“You’ve belonged to me ever since your Awakening, yet you were always off caring for that filthy worm. Instead of coming to the palace and showing me that lovely smile, you wasted it on some pathetic piece of trash. And now, once again, you think I wouldn’t notice you turning your back on your master to run back to that fool?”
A faint, simmering fury began to creep into Aster’s voice.
“I wondered what whim had you refusing my Purification, but it turns out you’ve been paying frequent visits to that mongrel lately. Even at the ball the other day, you sullied the gift I gave you. I endured it when you went out of your way to wear the white handkerchief he sent, pinned proudly to your chest. And yet, even now, in this very moment, you continue to test me.”
What the hell…?
Seiyad had never seen Aster act like this. He was always composed, unflappable—a man who smiled when he wanted and never showed signs of losing control. Even when insulting Ressas or executing his enemies, Aster never lost that smile. Was it possible… he never truly understood anyone?
Seiyad was struck by a sense of helpless confusion, like slamming into a wall with no way around it. When he returned to the past, when he got that second chance, he believed things would come easier. But the more his actions diverged from before, the more those around him revealed parts of themselves he had never seen—reacting in ways he could no longer predict. Even those he thought he knew best.
Just like now.
He never imagined that Aster had been watching him and Ressas so closely since they were children. Judging by his words, Aster seemed to believe Seiyad harbored feelings for Ressas—and he, in turn, sounded unmistakably jealous.
Still, Aster’s reaction felt, in a way, more understandable than Ressas’s confession. He and Seiyad had exchanged Purification for years, and Aster was a man who never hid his possessive nature. His behavior now—this kind of obsession—felt more in character. At least some of the Aster Seiyad knew still remained.
“You are mine, Seiyad. I won’t let you offer even a fragment of yourself to anyone else.”
The obsessive declaration rang with such finality that Seiyad almost felt a strange sense of relief. If Aster truly saw him as his possession, then his behavior made sense. He was simply reacting to a dog slipping its leash.
“Your Highness cannot compel anything from me.”
He had anticipated that Aster wouldn’t let things go quietly. Seiyad had tried to remain silent, knowing that turning the Crown Prince into an enemy might interfere with his plans to destroy the Forest, but things had gone too far. He had no choice but to face the consequences now.
“So you’re saying you intend to act for Ressas’s sake?”
Aster’s lips curled into a twisted smile as he asked the question softly. The mention of Ressas weighed on Seiyad’s heart. Still, with his mother’s situation—what Cecilia had revealed—gnawing at his soul, he couldn’t bring himself to stay by Ressas’s side.
“That’s not what I mean. I move for myself.”
There would be vengeance.
Those directly involved in his mother’s fate would die, and even those merely entangled in it would face proper retribution. But before following personal fury, he had a duty—to stop the Rampage, to protect this land from Nir’a.
Which meant he couldn’t make Ressas his enemy.
“You weren’t like this before. You used to act for me.”
“My duty is to protect Your Highness and this kingdom, not to become Your Highness’s dog. If you truly valued me, you should not have treated me that way.”
Aster suddenly burst out laughing.
“Did I really treat you like that from the start, Eid? You acted like you moved for me, yet you never gave me everything. Even when I offered to Purify you, to give you peace, you always kept your distance, always said no. You accepted the bare minimum and then pushed me away like I was no longer needed.”
Each word Aster spoke pulsed with unmistakable desire. It was jarring. In his past life, Aster had never demanded or confessed anything like this. He had always understood the function of Purification, saw it as nothing more than a means to an end.
“Purification is just that—Purification.”
“Then why reject what’s necessary for a more effective one? It’s only a matter of joining bodies. Watching your behavior, I can’t help but notice how much it resembles how the former Grand Duke treated my father.”
Just as he said, Purification was merely a tool—to stabilize the Tither, to strengthen their powers. Touching, kissing, biting, and even offering up the most intimate of acts—all of it was considered a public duty.
Many had done it that way. So logically, what Aster was suggesting—joining bodies—should be a simple matter. And yet, Seiyad couldn’t do it. It wasn’t the same as indulging lust with someone who’d simply pass through his life. Even without his mother’s advice, there was something… strange. The thought of becoming entangled with Aster like that felt inherently wrong.
A murky, indefinable feeling. Even Seiyad didn’t fully understand it himself. He forcibly wiped any expression from his face and responded flatly.
“It’s simply that no Purification of that level has ever been necessary.”
They both knew it wasn’t true.
Aster let out a soft, amused laugh before slipping on his usual cool smile.
“Funny how your little sister, who’s only just become a Tither, shows more clarity than a long-serving Grand Duke.”
Seiyad’s gray eyes turned icy at the sudden mention of his sister. He grabbed Aster’s arm—the one holding him—and yanked it, closing the distance until their faces were nearly touching.
“What did you just say?”
His voice dropped to a deadly growl, like a predator ready to strike. Aster, far from scared, only grinned wider, thrilled.
“Well, since the moment of Purification is between a Tither and their Guide, it’s hard for me to describe it with my own mouth. Why don’t you ask Cecilia directly, Eid?”
“What the hell did you do to Cecilia…!”
“Shh.”
Aster gently pressed a fingertip to Seiyad’s lips. The soft touch that once might have passed without thought now sent a chill up his spine. Just as he moved to swat it away, Aster’s voice halted him.
