The room is dim despite the afternoon sun pressing faintly through tall, narrow windows draped in heavy burgundy curtains. Dust swirls in the muted shafts of light, drifting over the richly patterned wallpaper—deep green, overlaid with swirling gold vines that have dulled with age. The scent of polished mahogany and old coal lingers in the air, mixed with the faint metallic smell from the fireplace grate.

Carved furniture dominates the space. A heavy armoire stands against the wall, its clawed feet gripping the floor like an old guardian. A grandfather clock ticks with slow, deliberate authority, its pendulum cutting the silence with an almost stern rhythm. A large rug—woven with intricate floral motifs—covers most of the floor, though time has worn it thin in patches.

At the center of the room a young boy is trying to play piano.

Jule's POV:

"Ugh I can't do it. I don't even know basic spells sister."

"Julie come on you got a try a little more. Believe me you're gonna do just fine."

"I don't know what got into father. He wants me to play piano at the banquet."

"This is so fucking hard." I groaned under my breath as I stopped playing for the hundredth time, mouth forming an unconscious pout.

Aynacat my favorite sister laughed softly as she nudged me sideways and slid into my vacated spot, dainty fingers already hovering over the colorless piano keys.

"It really isn't. You just need to give into the magic inside of you and let it flow through your fingers seamlessly." She murmured, patient as ever. I let out a huff as I brushed my hair from my face as I spoke.

"Believe me, I've been doing just that but it still isn't working!"

Father had asked me to master this for over two weeks but I never fully devoted myself to learning it, until he suddenly informed me over lunch this that I'd be showcasing my newly acquired skills at the ball he was hosting tonight. Which is why I've been trying to master an art which took every other magical being at least three weeks to master.

I won't ever end the dumb allegations at this rate.

"You need to take in a deep breath and hold it in before you start." Aynacat continued and I forced myself to focus, because my life depended on this lesson.

Father really hated disappointments, and should I embarrass him tonight by messing up in front of his important guests, I knew my punishment wouldn't be something tame.

After practicing for hours until my fingers felt like it was about to fall off, Aynacat forced me to stop, claiming that I had learnt enough and would have to work with all that I had managed to master. I wanted to protest but I knew I needed to get ready for the ball, and so I gave in and hurried through the spacious halls, heading for my bedroom.

I passed one of my five brothers in the hallway, the one who came right before Aynacat. He flicked my forehead as he walked past, and I turned around and cursed him out, but he only laughed. All my siblings loved me as I was the last born child.

As I got ready after taking a quick shower, I sent a quick prayer to the winds, praying that I wouldn't mess up tonight, and also for tonight's ball to flow smoothly and end on a good note.

But, little did I know that the night wasn't gonna end on a good note.

"Jule!" Mother called out frantically, forehead etched with worry as she held out a hand to me, beaconing me over. I closed the distance at once, sinking into her warm embrace.

Her scent filled up my nose at once, the scent of the beach and the scent of rain blended together along with a flowery undertone, and that familiar scent managed to calm my racing heart a little.

"My little boy." She murmured as she carded her fingers through my hair. Even though I was all grown up, my mother still treated me like a baby, and I soaked up every second of it at every chance that I could.

"Mama, I'm nervous... what if I mess something up?" I whispered as I slowly pulled out of her embrace to stare at her flawlessly beautiful face. The large ballroom which I had been practicing in for the most of the day is now filled to the brim with warlocks and witches of various covens who are in good times with my father's reign.

One look at the crowded ballroom made me second guess myself at once, because I was yet to perfect the piano doing art yet, and I was expected to play in front of that kind of crowd tonight.

Mother leaned forward and brushed a kiss against my head, hand cupping my cheek. "Don't think about it too much, okay? I'm sure you'd do well. Your best is all that matters."

I chewed on my bottom lip for a moment as a thought resurfaced in my mind. "But, what about Father? He's gonna kill me if I mess up tonight."

Mother let out a soft laughter. "He won't, don't be silly." She admonished and I nodded slowly, swallowing down the rest of my worries.

Father was a scary man, which was why it still shocked me till date how he had been able to get married to a woman as flawless and pure hearted as my mother.

My father wasn't a passionate man. He almost never shows any emotions.He was cold and sometimes, scary.

"Go on in, dear. Aynacat is in there. Go mingle with a few people and let your mind be settled, before it gets to the time for your performance. It's gonna be alright, okay?" She murmured, a warm smile on her face.

I nodded slowly and she brushed a kiss against my cheek before pushing me in the direction of the ballroom.

I let out a long breath on stopping at the doorway.

Alright, here goes nothing.

On stepping into the ballroom, all eyes were on me at once, and I squirmed under all the attention, feeling extremely uncomfortable under all the peering gazes.

