The Nocturne Estate was quieter at night.
Not silent.
Never silent.
Somewhere beyond the mansion walls, steel still clashed within distant training grounds. Horses shifted within their stables. Guards rotated patrols with disciplined precision. The estate breathed even in darkness.
But compared to the overwhelming activity of the day, the night felt restrained.
Controlled.
Riven stood near one of the eastern corridors overlooking the estate gardens, arms resting lightly against the black stone railing. Moonlight spilled across the pathways below, illuminating silver-lined hedges and shallow reflecting pools that mirrored the night sky almost perfectly.
Behind him, footsteps approached.
Measured.
Steady.
A guard stopped several feet away and lowered his head respectfully.
"Lord Riven."
Riven frowned slightly at the title.
"I'm still getting used to people calling me that."
The guard tried not to react.
Before he could answer, another figure appeared from the corridor behind him.
Diana Nocturne.
Her silver-black dress flowed softly with her movement, one hand resting beneath her stomach. Even pregnant, there was a calm authority to her presence. Not intimidating like Eryx.
But grounding.
The kind of presence that made a room quieter without effort.
The guard stepped aside immediately.
"My lady."
Diana gave a small nod before looking toward Riven.
"Your uncle is asking for you."
Riven straightened slightly.
"Now?"
"Yes."
Her tone was gentle, but firm enough to make it clear this was not optional.
Riven glanced once toward Nyss, who stood several feet away near the garden entrance.
Nyss looked back at him silently.
Diana noticed the exchange instantly.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Nyss," she said softly, "come with me."
Nyss blinked.
"...Me?"
Diana nodded once.
"There are things we should discuss."
Riven immediately narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That sounds dangerous."
Nyss elbowed him lightly before Diana could respond.
"You fought Alpha Candidates three days ago," she muttered. "You don't get to decide what sounds dangerous anymore."
Riven opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Diana almost laughed.
"Go," she told him gently. "Eryx has been preparing this for hours."
That sentence alone made Riven uneasy.
But he nodded.
Then turned and followed the guard deeper into the mansion halls.
Behind him, Diana motioned for Nyss to walk beside her.
And slowly, the two women disappeared into another corridor entirely.
The Head Chambers
The deeper Riven walked into the mansion, the quieter it became.
Servants disappeared.
Conversations faded.
Even the architecture changed.
The outer halls of the estate were luxurious.
These halls were ancient.
Dark polished walls lined with silver inscriptions. Moon-emblems carved into the support pillars. Portraits stretching across entire corridors.
History lived here.
Not displayed for pride.
Preserved for memory.
The guard finally stopped before two enormous black doors engraved with a crescent wolf sigil.
"The Head Chambers."
Riven exhaled slowly.
Then stepped inside.
The room was massive.
Not extravagant.
Commanding.
Bookshelves towered along the walls. Weapons rested behind reinforced glass. Old maps covered an entire side of the chamber, marked with faded strategic lines and symbols.
But none of that held Riven's attention.
His eyes locked onto the enormous framed painting hanging at the center of the room.
A family portrait.
A white-haired man stood proudly at the center, dressed in formal Nocturne attire. Beside him stood a graceful silver-eyed woman.
And between them
Two children.
A boy.
And a girl.
Twins.
Riven stared quietly.
Then footsteps echoed behind him.
Eryx.
"You see it too, huh?"
Riven didn't look away from the painting.
"...Them."
Eryx walked beside him.
For once, his usual composed expression softened.
"Derick Nocturne," he said quietly, looking toward the white-haired man. "Former Head of House Nocturne."
Then toward the woman.
"Velindra Nocturne. My mother."
Finally, his eyes shifted toward the children.
"And those two idiots..."
Riven looked at him.
"...You and my mother."
Eryx nodded slowly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Eryx gave the faintest smile.
"Father would've been glad to see you."
Riven's throat tightened slightly.
Eryx continued quietly.
"You have her eyes."
A pause.
"And her stubbornness."
That earned the smallest breath of amusement from Riven.
Eryx gestured toward the center of the room.
There, carved into the floor, was a massive silver pentagram surrounded by ancient runic circles.
Riven immediately recognized it.
