Chaos in the Purple House.

The heavy oak doors to Duke Lance Faelith's office slammed open, rattling the glass ornaments perched on nearby shelves. Lucius strode in, his sharp, tailored attire pristine as always, though his expression was anything but composed. His glasses glinted in the dim light as his narrowed eyes locked onto the two figures inside.

"I came as soon as I heard—" he began, his voice clipped and professional, but the words died in his throat the moment his gaze landed on Cassian.

"You!"

The single word echoed like a thunderclap. Lucius's outstretched hand trembled for a moment before vines erupted from the floor, snaking toward Cassian with alarming speed. Thick, thorned tendrils coiled around Cassian's legs, tightening with every passing second.

Cassian didn't flinch. His crimson eyes burned with restrained fury as he extended his hand. A rush of heat followed, and in an instant, flames roared to life, consuming the vines in a blaze that left nothing but ash in their wake.

The smell of scorched plants lingered in the air as Cassian's voice cut through the tension, low and dangerous. "What do you think you're doing, attacking the captain of the royal knights like that?"

Lucius laughed bitterly, the sound laced with disbelief and rage. "Captain of the royal knights?" he sneered. "Don't insult my intelligence, Valenor. You've never set foot in this manor in all the years I've known you. Yet, in one week, you're here three times. The second time, my brother is found dead. Now, his body his missing! What am I supposed to think?"

Cassian's grip on the hilt of his sword tightened. "Be careful with your accusations, Faelith."

"Careful?" Lucius spat, his magic surging again. This time, sharp-edged leaves flew toward Cassian like blades, slicing through the air with precision. Cassian sidestepped, his movements fluid, and with a flick of his wrist, a torrent of fire consumed the projectiles mid-flight.

The air grew heavy with heat and tension as Cassian drew his sword, the blade igniting with a vibrant, searing flame. "You want a fight? Fine. But don't expect me to hold back."

Lucius didn't hesitate, the ground beneath Cassian's feet erupting as roots burst forth, aiming to entangle and crush him. Cassian countered with a fiery slash, the magic-infused blade cutting through the roots as if they were paper.

"Do you think I wanted to come here those times?" Cassian snarled, his voice rising with anger. "I was ordered to because your brother wouldn't leave the future crown prince alone!"

Lucius froze for a fraction of a second, his composure cracking further. His voice broke into a scream. "Adrian had never rejected his advances for years! It was hard for him to believe that his feelings weren't reciprocated!"

"He never loved him," Cassian interrupted coldly, his voice dripping with venom. "Lucian was delusional. And you're just as blind."

Lucius's scream of fury was deafening as he launched another attack, but before it could land, a powerful jet of water surged between the two of them, quenching Cassian's flames and dousing the earth magic.

"Enough!"

Duke Lance Faelith's voice thundered through the room, his presence commanding as water swirled around him, lingering like a threat. "I order you both to stand down!"

Both men hesitated, though their magic still crackled faintly in the air.

Lucius was the first to speak, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Father, he—"

"No," Lance interrupted sharply, his gaze hard and unyielding. "Lucius, you are the future heir to the Purple House. You should know better than to lash out at anyone, let alone the captain of the knights and the heir to the Red House."

He turned his steely gaze to Cassian. "And you, Valenor. I do not appreciate your words against my son. No matter how flawed he was, you will not speak of him that way in my house. You may be the captain of the royal knights, but I am a duke. Do not forget where your power ends."

The room fell silent, the weight of Lance's words hanging heavy in the air.

Cassian sheathed his sword, his expression unreadable. Lucius adjusted his glasses, the tension in his frame barely easing.

"What steps have been taken?" Lucius asked, his voice steady but icy.

Lance sighed, the weariness in his posture becoming more evident. "I've sent a letter to the royal family, requesting their best mages and knights to investigate and locate your brother's body. Whoever did this used magic to bypass our security. They're cunning and dangerous, but they couldn't have gone far. I've dispatched our own guards and knights to search the surrounding areas."

Lucius nodded, his jaw tightening. "I've contacted the guild as well. They're sending people to search the kingdom and look for clues."