My father was one of the most powerful warlocks out there, he was able to conjure a spell that made it possible for everyone in our family to be able to mind link with each other. That privilege came in handy in most cases because there are a lot of situations where we wouldn't wanna reveal something in front of a stranger, or in situation where Aynacat and I gossip, and many other situations like that.

Aynacat grinned at me on sighting me and I stopped beside her, scowling up at Leo, my brother who had flicked my forehead back in the hallway, hours ago.

"Aw c'mon Jule, don't tell me you're still mad about that." He mused and I gave him a middle finger, causing him to almost double over in laughter.

"Stop laughing classlessly, father is looking over at us." Aynacat whispered, and we all wore a composed look in the next second.

"Jule." Father called out and my spine stiffened.

"Yes, father?"

He waved a hand at the five men standing around us.

"In between these five lords... you're gonna have to pick one, if you like one of them, whom you'd be getting married to."

My eyes almost fell out of their sockets. "W- what?"

"They've all taken a liking to you, and I've agreed to give your hand to one of them. If you take a liking to any of them. Now, it's up to you to make a choice." As he spoke, my mind dimmed and I grew light headed.

Marriage?

None of my six siblings are married yet, and I was the last child.

Why am I being asked to get married before all of them... and to one of these scary looking men

From the looks of it, it was clear that not even mother was aware of this yet.

My mouth opened and closed and nothing came forth. The men all laughed delightfully as they sized me up, probably finding that cute, and I felt disgusted to my stomach.

'What's wrong?' I felt Aynacat nudging at my mind but I didn't respond, because I wasn't sure of what had just happened yet.

Father patted my shoulders and informed me in my mind that I've been given some time to make a careful decision.

I was still yet to get my bearings together when he tugged me along with him to the stage and announced that I was gonna be putting on the piano art tonight, and as everyone cheered, I felt nauseous and light headed.

My hands shook uncontrollably and I tried to focus on the magic floating in my chest but I was too restless to even get a single grasp of the magic. I cursed over and over again underneath my breath, because this was all Father's fault.

After the little encounter I had had with him and his creepy friend's children, I had been able to stop my heart from racing or settling down. All that had been going through my mind was how I'm going to reject the marriage offer .

Thinking about it alone was enough to make bile build up in my throat.

After letting out a slow breath, I let my eyes fall close as I tried once again to focus on reaching for the magic inside me.

After about a minute of trying, I let out a stuttered breath a fear engulfed me on feeling father nudge at my mind link.

'What the hell are you doing?'

He demanded through the mind link and in that moment, I felt like breaking down in tears from frustration. He felt very pissed in my mind, and crippling fear engulfed me at the thought of what he was gonna do to me tonight, like he wasn't the reason I was currently unable to reach for my magic. If he hasn't informed me about some dumb marriage, I wouldn't be struggling this much right now.

'Boy, you okay?' Aynacat asked as she carefully nudged my mind. I granted her access immediately because I was already feeling lost.

'No, Ayna. I can't grasp my magic. This is all father's fault!' I cried out to her through the mind link as I tried to focus my attention and to reach for my magic once again.

"Father? Did he say something to you?' Ayna asked but I chose not to respond because I knew that was only gonna throw me off balance even more.

The ballroom was completely silent, and I could feel everyone's eyes on me, waiting for me to begin to play the piano. Mortification washed over my body at the fact that the entire crowd tonight is currently witnessing me embarrass myself this way.

A murmur began to flow through the crown almost immediately and I let my eyes fall close in embarrassment, because I was certain they're all gossiping about me right now. This is what father hated in his entire life, embarrassment being brought to the family, and that's exactly what I had managed to do tonight.

In a fleeting moment, a piercing scream filled the air and my eyes flew open at once, eyes turning in the direction of the scream. My eyes widened and I inched backwards and fell off the seat in shock as I stared at Leo who had an arrow embedded into the middle of his chest.

The arrow went up in flames at once and a second later, he was falling into the ground, face first, which completely sent the arrow through his back. A scream tore past my throat along with everyone else right as the ballroom erupted in chaos.

From the side of my eyes, I noticed masked men pouring into the ballroom through the now broken windows and roof at once, and I could do nothing but watch as arrows kept flying around.

I reached for Aynacat through the mind link but because of how unstable my mind was, the connection was too weak too hold. Panic flooded my mind and I began to crawl through the ballroom, searching for my sister as my entire body trembled in fear.

Who are these people? Why are they suddenly attacking everyone?

They killed Leo!Leo!

Tears poured down my face and blurred my sight for a few moments but I wiped them away almost immediately because I was determined to find Aynacat and confirm that she was safe.

'Julie...' it was soft and fragile in my mind, but a shrug of relief engulfed me on feeling Aynacat in mind and I instantly followed the direction of the mind connection. My steps flattered in no time and my mouth fell open as I came to an abrupt step.

Right in front of me, underneath a fallen table, laid Aynacat, with a arrowd embedded in her chest and leg.

