"The Witch’s Redirection"

"The Witch’s Redirection" 13

## Chapter Thirteen: A Dance Upon the Knife's Edge

The silence that settled over the lower archives was heavier than the fog that had just dissipated.

Seraphina leaned against the edge of the charred wooden table, her body trembling internally from the "price of blood." The Magic of Localized Time Inversion was no ordinary incantation; it was a direct excision from her vital life force. She felt as though invisible threads were pulling her soul toward the grave, leaving behind a harsh chill in her limbs and a terrifying pallor that masked her features. Yet her blue eyes remained like burning embers, locked onto the Prince lying at her feet.

Cassian stirred. His breathing, which had been labored moments before, began to regularize. The black lines that had nearly consumed his neck receded entirely, leaving only a small puncture in his gilded military armor and the trace of dried blood.

His golden eyes opened slowly. They held no confusion of sleep, but rather the flash of sudden, acute awareness. He stood up in one swift motion, his military instinct checking his surroundings in a fraction of a second. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword, but he froze as he felt the condition of his body.

There was no poison. There was no pain. Even his golden dragon mana was flowing through his veins with absolute freedom, as though the attack had never occurred.

His eyes turned slowly toward Seraphina. She stood in the shadow, her black dress appearing as part of the darkness, her face as pale as a marble statue, but her gaze was steady, cold, and liberated from any weakness.

"What did you do?" His voice came deep, low, carrying a note of accusation that transcended ordinary suspicion. "The poison that struck me... it was a regressive curse that gnawed at my very bones. There is no healing magic in the Empire that can erase the trace of dark corruption that quickly without leaving a scar. What kind of magic is this, Seraphina?"

He took a step toward her, his majestic aura compressing the air in the ruined chamber. "And why do I feel as though... as though time itself has rewritten itself within my flesh?"

Seraphina did not retreat a single inch. She lifted her chin, meeting his pressure with an icy detachment that rattled his pride. "Instead of wasting time interrogating a woman who just saved your life, I suggest you, Your Highness, look at what your assassin left behind."

She opened her palm slowly. Atop her pale skin, the small silver ring engraved with the black iris gleamed.

Cassian’s pupils contracted. His large hand reached out to retrieve the ring, his structured, analytical mind spinning at a terrifying speed. "This... is the emblem of the Inner Council of House Raven. Elisia."

"The wooden puppet did not come merely to assassinate me, Cassian," Seraphina said, her tone dripping with bitter irony. "It was a brilliant plan. Had I died tonight by dark magic, and had you been afflicted because of me, the accusation would have been pinned on me and my family with definitive proof. Elisia did not disappear because she is a victim; Elisia is hiding in the shadows to watch us s*******r one another."

Cassian looked at the ring, then back at her. His military intelligence did not prevent him from seeing the blatant contradiction. "House Raven may be involved, but that does not answer my question. The magic you used is no noble sorcery. I saw your mana change. How does a woman who spent her life in the capital's salons possess knowledge of a magic that tampers with flesh and time?"

He approached her until mere inches separated them. His golden eyes searched hers for the weeping girl he once knew, but he found only a stranger—a woman with the gaze of someone who had witnessed the end of the world and returned to tell the tale.

"You are not the Seraphina I know," he said in a voice low enough to be a whisper, yet carrying a terrifying weight.

Seraphina offered a faint, emotionless smile. "The Seraphina you knew, Your Highness, died the moment she realized her innocence was not enough to protect her in this palace. As for the magic... consider it a gift of despair. When one stares into the abyss for long enough, the abyss teaches them how to defend themselves."

Before Cassian could respond or press her further, the iron doors of the lower archives rattled once more. This time, it was no magical assault, but violent, agitated pounding from the outside.

"Your Imperial Highness! Lady Ethereon! Are you safe inside?" It was the voice of the commander of Cassian's personal guard, followed by the distinct din of military commotion.

Cassian took a deep breath and sheathed his imperial sword with a swift motion. He cast one final look at Seraphina—a look that carried an unwritten promise that this discussion was far from over—then moved toward the door. With a powerful wave of his hand, the completely shattered doors swung open.

In the outer corridor, the Southern Sorcerer stood dumbfounded, his fox-like eyes wide with shock as he saw Cassian standing at full strength, without a single trace of the poison or death he had anticipated. Behind him, the Imperial Guard stood with weapons drawn.

"Your Imperial Highness!" The Southern Sorcerer stammered, his features painted with terror and confusion. "The imperial sensors detected a detonation of forbidden dark mana from within the archives... We thought that... that the traitorous Ethereon had..."

"Watch your tongue, Sorcerer," Cassian cut him off with a thunderous voice that made the guards step back. "The attack was a orchestrated assassination attempt from an external faction targeting me and Lady Ethereon. Had it not been for the Lady’s intervention, and her proof of absolute loyalty to the Empire by protecting me, the writer of these words would be a corpse right now."

Cassian turned toward his guard commander and spoke in an authoritative tone that brooked no argument: "As Supreme Commander, I declare the lower archives completely sealed. The remnants of the attack are to be transferred to my private office under the classification of 'Top Secret Imperial Military Security.' Anyone, regardless of rank, who attempts to interfere with this investigation without my written permission will be deemed a traitor to the Empire and executed on the spot."

The Southern Sorcerer's face drained of color as he realized the game they had planned had veered completely off course. He looked at Seraphina, who was walking out of the room with steady steps and regal poise, finding nothing in her eyes but a silent vow to see their heads hanging from the palace walls.

As the guards cleared the corridor, Cassian leaned toward Seraphina and whispered in a voice only she could hear: "I have bought you time again, and I have protected your secret before the Council. But tomorrow morning, the Emperor will convene a general assembly of the Imperial Council to discuss Elisia's disappearance. You will not be able to hide behind me there, Seraphina. House Raven will demand your head, and if you do not present logical proof, no one will show you mercy."

She looked at him, her eyes gleaming with a cryptic brilliance. "Do not worry, Your Highness. Tomorrow, I will not be the one begging for mercy. They will be the ones begging for their lives."

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On the other side of the Imperial Palace, within the dark western wing enclosed by magical barriers that prevented any leak of sound or energy.

Elisia Raven stood before a large silver mirror. The innocent, delicate features she used to deceive everyone had vanished, replaced by a cold face and a promise of vengeance from the depths of darkness. She held a magical amulet connected to the wooden puppet that had been destroyed in the archives.

When the magical bonds snapped and the energy faded, Elisia did not scream or rage. Instead, she stepped back, sat upon her velvet chair, and let out a soft, wicked laughter that sent chills down the spine.

"So you survived, Seraphina... and you used that forbidden magic to save Cassian," Elisia whispered, stroking a lock of her golden hair. "This is much better. Had you died tonight, it would have been boring. Tomorrow, at the general council assembly, before the Emperor and all the nobility, I shall reveal to the world exactly who the true witch tampering with the Empire's blood is. The dance has barely begun, my dear Seraphina... and your guillotine is ready and meticulously polished."

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