'The guild?'

Cassian's brow furrowed slightly at the mention of the guild but said nothing.

From the corner of his eye, Cassian caught sight of Lucian—silent and still, seated next to his father. His ghostly figure radiated despair, his translucent eyes fixed on the floor.

For a moment, Cassian felt a flicker of satisfaction. 'Finally, he realizes how stupid he was.' But the satisfaction was short-lived as reality settled in.

If he wanted to rid himself of Lucian, he needed to find the body. Until then, they were stuck together.

Cassian's thoughts turned darker. 'Who would steal his body? Someone who hated him? Or someone who knew how much mana he had?' The implications were disturbing, and despite his calm exterior, Cassian felt unease gnawing at him.

The silence in the room was deafening. Cassian's jaw tightened as he glanced toward Lucian's ghostly figure, still slumped in his seat, his translucent form staring blankly at the floor. Not a single word, not even a biting remark or a sarcastic retort—nothing. It was unnerving.

It was infuriating.

Cassian's thoughts spiraled as he clenched his fists. 'How long is this going to last? How long do I have before this spell becomes irreversible?' Lucian had mentioned something about a time limit when they first argued about the binding, but, of course, he hadn't provided any specifics.

'Probably because I threatened to arrest him,' Cassian thought bitterly. 'Not that it matters now. If I don't find his body, we're both damned. But he's too busy wallowing in his own despair to give me anything useful.'

His frustration simmered beneath the surface, bubbling closer to boiling over. He needed a plan, but the pieces weren't falling into place. Cassian didn't even realize Lance and Lucius had been addressing him until Lucius's voice cut through his thoughts like a whip.

"Hey!"

Cassian blinked, pulled from his reverie, and looked up to see both Lance and Lucius staring at him expectantly. "What?" he snapped, more sharply than he intended.

Lucius's lips pressed into a thin line, but Lance spoke before his son could retort. "I asked if you and your knights could assist with the search. More people involved could mean better chances of finding him."

The duke's tone was measured, but Cassian didn't miss the undercurrent of expectation. He bit back a sigh, forcing his irritation down. It wasn't a bad idea, but it wasn't ideal for him. He needed to work alone, without the interference of others, especially the Faeliths.

"I'll have to decline," Cassian said, his tone even. "Though I can assign some of my men to join the search, I won't be participating personally."

Lucius tilted his head, suspicion flickering in his sharp eyes. "Why not? You're the captain of the royal knights."

Cassian's expression remained impassive, but inwardly, his thoughts churned. 'Because I need to work alone.'

The hierarchy of knights in the kingdom was rigid and deeply entrenched. At the top were the royal knights, the elite force sworn to protect the royal family and enforce their will. Beneath them were the house knights, warriors loyal to the great houses.

Each house had its own corps of knights—the Violet Guard of the Purple House, the Ember Blades of the Red House, and so on. Below them were the knights of the nobility, who served lesser noble families, and finally, the common knights, who acted as enforcers of law and order among the general populace.

With Duke Lance Faelith's influence, Cassian had no doubt that every level of this hierarchy would be mobilized to search for Lucian. But that presented a problem. The larger the search force, the more likely it was that critical clues would be missed—or worse, manipulated by someone with their own agenda.

Cassian couldn't let that happen. He needed to find Lucian's body before anyone else. He couldn't risk the chaos of working with a team, especially one that included knights loyal to the Faelith family.

He forced himself to respond to Lucius's question, his tone clipped. "Exactly. With every troop in the kingdom looking for your brother, including my own, who will be left to protect the royal family?"

Lucius opened his mouth to argue, but Lance raised a hand to stop him. "Very well," the duke said. "I'll accept your reasoning, Captain Valenor. I trust you'll ensure your men are ready to assist."

Cassian gave a curt nod. "They'll be informed immediately."

But as he turned to leave, his mind was already racing. 'I have to get to him first. With every knight in the kingdom mobilized, the clock is ticking. And I can't afford to lose.'

'...but first I have to get that weeping ghost to talk.'