"...A ritual seal?"
Eryx nodded.
"Sit."
Riven frowned.
"What exactly are we doing?"
Eryx's expression became serious again.
"I want to show you something."
A pause.
"Our history."
Riven hesitated.
Then slowly stepped into the center of the pentagram and sat down.
The moment he did, the runes beneath him flickered faintly.
Eryx stood opposite him and raised one hand.
Then he began chanting.
Not modern moon tongue.
Something older.
Ancient.
The words felt heavy.
Like they carried memory inside them.
The air in the room distorted instantly.
The walls blurred.
The runes beneath Riven glowed brighter.
Then suddenly
The world shattered.
The Spectre Space
Riven stumbled forward violently.
Darkness surrounded him.
Not empty darkness.
Living darkness.
An endless void filled with drifting silver particles.
"Eryx?"
His voice echoed strangely.
No answer.
Then finally
A voice.
Not beside him.
Everywhere.
"Walk toward the light."
Riven turned.
In the distance, a single silver glow flickered.
He hesitated.
Every instinct told him this was dangerous.
But after everything he'd already survived...
He stepped forward.
The moment he touched the light
The world changed again.
The Birth of the Twins
Warmth.
Noise.
Voices.
Riven blinked rapidly.
He stood inside a large bedroom illuminated by lantern light.
Midwives rushed around frantically.
On the bed
Velindra Nocturne screamed in pain.
Riven instinctively stepped forward.
But nobody reacted to him.
Nobody saw him.
A projection.
Just like Eryx said.
Then finally
The crying of newborns filled the room.
The tension broke instantly.
A white-haired man rushed forward.
Derick Nocturne.
Younger than the painting.
Stronger.
Alive.
The man held the children carefully, emotion visible even through his composure.
"A boy," one midwife said.
"And a girl."
Velindra smiled weakly through exhaustion.
Derick looked down at them both.
Then spoke softly.
"Eryx."
He lifted the boy slightly.
Then the girl.
"Tyrella."
Riven froze.
His chest tightened unexpectedly.
He was watching his mother's first moments alive.
The room erupted into celebration.
Servants rushed out.
Voices spread through the mansion.
The heirs of House Nocturne had been born.
Then
The scene shifted
Childhood of House Nocturne
Riven suddenly stood within a massive courtyard.
Children sparred across open training grounds.
Wooden blades.
Combat drills.
Core exercises.
Among them
Two six-year-olds.
Young Eryx.
And young Tyrella.
Even as children, they stood out immediately.
Eryx fought aggressively.
Strong.
Determined.
Tyrella moved differently.
Fluid.
Natural.
Her control over core energy was absurd for her age.
Even the instructors looked stunned watching her.
But what caught Riven most
Was Eryx.
He never drifted far from her.
Never.
Every time Tyrella moved, Eryx followed nearby.
Watching.
Protecting.
Competing.
Laughing.
Derick stood near the training grounds, arms folded proudly.
"They're gifted," one instructor said carefully.
Derick's expression never changed.
"I know."
The scene blurred again.
Twelve Years Old
The twins stood facing each other within a sparring arena.
Twelve now.
Older.
Sharper.
And terrifyingly skilled.
Steel clashed violently.
Eryx attacked with overwhelming force.
Tyrella countered with perfect precision.
Their battle shook the entire arena.
Children twice their age watched in stunned silence.
Even adults struggled to keep up visually.
Riven watched carefully.
His mother smiled constantly while fighting.
Confident.
Alive.
And Eryx
Every time he struck, he checked her position immediately afterward.
As if making sure she was still there.
Still safe.
Then
The scene shifted again.
The Council
A massive conference chamber.
Noble family heads filled the room.
Nocturne.
Veylthorne.
Umbraxis.
Duskryn.
Velmora.
And at the center
Alpha Nyxara Veilborne.
The Umbral Queen herself.
Young Eryx stood beside Derick quietly.
Listening.
Learning.
"The incursions are increasing," one noble said sharply.
"They've breached outer sectors twice this month."
Another slammed his fist against the table.
"The second and fourth are testing us."
Nyxara sat calmly at the head of the room.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Then finally she spoke.
"This war is inevitable."
