A castle of fire was all that was left of his life goals. What went wrong? Was it leaving the order? Was it his desire for knowledge? Thane couldn't exactly put his finger on it but somewhere in his life something just fell short. It must have considered he stood alone on the tallest balcony of his own castle that was set ablaze. Cinders and smoke had long ago blocked out the sun and had laid waste to the surrounding land. He hoped that if any life did survive that it would grow as a green blanket that hid his own failure. He didn't want to be remembered as the man who lost, he'd rather be forgotten than be remembered as less than anything he was. He achieved his life's goal. He was done. It was a pyrrhic victory. He couldn't help the bittersweet smile make its way on his face as he looked down at the crumbling stone before him. He couldn't stay up here watching his life burn away, no he had to secure his legacy. His dream.

Creatures of black flesh almost ink-like had landed on his balcony before him. The creatures of nights did their best attempt at kneeling, but they were animals of his own design, he knew their limits. Nothing more than glorified hounds. Not per se a failure but more so a prototype. It was a shame to think that this might be the last time he would see their own disgustingly ugly writhing ink-like faces. They weren't pretty but he felt a swell of pride when he saw them. Like an artist looking at his early work, ugly but meaningful. The sounds of footsteps approached. Could it be his old master coming to finish off his old apprentice? His bitter master would refuse anyone else besides himself to kill him, not out of arrogance but rather out of duty. He was his mistake. His mistake to correct. If that was the case it truly was a shame as he hadn't finished his final project. He only wished he had a few minutes left to complete his magnum opus.

"Buy me time." It was a simple command, one that carried the weight of death. But his loyal creatures had no concept of fear. Well, they had survival instincts, but his command overrides them. The creatures of ink ran off down the corridor of the balcony. Roaring to their own death. Hopefully, they would give as much as they would take but Thane doubted it. His master was surgical when it came to combat and his followers that he had trained with himself were more than capable of effortlessly ending life. He hadn't much time. He had a castle of fire he had to explore. The smoke was so suffocating.

The young boy coughed up his lungs waking him from his slumber. It felt as if he had a chimney in his lungs, his eyes watered from the imaginary smoke. Another dream? The boy swore under his breath. Those dreams had become more frequent, every year. How long would it take for those nightmares to infest his dreams every night? What was the time? The boy looked outside a nearby window to see the corner of the sun stretch its bright edge over the city's buildings. Sunrise. Good. He hadn't slept too much.

The boy hastily got out of bed. Sir Ossege would be back soon from the tavern reeking of ale. Considering the day his master would be extra difficult to deal with today. The boy would be walking on eggshells the whole day. Maybe he should prepare tea. Hopefully, the master would sleep for the whole day. It would certainly make his life easier. No, he had no time to worry about it. His master would always attempt to get back before the sun gets up so as to not worry the lady. Throwing on the cleanest tunic and pants he had he made his way out of his room.

The house he lived at was large and was on the upper levels of the city. His master was a noble of the Ossege house. Not only just a noble but also a retired knight with an honourable discharge, a rarity for nobility but something that was a testament to his character. Most noble male children were taught how to handle a blade and taught by knights, maybe become one for a short period of time. But his master was a knight that led his men into battle against evil mages, a testament to his bravery and skill. It had earnt his family reputation and a fair manor despite having no male heirs.

The boy that walked hastily through the manor was a servant of the Ossege family. He owed his life to the Ossege family; a life of servitude wasn't the greatest, but he should be grateful. His life was far better than those living in the lower levels, he got food and clothing and lived under a roof every night. He had no family of his own, but the Ossege treated him not so much as a son but as a distant cousin, kindly but not as well as family. At least he assumed so, he didn't have any cousins to compare to. He made his way through, the concerns of bends of the manor. A mental map had been sketched into his mind and probably knew his way around better than the other help. He had grown up here and as so had more freedom and experience than even the adult servants. It didn't take too long for him to finally make his way to the front door. What he saw wasn't something he expected.

The lady was beautiful. She had long blonde flowing hair that matched her fair skin, she was from a merchant family and through the master married into nobility. If it wasn't for the master's achievements on the battlefield, he would be made a mockery. Marrying for love wasn't something that nobility had the right to but the master was different to regular nobles and had become quite well regarded by the Golden Crown, which while hated by royalty, the Golden Crown's favour came with power. In Miss Ossege's arms was the cause of concern for the day. Baby Chelsea couldn't have been more than a few months old by now.

