Beyond the dark forest of Farun, the tower stood waiting. South of Gründel, deep within a dense coniferous forest, the Black Wedge Tower—Valter's research base and the place where Seriana would now make her home—rose quietly into the dimming air. Five stories. Built of black stone, taller than the surrounding trees. Standing against the sky, its silhouette seemed as though shadow essence itself had solidified into form. The walls were far darker than the twilight sky, and as one drew closer, the very quality of the air shifted. Seriana's lungs, accustomed to the light essence that drifted through the eastern air, found the dense shadow essence here heavy and difficult to breathe. Valter walked ahead without speaking. He descended from the carriage and continued forward without once looking back. Following his figure, Seriana kept her gaze fixed upon the tower's exterior. Windows were few. Only one or two small openings cut into each floor. No curtains were visible; the interior remained dim. Moss grew at the tower's base, and thin vines clung to the stone walls. Over long years, the forest seemed to be slowly reclaiming this structure, drawing it back into itself. Before the heavy wooden door, Valter stopped. He gripped the iron handle and pulled. A low creak—*giii*—echoed through the forest. "Enter." [cold] "Enter." Seriana steadied her breathing and stepped inside. The first floor was dim. Light filtered through the windows in thin, pale stripes across the floor. Bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, packed tightly with ancient grimoires. Most of the spine text was illegible, and many covers were worn smooth with age. The air was cold, carrying a faint scent of mold. And something else—something burnt, metallic, difficult to name. The traces of shadow essence magic, perhaps. A large magic circle was inscribed in the center of the floor. Complex geometric patterns were carved into the stone, glowing faintly with a bluish tint. Seriana walked around its edge, careful not to step upon it. "Second floor." [cold] "Second floor." She climbed the narrow stone stairs. There were no landings, and the steps were cramped. Pressing her hand against the wall, she reached the second-floor door. The room was small. A simple bed, a wooden desk, and a small window. That was all. Nothing adorned the walls. The bedsheet was clean, and a small candlestick sat upon the desk. The candle wick was fresh. Valter stood in the doorway, surveying the room. "This is your room. Leave your belongings and come downstairs." Seriana set her luggage on the floor. When she turned back, Valter's gaze was already directed toward the hallway. "May I ask one thing?" "What." "The other floors—" [cold] "Do not enter them." His words cut her off. His voice was low, stripped of emotion, utterly flat. "The third floor and above are my quarters and laboratory. The basement is the same. Especially the second basement level—never set foot there. Do not ask why." "...I understand." He said nothing more and descended the stairs. His footsteps echoed against the stone, then faded away. Seriana was left alone in the room. She approached the window. Beyond the small opening, the forest spread endlessly. The trees were so densely packed that she could not tell what lay beyond them. No other buildings were visible. No voices of people, no light, nothing. Complete silence. When she had been in the eastern quarter, the city lights were visible even at night. Distant voices of people drifted through the air, dogs barked, and in the morning came the sounds of the market preparing for the day. The Dawn Market—the most bustling place in Seraphim Alta—had been loud, sometimes unbearably so, but it had carried the unmistakable presence of human life. Here, there was nothing. *(Hannah...)* Seriana drew her leather bag closer. Inside were provisions Hannah had given her. Dried beans, salted meat, cheese, hard bread. Just before departure, Hannah had pressed them into her hands with a quiet insistence. Her left hand, bearing the scar of old wounds, had gripped the bag firmly, as if trying to hide the mark. Seriana smiled faintly, sadly. "She worries too much." Her small voice fell into the empty room. —————— Night came. On the first floor, there was a small cooking area. A hearth and a stone basin for drawing water. Only one pot. It must have belonged to Valter, but it was clean. Seriana soaked beans in water and cut salted meat into small pieces, cooking them together. A simple bean soup. No spices. The bread remained hard. It was nothing like the lavish meals of the seminary, but compared to the sparse food she had eaten with Hannah in the Dawn Market, it was almost luxurious. As the pot began to boil, she sensed a presence. She turned to find Valter standing at the base of the stairs. He had descended without sound. His gloved hand tapped lightly against his index finger—a familiar habit. His gaze was fixed on the soup pot. "The food stores are on the first basement level." Seriana was slightly surprised. His tone was neither report nor criticism, merely information. "Use them as you wish. However—" "I will not enter the second basement level. Yes, I heard." There was a brief pause. Valter's eyes turned toward her. His expression was unreadable, but his gaze carried weight. "...If the soup is left over," She stirred the pot once more as she continued. "Would you care for some?" [cold] "Unnecessary." The response was immediate. He said nothing more and climbed the stairs again. Seriana gazed at the pot. The beans were softening. Steam rose and dissolved into the cold air of the cooking area. *(Why did I not ask?)