could feel it.
Aria spoke again.
This time more slowly.
As if she were weighing every word.
—And then there are the others…
I looked at her.
—The ones the creator of the rune can activate whenever they want.
My breathing hitched.
—So that means…
Aria lowered her gaze.
—Aether could decide to kill you at any moment.
Silence.
A horrible silence.
Heavy.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
My hand moved on its own toward my chest.
Right where the mark was.
Beneath my clothes.
As if I could feel it there.
Waiting.
Dormant.
Until it decided to kill me.
—So killing my brother wasn't enough for him, huh? —I muttered, staring at the ceiling to stop a tear from escaping.
My voice trembled slightly.
Just slightly.
Aria looked at me in silence.
She seemed unsure what to do.
—I'm sorry, Ren…
I didn't answer.
What was I supposed to say?
I didn't even know what to think.
Everything was spinning.
The king.
Aether.
The betrayal.
My friends.
And now this.
Was I going to die?
Really?
After a while, I finally managed to speak.
—Isn't there any solution?
My voice sounded tired.
Almost desperate.
Aria hesitated.
—I don't know…
She frowned slightly.
—I haven't had much time to investigate. While I was in the library, guards came in and I had to hide. That's why I told you I almost got caught.
—I see…
And once again, silence came.
An uncomfortable one.
Heavy.
I couldn't even bring myself to look directly at her.
My gaze remained fixed somewhere on the floor.
Trying to understand something I didn't understand myself.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Aria move her hand slightly.
As if she wanted to touch my shoulder.
Or comfort me.
But she stopped herself before doing it.
As if she didn't know whether she should.
Or whether I would pull away.
She left her hand resting on the bed.
Without saying anything.
That only lasted a few seconds.
Because before I even realized it, Aria moved closer and hugged me.
It happened so suddenly that I froze for a moment.
I hadn't expected it.
Her embrace was warm.
Very warm.
After everything I had just heard… almost too warm.
And without really thinking about it, I ended up wrapping my arms around her too.
For a moment, I didn't think about the king.
Or Aether.
Or the rune.
Only that warmth.
The feeling of not being alone.
But then a horrible thought pierced my mind.
One that made my stomach churn.
—Is this how… he killed my brother too?
My voice broke as I said it.
And then I couldn't hold it in anymore.
I started crying.
Really crying.
Not like before, when I was barely trying to hold back the tears.
This time, I just couldn't take it anymore.
Everything I had been bottling up for weeks came pouring out all at once.
Elijah.
The king.
The guilt.
Aether.
The thought of dying.
Everything.
Aria didn't say anything at first.
She just kept hugging me.
In silence.
As if she understood there was nothing right she could say.
I felt one of her hands moving slowly along my back, almost trying to calm me down.
A few seconds passed.
Maybe more.
Until she finally pulled back slightly.
Just enough to look at me.
Her hands remained resting on my shoulders.
And although she was trying to stay calm… she looked sad.
Truly sad.
—Probably, yes… —she finally said, her voice softer than usual—. Runes must be Aether's magic.
I wiped my tears away with my sleeve.
I still had trouble breathing normally.
—Yeah… but I still don't understand it.
I looked down for a moment.
Trying to organize my thoughts.
—He touched me to place the rune on my chest. I felt it burning… I guess that's how it works.
I swallowed.
—But then… how did he touch my brother? And when?
I looked back up.
—Neither of them literally moved. Elijah collapsed to the ground a few seconds later.
Aria frowned slightly.
She thought for a moment.
—You're right…
She lowered her gaze a little, turning it over in her head.
—Don't you think he could have touched him before? At some point.
I shook my head.
—I don't think so. With the pain I felt, my brother would have noticed.
—Mmm…
She thought for a few more seconds.
—Then maybe runes can also be placed another way.
—Without touching someone?
—Or with some kind of long-distance magic… I don't know.
She bit her lip slightly, frustrated.
—I haven't been able to investigate that much.
I looked at her for a few seconds.
—Can you investigate it? Please.
Aria held my gaze.
And for a moment, she seemed to pity me.
A lot.
—Alright —she finally said—. But it'll have to wait a little. With the guards this alert right now, it's pretty dangerous.
I nodded slowly.
But then I remembered something.
Something important.
Something I still hadn't told her.
—By the way… speaking of that…
Aria lifted her head slightly.
—I'm going back home.
A brief silence followed.
—Tonight.
Aria's expression changed instantly.
First confusion.
Then concern.
And almost fear.
—What?
—You see… in the king's room, I didn't just find that code.
I lowered my gaze slightly.
—There were also documents about me.
Aria frowned slightly.
—Documents?
I nodded.
—Information about me. About my brother… and about my friends too.
For the first time in a while, she seemed genuinely serious.
—Your friends?
—Yeah.
I swallowed.
—I think they might be in danger because of me.
A brief silence followed.
Aria took a few seconds to answer.
—Well… and that's why you want to leave here?
I looked at her, somewhat confused.
For a moment, the question seemed absurd.
—Of course it is.
My voice came out more serious than usual.
—If the king has information on them and I escaped… what if he decides to go after them?
I sat up slightly on the bed.
—I have to warn them. And be with them.
Aria lowered her gaze.
She seemed to be thinking very seriously about what I had just said.
—Ren… that's very dangerous.
She looked back at me.
—Do you really think there won't be guards watching your house?
—After what happened with the king's drawer, they're probably focused on the palace.
—Today —she replied quickly—. What about tomorrow? Or the day after?
She crossed her arms slightly.
—What if they discover you there?
I didn't answer immediately.
Because she was right.
But still…
—I'll be careful.
I sighed.
—Besides… I have to do it.
I looked at her directly.
—They're my friends.
Aria looked away for a moment.
As if she didn't want to look at me directly.
—And if they find you with them… what do you think will happen to them?
Her voice sounded lower this time.
—I'm sure they'll be imprisoned too.
That hit me a little.
Because it was a real possibility.
But I still slowly shook my head.
—I'd rather risk that than stay here hiding and doing nothing.
I stared at the floor for a few seconds.
—I couldn't stay calm knowing they might be suffering because of me.
Aria sighed.
Long.
Tired.
As if she already knew she wasn't going to change my mind.
Then she turned her head slightly.
And almost in a whisper, she said something so quietly that I barely heard it.
—…alone again…
I blinked.
—What did you say?
She turned back toward me so quickly that it almost seemed improvised.
And smiled.
Although this time the smile felt a little more forced.
—Nothing.
She stood up from the bed.
—I'll prepare your departure for tonight.
I looked at her for a few seconds.
I wasn't really sure why… but suddenly I felt a little bad.
Almost guilty.
—Thank you so much, Aria.
I smiled slightly.
—You're a good friend.
For a moment, her eyes seemed to light up.
Just a little.
But it was enough for me to notice.
—Of course… —she said softly—. That's what friends are for.
And for some reason, that sentence sounded sadder than it should have.
The hours passed much faster than before.
Everything had already been discussed.
There wasn't much left to say.
Just wait.
Wait for night to come.
Wait to finally leave that damned palace.
And above all…
Wait to find out whether it was already too late for my friends.