"My lady, why are you up so early?" The boy gave a curtsy bow to her. The lady had never been awake this early. Usually, the maids or himself would care for Chelsea during her nightly tantrums so to see the lady awake with her baby at such an hour was a strange occurrence.

"My husband usually arrives by this time reeking of alcohol does he not?" The boy raised his head from his bow looking the lady in the eyes. Some noblewomen could be outright cruel to her help, intentionally causing misery for entertainment as there wasn't much for a woman who had the wealth to do whatever she pleased. But being merchant born she was kind to the servants. She spoke more to him than perhaps other nobles as she was still treated as that lowly merchant girl.

"He does Lady Ossege. It is why I am up myself, sometimes he struggles to make his way to bed."

"I thank you for that."

"No thank is needed, I am simply doing my duty." The Lady looked exhausted, had she slept? Probably not by the deep bags that hanged deeply from her eyes. Had she not slept the whole week? "What are you doing up so early if you don't mind my curiosity?"

"Today is the day of the kidnapping." She spoke with venom on her tongue and almost spat the last word as if she was a cobra. He didn't blame her considering the last time she had experienced the days of discovery it had ended poorly.

"My lady I don't think you should speak ill of today."

"Bah, fuck those mages." The lady had the scent of wine on her breath. "They think they can come to my house and steal my kids as if it is their right. I pushed out Chelsea myself and I will be damned if they steal another one." The days of discovery were around a week-long tradition in which Mages from the Golden Crown would come to every house in the higher and middle levels of the city to explore if any newborns were blessed. Mages breathed mana like water. From what the boy had heard from the other servants who actually had the pleasure of leaving the manor that mages could sense magic. If they got close enough to a person, they could apparently hear the hum of magic within them. The boy had never seen a mage. He had lived in the manor most of his life, and honestly never really left. The last child of the Lady had that spark within them and so the mages came and took her child. Usually magic is hereditary but just as it can rarely not appear in magic families, it can appear outside of them. Honestly, the chances of Chelsea being magic are very very very low considering they already beat the odds by having one.

Some might think having magic would be a good thing for a family, but it was quite the opposite. The reason kids are taken so young is purely to prevent any family bias from affecting them. Mages are separate from the caste system. A noble child that is taken to become a mage has no connection to that noble family. They often choose their own name and are told nothing of their previous family. If a mage showed favouritism to one family, it would be a big issue. Basically, the Golden Crown would gain a mage while the family would just lose a child which to nobles was a loss of a potential marriage and have nothing to gain.

"I recommend you go back to your bed, my lady. I can take Chelsea back to the nursery and welcome the Lord when he returns."

"No, I will handle Richard. Who knows when those bastards will come here? Unnatural it is, no human should be able to command the water to go against the tide." He didn't wish to argue against his employer, but he had to disagree. He viewed the mages as heroes, they were separate from the politics of nobility and actually did good to help people. Of course, he wouldn't voice those opinions, he had no intention of arguing with the drunk lady.

Before he could try to convince the lady a knock sounded at the door. Great now the master had returned. The last thing he wanted to deal with was two drunk adults arguing and fighting because they were nervous about losing their child. He couldn't blame them, but he couldn't help but throw a few insults in his head that he wouldn't dare say out loud. No, now wasn't the time to focus on that. Now he had to get his master up to many stairs for a man who was far too drunk.

Opening the door, he expected to see a grown man with greying hair and a drunk blush over his cheeks. However, he was greeted by something far worse. Two women wearing long white robes with golden trims. The older woman had darker skin that contrasted beautifully contrasted the wealthy jewellery that hang from her neck. The other women were significantly older than his seventeen-year-old self but much less than the older women in robes. They were both stunning, with makeup and accessories no doubt costing more than he'll make in a lifetime. He quickly gave a deep bow to the two strangers who didn't return the sentiment.

"Welcome to the Ossege house."

"Thank you, servant." The older woman spoke, she wasn't even looking at him. "I am Mage Nomika, this is Apprentice Sorel. We represent the Golden Crown, direct us to your master."

"The master isn't available right now most esteem mages." Maybe he could get rid of them. It would be awful for the family's reputation if the lady engaged with mages while drunk, maybe he could convince them to come later. "He will be available when the sun is in the middle of the sky, If you-"

"Welcome." The lady behind him spoke. There was no warmth in her voice though, no hostility in her actions.

"Are you the lady of the house?" Mage Nomika raised an eyebrow towards Miss Ossege, her nose twitched when the smell of expensive wine burned her nostrils. The boy had a strong feeling that no one here wanted to be and a lot of prejudice between the two groups of nobles and mages made the situation tenser than it had to be.

