Shattered Sanity

(Meanwhile, House Aureate Castle, Stacy’s POV)

Stacy sat alone in the common hall of House Aureate Castle, her knees drawn tightly against her chest as she hugged her thighs and trembled uncontrollably in a secluded corner of the otherwise crowded room.

Her usually well-maintained hair had fallen into complete disarray, while her swollen eyes and the dried tear stains upon her cheeks suggested that she had spent the better part of the night crying.

”S– she can’t be gone. My sister can’t be gone.

This has to be a lie.

S– someone must have made a mistake!

Mary wouldn’t just die like that. She wouldn’t leave me without even saying goodbye.”

Stacy mumbled to herself, as she rocked gently backwards and forwards, seemingly unaware of the other students occasionally glancing towards her with expressions of concern.

Ever since the previous evening, Stacy had been crying almost incessantly, and although the others had tried giving her some space, being left alone with her thoughts had hardly improved matters, as she continued returning to the same painful memories.

She remembered the years she and Mary had spent together before entering the Imperial Academy, when the two of them had shared everything from their meals to their dreams of becoming powerful Ascendants.

She remembered how excited Mary had been when they had finally arrived at the Academy, and how she had insisted that they would both become nobles and never look back.

However, most painfully of all, she remembered their last conversation, which had seemed so ordinary at the time that Stacy had never imagined she would spend the rest of her life wishing she could experience it again.

’No. I refuse to believe it. Mary was supposed to be safe here. We worked so hard to reach this place, and she was finally beginning to enjoy herself.’

Stacy thought, as another wave of tears threatened to overwhelm her.

The Imperial Academy had been presented to them as one of the safest institutions in the entire Valdrak Empire, protected by powerful Ascendants whose abilities surpassed anything Stacy had previously witnessed.

Yet somehow, despite those assurances, her sister had apparently been murdered within its grounds, leaving Stacy unable to understand how such a thing could possibly have happened.

”You’re going to come back, aren’t you, Mary? You promised that we’d always look after each other. You wouldn’t break that promise, would you?”

Stacy whispered, as her fingers tightened around the fabric of her uniform.

The temperature surrounding her had gradually begun to fall, although she appeared entirely unaware of the thin layer of frost forming along the wooden floor beneath her feet.

For the other students gathered inside the common hall, the unnatural chill had become another reason to maintain their distance, particularly when Stacy’s Frost Aether occasionally surged whenever her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

Several of them had already witnessed her accidentally freeze the armrest of a nearby chair earlier that morning, and none were particularly eager to discover what might happen if her grief transformed into anger.

However, despite the atmosphere surrounding her, Stacy remained lost within her own thoughts until the doors of the common hall suddenly swung open.

”Stacy! Stacy! Have you heard the news? There’s been another development concerning what happened at Northwatch!”

A young man shouted, as he hurried across the hall towards her, attracting the attention of several students who had been quietly discussing the massacre amongst themselves.

Stacy slowly raised her head, her exhausted eyes struggling to focus upon the approaching student as a faint glimmer of hope appeared within them.

”What? Did they find a way to heal my sister? Is Mary alright? Please tell me that someone found a way to make her whole.”

Stacy asked, as she released her knees and attempted to straighten herself, desperately searching the young man’s expression for some indication that he had brought good news.

Unfortunately, the student shook his head, his excitement fading slightly when he realized what she had been hoping to hear.

”No, Stacy, I’m sorry. They haven’t announced anything like that. But the Academy authorities have arrested Riven Dawnriver as the principal suspect in the murders. Apparently, the weaponsmith examined the bodies and discovered that the wounds matched his halberd, Sky-Cleaver.”

The young man explained, as several nearby students turned towards them, having immediately recognized the significance of what he had just revealed.

For a moment, Stacy appeared unable to comprehend his words, her expression remaining strangely vacant as she stared at him without offering any response.

However, as the meaning of his announcement gradually settled within her mind, the trembling that had plagued her throughout the morning began to subside.

”Dawnriver?”

Stacy whispered, as her fingers slowly loosened their grip upon her uniform.

The young man nodded.

”Yes, Riven Dawnriver. They say his weapon was used to kill the students, although the investigation hasn’t concluded yet. H.... He’s apparently being held in detention until the Imperial investigators arrive......”

He replied, although his voice gradually faltered as he noticed the grim expression spreading across Stacy’s face.

The grief that had previously dominated her features was slowly giving way to something considerably more frightening, as her exhausted eyes narrowed and an unnatural coldness began spreading through the surrounding air.

Within moments, the frost beneath her feet thickened considerably, creeping across the wooden floor as several nearby students instinctively retreated from the corner.

Stacy slowly rose to her feet, her movements unusually deliberate as she stared at the young man who had delivered the news.

”Where is Dawnriver?”

She asked, her voice barely rising above a whisper despite the unmistakable hostility accompanying her words.

The student swallowed nervously, taking an involuntary step backwards as the temperature surrounding them continued to fall.

”I don’t know exactly where they’re keeping him. The guards took him into custody, so he’s probably somewhere near the administrative building, or perhaps inside the Academy’s detention facilities.”

He replied, as his gaze dropped towards Stacy’s right hand.

Frost Aether had begun gathering around her fingers, gradually solidifying into a narrow dagger whose translucent blade reflected the light filtering through the common hall windows.

Although Stacy had previously struggled to maintain control over her emotions, the weapon forming within her palm remained remarkably stable, as though the overwhelming anger consuming her had provided a singular purpose upon which she could concentrate.

”Move.”

She ordered, as she stepped past the young man and began walking towards the common hall entrance, her pace gradually increasing while the other students hurried to clear a path.

”Stacy, wait! They haven’t proven that he actually did it! You can’t just go after him because someone said his weapon was involved!”

The young man called after her, as he finally recognized the danger of having delivered the news to someone in her condition.

However, Stacy offered no indication that she had heard him, as she pushed through the doors of House Aureate Castle and broke into a hurried run towards the Academy’s administrative district.

The dagger remained firmly clutched within her hand, while the Frost Aether gathering around her body continued to intensify with every passing step.

And although the authorities had yet to determine whether Riven Dawnriver was responsible for the massacre, Stacy had already decided what she intended to do if she found him.