A Surge of Magic (5)

The lights glimmered in the distance. Their unnatural glow lit up their surroundings.

"Think about what I said." Madam Yotsura's words sounded. "Be ready for tomorrow." Aether heard her footsteps, then the door open and close behind her. She had left.

He let the spell encasing the terrace vanish and let out a deep sigh. He could hardly believe that the conversation just now had actually happened. It seemed unreal to him.

He clenched his fingers around the marble railing, the corners pressed against his skin, and he felt the coldness of the marble seep into him. He shuddered, not because of the cold, but because of what Madam Yotsura had suggested.

No, he couldn't take up that mantle. That was Iris' mission, her responsibility. Not his, he didn't want anything to do with it.