"I am. I suppose you are here for your kidnapping." It was official, next child he's hiding the wine. The two mages were not entertained by Miss Ossege's aggression.

"Being discovered is an honour." The younger one hissed, she looked at the older woman clearly repulsed by the smell of alcohol on her breath. "What would a drunk know?" She rhetorically asked, the pettiness dripping off her tongue. The older mage sent an irritated glare to her companion that seemed to shut her up instantly. It was obvious the power dynamic was between the two.

"I apologise for my apprentice; we are up at sunrise visiting home to home dealing with... ignorant parents." Both the lady and the boy scowled at the mage, that was no apology and clearly, there was no attempt to hide it. "I understand the concern for your child, but I assure you that being a mage is the best possible life available."

"Horse shit. A child needs a parent, not your devil's knowledge." The younger mage wanted to open her mouth to speak but she looked toward her teacher before arguing for fear of being scolded. The mage's narrowed eyes spoke enough without her words, so she shut her mouth.

"You forget your place 'noblewoman'" The older mage continued; she spoke like being a noble was something to be ashamed of. The boy wondered if the two mages even registered him as a living being as mere servant. Fuck, his head felt like there were swarms of bees in his head. "I am representing the Golden Crown and while I'll let you hold your beliefs to yourself; I will not tolerate open insults towards the order. We want to be here as much as you want us to be."

"Then leave." Wow, he had never seen his lady act like this. He might have stifled a laugh if his head didn't sting so much. "You've seen my child in my arms, isn't that enough for your 'magic'"

"No. Mana can only be sensed when being cast or used. To feel its blessing, I require contact." The lady bit her lower lip. Did she think if she insulted them, they would be inclined to leave without checking?

"If you make her cry, I swear to the God's I will-"

"You will what exactly?" Silence. "My apprentice would kill you at my command and I'd have every right to." That was insane, to kill a noblewoman is an execution. Hell, if the boy were to simply slap her then he'd lose his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, he looked at the drunk lady, but she merely nodded her head in soulless submission. The apprentice looked thrilled at the misery of the noble, or maybe it was the bloodthirsty praise. Regardless Miss Ossege handed over her child.

The boy had never seen magic, but he felt guilty at the excitement of seeing the magic that could potentially lose the child he had a part in raising. He was sorely disappointed when the woman merely held the baby in her arms and place her index and middle finger on the child's forehead. There were no displays of fire or light, just silence as the mage closed her eyes and opened them again.

"Congratulations Miss Ossege, your child is blessed." The boy's heart cracked hearing the words... was that it? He wanted to argue but he just couldn't do anything. All he could do was look at the mother who collapsed to her knees crying her heart out. It was painful. To watch, to listen to feel. But the two mages were unphased.

"We'll be taking the child to learn the art of magic. I'll leave you to inform Lord Ossege of the good news." They weren't even going to let her say goodbye. They just left, plain and simple. Was this what a mage was? Were they not heroes who helped slain dragons? He couldn't imagine them leaving a mother to grieve but the two mages walked away without a word. He wouldn't allow this, he couldn't! But no words left his mouth. Was he so cowardly?

He gave a look to his lady weeping on the floor of her own manor, h-he remembered this. It was a long time ago. The woman wasn't noble-born but rather lived in the merchant quarter. He didn't understand why she cried, to be a mage was the greatest honour. To put your own selfish desires to be a mother rather than let your child live a life of luxury as a mage is nothing but disgusting. He was taken as an infant and he could outperform even the mage families. No... no he couldn't he wasn't a mage. Where did that come from? He'd never even left the manor.

"You boy!" The dark-skinned mage yelled at him. For the first time, he saw looked into the mage's eyes. "What is your name?" He didn't speak, he couldn't even be sure if she was speaking to him. Why would she? He was merely a servant, an insignificant gnat. The woman made her way to him towering over the boy. He wasn't tall but most girls didn't beat him in height, that was completely irrelevant in the presence of the amazon of a woman. "Do not make me ask again child."

"M-m-my name?" The mage's eyes were narrowed and snakelike. More monster than man. He could taste his fear in his throat. "I don't have one, I was taken in by the Master Ossege from a dark mage raid and found me. I wasn't his own and so he never gave a name, I'm the only male child that works so I just respond to boy. I-"

"Enough!" Oh, Gods, he wanted to crawl into a shallow grave and die. Before he could find the nearest shovel, the mage gripped his chin in her grasp. Her hands were soft from years of study rather than physical labour. "Shit, well. Rules are rules. Boy follow."

What?