My hands shook as I crawled towards her. "No, no. Please no." I whispered frantically through my tears as I reached for her bloodied hand and grasped it tightly.

This couldn't be.

Aynacat tried to smile at me but the pain etched over her face sent a knife through my mind.

"A- Ayna, please, stay with me." I whispered through my tears as I grasped the arrow and tried to pull it out but it didn't give, but only seemed to be hurting Aynacat more because she let out a scream as more blood oozed out.

I could already feel the mind link we shared starting to sever, and I grasped her hand once again, pleading for her to stay with me through my tears.

I tried to look through my mind for a spell which could stop her from bleeding or a spell that could get the arrow from her mind, but I couldn't come up with anything, because my knowledge on spells was almost non-existent.

I couldn't do anything, I could only watch as the life slowly drained from Aynacat until she was lifeless in my arms. I cried over her body, pleading for her to wake up. The entire place was in chaos around me and bodies were scattered everywhere.

I was still crying frantically when I felt a hand grasp my wrist and panic flooded me at once but I noticed it was my mother and the panic melted into pain as I took her in. She had blood trailing down the side of her head and the paleness of her face indicated that she had been using her powers to fight.

"Mama, they killed Leo and Ayna, they're dead!" I whispered violently through my tears.

"Shh... baby mama's here she will protect you" my mother said tremblingly

"Ma..ma.. where's father?"

"He's...dead" my mother said with a terrified face.

"He's…dead."

There was no emotion on her face.

Instead, she grasped my wrist and muttered a spell underneath her breath and the waves of wind that engulfed me almost immediately indicated that we were being teleported.

When I blinked my eyes opened, I noticed that we were in my own bedroom. Mother was crouched on the ground, muttering a string of complicated sounding spells underneath her breath.

I remained perched on my bed, body trembling and mind numb as I stared at her.

I was yet to wrap my mind around the fact that Aynacat was dead.

How was I going to continue living without her? Without Leo?

Stared down at my fingers and the blood coating my fingers sent a wave of emotion through my veins, prompting me to scream as I burst into tears once again.

"Ayna is dead, mama! She's really dead! They- they killed her, and Leo, and a lot of people in the ballroom, mama they..." I was still screaming when a look from my mother made me clamp my mouth shut at once.

Her eyes were glowing and all the color had drained from her face, causing me to whimper in fright as I stared at her. She was still crouched on the ground.

It took a few seconds for me to notice that it was my magic. The space in my chest where my magic was supposed to be seated in, felt empty.

My eyes flew open in shock and confusion and a cry tore out of my throat as my eyes settled on my mother. Blood was pouring out from her ears at this point and I stepped out from the circle and caught her before she could fall backwards.

"Mother!" I cried out. Her eyes was no longer glowing but blood was swimming through them. She reached for my hand with a small smile on her face and I grasped her hand as tears slid down my cheeks.

"Please, mama." I whispered as my heart raced.

"Everyone is dead, baby." She whispered weakly,, and my eyes widened as my grip tightened around her.

Your father, your siblings, everyone else who attended the ball, all dead." She whispered and I felt my heart come to an abrupt stop.

"Mum, let's get you some help, please." I whispered frantically

"It's too late, child. They're coming for me. My friend will come for rescue." As she spoke, more tears fell down my face.

"For us." I whispered and she shook her head.

You're gonna be safe." She responded and I shook my head frantically.

"No, mama. I don't wanna be saved alone, let's be saved together, please mama." I whispered frantically through my tears.

"Jule." She called, and I grew still. Mother almost never called my name on a normal day. It was always pet names except the situation was serious.

"You're the last survivor of royal bloodline, you have to remain alive at all cost." She continued, coughing out a little blood and my heart clenched even more.

"T- they don't wanna kill you, they wanna take you and use your magic." She continued and I blinked down at her in confusion,

"B- but, they won't be able to, because I've sealed up your magic." She continued, and my eyes widened in shock, and that was when it once again registered in my mind that the space in my chest housing my magic was empty.

"I combined all of my magic, and that of your father and siblings into your magic... b- but, I sealed it up in order to protect you. You'd be safer for now with no magic. You might hate me for this but with time, you'd come to understand."

Before I could fully grasp what she had just said, my bedroom door was flying open and a bunch of men poured into the room. They aimed an arrow at mother and in a fleeting moment, the arrow was embedded in her chest. A scream tore out of my chest as I felt her take in a last breath before going still.

A scream tore past my throat and I felt my heart shatter into a thousand pieces as I was abruptly heaved off the ground by the men. One of them grabbed my hair and tilted my head sideways to sniff at my throat.

"His magic is gone." One of them growled. "That wrench has done something to it!"

The masked man's attention was on me next, and he thundered. "What did she do to your magic? Where the fuck is it?!"

I trembled as I shook my head, unable to form any words.

Before I knew what was happening, I was being dragged out of the bedroom and down the long hallway where tons of bodies littered.