“It’s always adorable when my precious star lashes out, but let’s stop today’s insolence here. Never forget that I am the sun of this kingdom—and you are but a mere star. Without our grace, your kind will always end in ruin, lost in a Rampage more wretched than any beast.”
A sweet, warning tone followed.
“If you don’t want your dear sister to suffer such a pitiful end, you’d best listen to me. As my loyal Tither, you must serve me faithfully until I ascend the throne.”
With that, Aster released Seiyad’s arm. Raising his hand with an elegant wave, he smiled—his eyes curling as he looked upon Seiyad’s enraged face with an air of gentle amusement, as though savoring the moment.
“Now, go enjoy a lovely conversation with your sister, my star. Just knowing you’ll think of me with every word you say to her brings me such joy.”
Before Aster even finished speaking, Seiyad spun around in a rush. He had to confirm—immediately—that the “help” Cecilia had asked of Aster wasn’t what he feared it might be. Behind him, Aster’s laughter trickled softly through the air, as if even Seiyad’s outrage delighted him—because it had come from him.
He raced back to his quarters and threw open the door.
Cecilia was there, just as if she’d been waiting. She stood leaning against the window. The roiling mess of dread and disillusionment that had twisted through Seiyad’s chest began to settle at the sight of her. Her long silver hair was gently tousled by the breeze, and her calm, black eyes watched him with a quiet gravity that struck deep within.
A family he thought he’d lost forever was real and standing before him. A precious little sister he believed he’d never see again.
“Did the talk go well? His Highness must’ve been startled—my oppa is pretty scary when he gets angry.”
Cecilia, once a clinging, stubborn child, now spoke with the poise of a grown woman. To Seiyad’s eyes, she still retained a girlish air, but the little girl he remembered was gone.
As he slowly approached, a faint sorrow flickered in her eyes. Maybe it was the time they’d lost—maybe the awkwardness of reunion—but even so, she didn’t look away. She had been waiting, quietly. And as he drew close, she murmured softly.
“I’m sorry I left you alone for so long.”
“…It’s in the past. It’s alright.”
“No. It’s something we need to confront, because it’s what made us who we are now. Oppa, I…”
She took a deep breath and gently reached for Seiyad’s hands. Her slender white fingers carefully enclosed his rough, hardened palms.
“I was terrified. Terrified beyond words. Mother, who was stronger than anyone, died like that… and Father abandoned us. I couldn’t bear being left alone in that empty castle. I didn’t care about Mother’s talk of a Tither’s duty—I just wanted you to be beside me. I hated the world so much… all I wanted was to run away from it.”
Her fingertips were ice cold. Seiyad slowly closed his hands around hers, quietly lamenting how his touch lacked the warmth others had. If only his hands were as warm and gentle as Ressas’s… maybe he could have thawed hers in an instant.
“I thought you just needed somewhere to direct your anger. And I hated the idea of pledging loyalty to a royal family that despised Tithers. But I see now—I was wrong. I misunderstood everything. His Highness protected our house from annihilation… and he’s preparing to crush Shildras, the ones who drove Mother to her death.”
As her fury mounted, a faint red hue bled into Cecilia’s eyes. At the same moment, a wave of force—like the rippling surge of power Seiyad himself emitted when he lost control—burst outward. He’d never seen her like this in life.
“Cecilia.”
Seiyad furrowed his brow, eyes locked onto hers. The sharp sting brushing his skin—there was no doubt. It was the signature pulse of power from a Tither.
“What’s happened to you?”
Cecilia’s ability was foresight—one she couldn’t control. It was erratic and so infrequent that it practically never manifested like this. That’s why she didn’t need a Guide, why she was allowed to stay with their uncle rather than being called to the royal palace…
“You noticed? So this is how it feels when Tithers use their powers at the same time… I see. I get it now…”
She mumbled in confusion, but soon her thoughts coalesced. Her gaze sharpened, meeting Seiyad’s directly.
“At the start of the last harsh winter, I was praying for the North when something strange happened. I started having these bizarre dreams night after night. When I woke up, I was in unbearable pain—an awful headache that made me think I’d go mad. I went to a physician, and that’s when I realized… something in me had changed.”
“Cecil, a Tither’s power doesn’t change after Awakening. You must’ve been sick for some other reason.”
“That’s what I was taught, too. But oppa, look at this.”
Cecilia stood and glanced around the room. She walked over to the bouquet of black roses on the bed and picked one out. Meeting Seiyad’s eyes in silence, she crushed it in her hand.
The black petals shattered, ready to fall—and then, they froze mid-air.
Suspended, as if floating, the petals hung in space. Then slowly, very slowly, they began to descend at an unnaturally sluggish pace before settling back into their natural fall just before hitting the floor.
“I can anchor fragments of the future to the present—just for a moment. It works when I’m hunting too. I can trap Nir’a now, oppa. I finally have the power to help you. To uphold Mother’s legacy. To protect this land and destroy our enemies.”
Her face, firm with resolve, briefly mirrored the one Seiyad had once seen in himself through the mirror of the past—a face stripped of softness, committed to a single goal, ready to sacrifice anything.
“His Highness, my Guide, will help me. Just as he helped you.”
With the same face Seiyad once wore, Cecilia declared that Aster was her Guide.
The very one who may have pushed Seiyad to the brink of Rampage.
