By the time the guards reached the archive - where they suspected the magic was made, they were met with silence which was unsettling.
The heavy doors were still open, though they should not have been. The torches along the walls burned steadily, casting long, unmoving shadows across the polished floor. Nothing appeared disturbed or broken.
"How the hell the witch entered this place only opened by pure blood vampires and heavily guarded," one of the guards thought, "unless she was aided." but he kept the thought to himself.
The first guard to step inside slowed almost immediately, his boots steps lightened compared to earlier.
"Stay alert," he said quietly and sounded brave, but the tone of his voice betrayed him as he sounded a bit scared.
The others followed, spreading out instinctively as they had been trained to do. Their eyes scanned every corner of the archive, every shelf, every shadow, every place a person might hide.
But there was no one. Neither there was movement nor sound.
Only the faint echo of their own breathing and the distant hum of the buildings. One of the guards approached the central table. The scroll lay there. It laid there perfectly and undisturbed. He picked the scroll and tried to open it to read its contents.
He frowned. "This is not right," he said slowly referring to the scroll in his hand.
Another guard stepped beside him and folded his arms as he studied the scene. "If someone used magic here, then they were here," he replied. "And if they were here, then they would have taken something."
The first guard shook his head slightly, his unease growing rather than settling. "Or," he said, "they found what they needed… and left the rest behind."
That possibility settled heavily between them.
The second guard glanced toward the doorway to a guard at the door, then back at the scroll. "Report to the council," he said. "Tell them the archive is clear, but the source of the magic is gone."
"Gone?" the first guard repeated.
"Yes," the other replied, his expression tightening. "And that is worse."
---
Elsewhere in the palace, far from the quiet tension of the archive mainly the servant's section.
Servants were being stopped in corridors and doors were being opened without warning. Guards moved through the halls with purpose, searching the rooms of servants with the aim of finding the witch that dareD use magic.
The head maid suffered a bit as she was called into the building of the luminai accord, a place all witches and creatures dreaded so much. She had been summoned quickly without explanation and brought into one of the inner chambers of the Luminai Accord
She stood now with her back straight, her chin lifted just enough to maintain composure, though her hands were clasped tightly in front of her.
Across from her sat Lord Malrick Viremot, the head of the Luminai accoord. He did not raise his voice. He did not need to because his voice depict authority to the fullest.
"Who was assigned to the corridor near the royal archive?" he asked.
His tone was calm, measured and sounded more dangerous because of it.
The Head of Maids swallowed before answering. "A witch," she said carefully. "Her name is Isolde Ravenshade."
Lord Malrick tilted his head slightly as though he was testing the name on his tongue. "And where is she now?" he asked.
There was a pause before the head maid replied.
"She… is not present," the Head of Maids replied.
The silence that followed felt sharp and overwhelming. "Not present," he repeated slowly nodding his head.
"Yes," she said, forcing herself not to falter. "She has not reported back from her assigned duties."
Then, Lord Malrick stood and took a single step forward. His steps filled with authority that made the space between them feel suddenly much smaller.
"And you did not find that unusual?" he asked.
"I did honestly," she answered. "But I assumed..."
"You assumed," he interrupted softly.
"You were supposed to report once you find anything suspicious on those damned creatures you belong to" he said raising his voice slightly.
She flinched and lowered her gaze slightly. "Yes sir."
For a moment, he said nothing then, he turned away. "Find her," he said.
---
The search began again immediately.
It spread through the buildings like fire through dry air, fast and unforgiving.
Every witch working within the Luminai Accord was gathered, questioned, and examined. Guards moved from room to room with increasing impatience, their methods growing less polite and more direct with each passing minute.
The witches were scared to death as none of them had envisioned dying so soon.
One of them burst into tears before she had even been asked a question, which did nothing to help her case. "I did not do anything!" she insisted, her voice shaking.
A guard raised an eyebrow. "By the oracle, we haven't even talked to you yet or accused you."
"Well, you look like you were about to accuse me," she replied defensively.
He shook his head slightly as he was fed up with the witches' reactions and responses to the questions he asked them
The tension in the hallways kept building up. This was how things worked under the Accord. Fear was a method used to keep things in order.
And today, the method was working exactly as intended except for one problem. The one person they were searching for was not there.
---
Far beyond the castle and luminai accord walls, beyond the reach of polished floors and watchful eyes, Isolde and Maria were running with strength and determination.
Maria was the first to slow, her breath catching as she pressed a hand against her side. "We need to stop for a moment," she said between breaths. "I would like to arrive at our destination alive."
Isolde slowed reluctantly, glancing back the way they had come as though expecting guards to appear at any moment. "We are not stopping for long," she said.
Maria bent slightly, resting her hands on her knees. "That is fine," she replied. "I only need enough time to rethink all of my life choices that led me to this moment of flight."
Isolde let out a soft laugh despite everything. "You became friends with me," she said. "That was your first mistake."
"Yes," Maria said, straightening slightly. "And I am definitely paying for my wrong life choice."
There was a brief pause. Then, Maria looked at her properly.
"So…What in the world did you do that we are running for our dear life?" she asked after she had caught her breath.
Isolde hesitated because she did not know how to answer Maria in a simple way.
So, she did the only thing that came to her mind. Slowly, she lifted the fabric of her gown just enough to reveal the faint, glowing markings hidden beneath.
Maria's eyes widened. "Oh, so you used freaking godbanned magic to transfer some words to your thigh," she said her voice slightly high.
"Yes," Isolde said. Maria stared for another second. Then she nodded once.
"Oh," she repeated. "Yes," Isolde said again, her tone dry.
Maria straightened fully now, all traces of exhaustion temporarily forgotten. "That," she said carefully, "is either the bravest or the most stupid thing I have ever seen."
"I am choosing to believe it is both," Isolde replied.
Maria let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "You are not serious right now."
"Do you see any signs of playfulness or comedy on my face?" Isolde said.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Maria exhaled slowly. "So," she said, "we are definitely not going back."
"Absolutely not," Isolde replied without hesitation.
"Good," Maria said. "I was hoping we agreed on that."
---
Back in the buildings of the luminai accord, the search had reached its limit. There were no more rooms to check, no more servants to question and no more places to look. But most importantly, there was still no sign of Isolde or how she left the buildings.
The council gathered once more, their patience worn thin, their expressions colder than before.
"She has fled," one of them said concluding about Isolde's whereabouts.
"Yes," another replied. "Which confirms she is guilty."
A third leaned back slightly, his gaze distant but sharp. "Magic was used within our walls," he said. "That alone is an act of defiance to our authority."
"And defiance," the first added, "must be answered."
"If one witch has dared to act so openly without fear," the third continued, "then others may follow thinking of a revolution."
"Then we ensure they do not dare try such," another said.
A pause followed. Then the decision was made.
"If magic is detected again," one of them said slowly, "then punishment will not fall on the individual alone."
The room grew still.
"It will fall on all witches within that region," Lord Malrick declared and the decision was made.
---
Far away from that decision, two witches continued forward into uncertainty.
The road ahead was not clear nor safe. But to them, it was kinda free and was enough to keep them going.
Maria glanced at Isolde as they walked, her expression softer now, though still touched with disbelief. "You realize," she said, "that whatever you copied… whatever that prophecy truly says… it is going to change everything."
Isolde looked ahead, her steps steady as she weighed the words Maria spoke to her. "Yes," she said quietly.
Then, after a moment, she allowed herself a small, almost mischievous smile. "Well," she added, "it was about time something did change in these broken realms."
And for the first time since they escaped the guards and the buildings of the Luminai accord, the future did not feel fearful rather it felt exciting and anticipating.