* What lay in the second basement level? The place Valter had so firmly forbidden her to enter. Dangerous chemicals for his research? Or something else entirely? Seriana's fingers found the fragment of the crown ornament in her pocket. She touched it gently. She remembered the look in Valter's eyes when he had seen it before—the way he had murmured, "Interesting." The answer was still distant. —————— The next morning. When Seriana descended to the first floor, Valter was already in the training chamber. She had noticed it the night before—the first floor contained two spaces. The back room was the training chamber. When she opened the door, the entire floor was covered with a complex magic circle. It was different from the one she had seen last night, more intricate, far larger. A thin blue light flowed along the lines of the circle, and the source of that light seemed to emanate from the circle itself. Valter stood in the center of the room and looked at her. "Come." Seriana entered and stood before him. The distance between them was roughly one meter. Close. Close enough that she could clearly sense the shadow essence that surrounded him. It always drifted about him—cold, quiet, a force that seemed to weigh upon the air itself. "We begin with the fundamentals of shadow essence control. You are already accustomed to handling light essence magic. Today, you must set that foundation aside." "Set it aside?" [cold] "Light essence moves through emotion. Prayer, faith, will—these are the sources of its power. Shadow essence is different. It is logic. Calculation. Which circle to use, the order of incantation. Emotion becomes an obstacle." Seriana received these words. To abandon emotion. That was the foundation of shadow essence magic, he said. It was the opposite of everything she had learned at the seminary. Light essence shone through prayer. Emotion became strength. That was the doctrine of the Church. "First, I will examine the flow of your magical power." Valter stepped forward. Seriana instinctively tensed. But there was no reason to flee, so she remained still. Valter's hand grasped her right wrist. ——It was cold. Even through the glove, the chill of his fingertips transmitted clearly. Or perhaps it was not body heat at all, but the presence of shadow essence that drifted around Valter. Seriana steadied her breathing quietly. Though she kept her face composed, her wrist tensed slightly. "Do not move." His fingers moved from her wrist to her elbow. Slowly, carefully, as though tracing something. She understood intellectually that he was following the pathways of magical power through her body, but still—his touch was closer than she had anticipated. *(This is... merely an examination.)* She told herself this. Like a physician taking a pulse. Valter's expression was completely neutral. There was no room to read emotion. Only his gaze, which occasionally shifted from her arm to her shoulder, and then to the pattern on her left wrist. What dwelt in those eyes, Seriana could not quite discern. "..." Valter fell silent. His hand remained at the base of her neck. A long silence. Seriana hesitated whether to speak, and ultimately remained quiet. It was clear that Valter was thinking about something, and it seemed wrong to interrupt that thought. At last, Valter withdrew his hand. He stepped back. [serious] "It is more than I anticipated." His voice was low and quiet. "What is?" [cold] "The flow of your magical power. The pathways for light essence and a separate pathway exist—simultaneously within you." Seriana tried to comprehend the meaning of these words. A separate pathway. Was that the conduit for shadow essence? "Then... through training, we expand that pathway?" Before answering, Valter tapped his left glove once with the index finger of his right hand. A habit when he was thinking. [cold] "Not expand. Stabilize. Your current state is—unbalanced. Light essence and shadow essence interfere with each other within the same body. If left unchecked, what will happen, you yourself understand better than anyone." Something stirred quietly within Seriana's chest. Since her expulsion, the pattern on her left wrist had grown darker. Sensations similar to those that accompanied light essence rituals occurred at completely different times. Unintended releases. Something she could not control. Was that what he meant by "interference"? "I understand." [serious] "Once more. Extend your hand. This time, the left." As she offered her left hand, Valter's gaze fixed upon the pattern. His fingertip traced the edge of the mark. This time, his touch was without glove—bare skin. The chill was far more direct than before. Seriana's face turned slightly away. [cold] "Do not move." "...Yes." The pattern glowed in response to his fingertip, a faint light—the color of light essence. But at its edges, a faint blue shadow wavered. Valter's eyes narrowed. For just an instant, something passed across his expression. Seriana could not determine what it was. It was the look of one who has found something desired. But in the next moment, that quality was gone. "We will continue training. That is all for today." —————— The first day ended. Her body felt heavy. Though she had not cast magic, she felt profoundly exhausted. Perhaps it was tension. The tower's cold air, the presence of shadow essence, Valter's gaze—all of it had touched her senses without ceasing. She returned to her room and sat upon the bed. Beyond the small window, darkness reigned. The silhouettes of forest trees barely obscured the moonlight. Stars were visible. They should have been the same stars she had seen from the eastern quarter, yet from here they seemed a different color. Perhaps shadow essence altered the air itself. Footsteps sounded on the stairs. They stopped before her door. There was no knock. Only a presence beyond the threshold. [serious] "Your power is—more unstable than I had anticipated." His voice came through the door. He did not enter. He merely spoke. "What do you mean?" There was a pause. [cold] "I will explain tomorrow. Rest." His footsteps receded. He climbed the stairs. Soon, there was silence. Serian