Astra shifted slightly on the velvet couch, lowering her arm just enough to glance toward the doorway.
Edrick stood half within the shadows, the edges of his dark cloak dusted with dry leaves. The faint scent of cold wind followed him inside.
"Do you not have anything better to do?" Astra asked lazily. "It's nearly winter. Don't you nobles usually spend this season drowning in council preparations, or do you just hope it snows over your responsibilities?"
Edrick's mouth twitched faintly.
"I did prepare," he replied smoothly. "I even assigned my aide the difficult parts. Efficient, no?"
He closed the door behind him and stepped farther into the room.
The hems of his coat were still damp from outside, gloves tucked carelessly into his belt. His presence didn't disturb the room but the air adjusted itself around him, subtly realigning everything.
Astra slowly sat upright, brushing silver hair back over one shoulder. Her gaze sharpened slightly. Not quite annoyed but certainly not welcoming either.
"So... what?" she asked. "You're that free now?"
Her voice held the careful neutrality of someone who didn't care.
"Just enough to spare a visit."
"How generous."
"I missed your charming hospitality."
Dry. Effortless. Irritatingly calm.
Edrick wandered toward the fireplace, pausing near the mantle as he studied the low-burning embers. Then he glanced sideways at her.
"You've been keeping warm, I see."
"Unlike some people," Astra replied coolly, "I don't have councils breathing down my neck."
A silence stretched between them, both familiar and uncomfortable.
Edrick spoke first.
"You're upset."
"Do i sound like it."
Her gaze flicked briefly toward the book lying face-down beside her on the couch. She made no move to pick it up.
Edrick leaned casually against the mantle, arms loosely crossed.
"I thought you didn't care whether I came or went."
"I don't," Astra answered immediately.
"But I still get to ask questions. Don't I?"
Edrick said quietly: "Always."
Astra looked away first. Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Then answer honestly," she said. "Why are you here?"
Edrick didn't answer immediately. Instead, he watched the flames in silence, as if staring long enough might somehow reshape the truth into something easier to say aloud.
Then finally—
"I don't know," his voice had softened considerably.
"I just… thought of you today."
A faint crackle came from the fireplace.
"And I didn't want to stay in that place any longer."
Astra's fingers curled slightly into the velvet cushion beneath her hand. Her expression remained composed.
But the silence afterward felt heavier somehow.
Edrick looked at her then asked quietly, "You always hated winter, didn't you?"
Astra let out a short breath that almost resembled a laugh. But not kind.
"I hated what came with it."
He didn't ask what that meant. He didn't need to.
She rose without another word, moving toward the tall windows. The light outside was softer now, filtering through coppery leaves that rustled in the breeze.
Autumn was still holding on, but only just. The trees were thinning. The air was colder.
Astra stood silently before the glass, watching shadows shift along the distant garden paths. Her faint reflection stared back at her through the fading light.
A soft fog gathered against the window with each quiet breath she exhaled.
Without turning around, she spoke.
"Stay if you want."
Her voice was calm. Distant.
"But don't expect warmth just because there's fire."
Behind her, the room fell silent once more.
He didn't reply.
But he didn't leave either.
—
The late-autumn wind bit at her cheeks, but Astra didn't flinch.
Wrapped in a heavy cloak lined with fur, she stepped into the overgrown backyard behind the Black Rose Palace.
The sun hung low, veiled behind thin clouds, casting a silver hush over the faded grass and brittle branches.
Her boots crunched lightly on the frost-laced earth as she knelt down.
With slow, practiced hands, Astra traced a complex circle into the ground, ancient symbols etched into the soil with the tip of a silver dagger.
She carved smaller sigils into each quadrant, whispering under her breath as she worked. Lines intersected, spiraled, and knotted together in a language long forgotten.
After several long minutes, the circle was complete.
Four smaller sigils rested evenly around its center.
Then, she reached into the small satchel at her side and took out four glass vials, each containing a different elemental essence.
Red flame flickered inside the first. Clear water shimmered inside the second. Fine golden dust, soil, swirled in the third. And the last held a dancing current of wind, barely contained.
Alchemical runes had been used to prevent the volatile elemental essences from dissipating.
She uncorked each one, pouring them precisely into their designated positions at the center of the circle.
Astra rose slowly to her feet.
Her cloak slipped open slightly as she lifted both arms, exposing silver-lined sleeves that fluttered violently in the strengthening wind. Brittle leaves skittered across the frost-covered ground around her boots.
Then she closed her eyes.
And spoke.
Her voice emerged low and measured—not quite a chant, not entirely a prayer.
A summoning.
"I call thee, O Spirits bound by fate and flame, by soil, by storm, I call thy name."
The wind shifted instantly.
"From ocean's deep to ember's light—
From mountain's root to skyward flight…"
The carved symbols beneath her feet began to pulse faintly with golden light.
"Come forth, O guardians, old and true... By mark of seal, I summon thou!"
The glow intensified.
Warm, golden light began to rise from the symbols, shimmering like heat haze. The frost surrounding it melted instantly into steam.
Astra's silver hair stirred violently around her face as she continued, voice steady and unwavering against the rising power.
"Water that flows, calm or wild…
Life's bearer, fierce and mild—
O Spirit of Water, abide."
The water essence rippled violently inside its sigil.
"Fire that burns, bold and bright…
Devourer of dark, bringer of light—
O Spirit of Fire, arise."
The crimson flame exploded upward in a sharp spiral of heat.
"Earth beneath, strong and deep…
Stone's cradle and nature's keep—
O Spirit of Earth, stand firm."
The soil within the circle merged into the earth below, and the ground beneath her boots trembled faintly.
"Wind that moves, swift and free…
Whisper and roar across the sea—
O Spirit of Wind, come forth."
The final quadrant erupted into swirling currents that tore dead leaves into the air.
Everything responded at once.
Flames twisted higher. Water spiraled upward unnaturally. Earth vibrated beneath the frost-covered soil. Wind screamed around the circle in tightening currents.
The backyard thrummed with ancient power. Sparks cracked violently through the air.
Yet Astra stood perfectly still at the center of it all.
She slowly opened her eyes. Her blue eyes met gold-lit darkness.
Then softly, she spoke one final word.
"…Come."
A hush fell, deeper than silence.
Then—movement.
The symbols flared with a blinding pulse of golden light and then exploded outward with a soundless force. A hot wind swept through the backyard, scattering leaves in a violent spiral.
Suddenly—
A blazing fireball tore through the air, hurling straight toward Astra's chest.
In a blink, she sidestepped, graceful and practiced. The fireball missed by inches and struck the ground behind her with a thunderous boom, sending up a cloud of ash and embers.
She didn't flinch. Not even a blink.
Astra looked up calmly.
Across the glowing circle stood four distinct figures, each radiating an elemental presence so overwhelming that even the air trembled.