Silence followed instantly.
"We prepare," she continued.
"And when it arrives..."
Her silver eyes narrowed slightly.
"...we survive."
The room darkened.
Then shattered again.
The Night Everything Burned
Riven appeared inside the mansion corridors.
Nighttime.
Young Eryx walked half-asleep carrying a cup.
Then
BOOM.
A massive fireball exploded through the wall.
The mansion shook violently.
Screams erupted instantly.
Flames spread across the halls.
War had begun.
Riven's chest tightened as chaos unfolded around him.
Servants ran.
Children cried.
Guards fought desperately.
Outside
The entire city burned.
Young Eryx sprinted through the chaos until he found Tyrella.
The twins immediately fought together.
Even as children, they were monsters compared to ordinary soldiers.
They held their own against invading troops
Until stronger enemies arrived.
Then suddenly
Derick appeared.
Alongside two men.
Vince Nocturne.
Lucien Nocturne.
Their presence alone shifted the battlefield.
The invading soldiers were slaughtered instantly.
Derick turned toward Eryx urgently.
"Take your sister and RUN!"
"Dad"
"NOW!"
Young Eryx grabbed Tyrella's hand.
And they ran.
Through flames.
Through panicking civilians.
Through collapsing streets.
Millions flooded the roads trying to escape the war.
Then
Everything went wrong.
The crowd surged violently.
Eryx and Tyrella were separated.
Their hands slipped apart.
"ERYX!"
"TYRELLA!"
Riven's chest tightened painfully as he watched.
Tyrella was shoved backward toward a cliffside path.
Then
She disappeared.
Young Eryx screamed and tried reaching her
But the crowd crushed him down.
His head slammed against stone.
Darkness
The Aftermath
Ashes fell from the sky.
Young Eryx slowly woke up.
The war was over.
Bodies covered the streets.
Blood flowed through the roads like rainwater.
Burning buildings collapsed around him.
Children cried somewhere in the distance.
He staggered forward desperately.
Searching.
Calling.
Looking for Tyrella.
Then finally
He found Derick.
The former head of House Nocturne sat against shattered stone.
One arm gone.
Bleeding heavily.
Vince and Lucien knelt beside him helplessly.
Young Eryx collapsed beside his father instantly.
In his hand
A torn piece of Tyrella's clothing.
"I lost her..."
His voice broke completely.
"I couldn't protect her..."
Derick looked at his son weakly.
Then gently placed a hand against Eryx's head.
"Do not apologize."
Eryx shook violently.
"I failed"
"You are a child."
Derick's breathing weakened.
"You did your best."
Tears streamed down Eryx's face.
Derick's own eyes softened painfully.
"I'm sorry..."
A pause.
"I could not protect either of you."
Silence.
Then finally
"When I'm gone..."
His voice weakened further.
"You will become head of this house."
Eryx froze.
Derick smiled faintly despite the blood.
"You'll do just fine."
Then
His hand fell.
Stillness.
Young Eryx broke completely.
He screamed as he held his father's body.
And the world shattered again.
Return to Reality
Riven gasped sharply.
The Head Chambers snapped back into existence around him.
The runes beneath the pentagram faded slowly.
Eryx staggered slightly nearby.
Blood dripped from his nose.
Riven immediately stood.
"You okay?!"
Eryx wiped the blood casually.
"Yeah."
A lie.
The strain of the memory spell was obvious.
Riven stared at him.
"You became head at twelve..."
Eryx shook his head.
"No."
A pause.
"I inherited the burden at twelve."
His eyes drifted toward the painting again.
"I officially became head at fifteen."
Silence settled between them.
Then Eryx gave a small breath.
"I had help."
Riven looked at him quietly.
Eryx lowered his eyes slightly.
"Sorry, uncle."
Riven spoke.
Eryx smirked faintly.
"Father would've liked you."
Then his expression became calmer.
More serious.
"But now you understand."
Riven nodded slowly.
The weight inside him felt different now.
He finally understood why Eryx carried himself the way he did.
Why House Nocturne felt less like nobility
And more like survival pretending to be elegance.
Eryx walked toward the massive window overlooking the estate.
Moonlight illuminated the grounds below.
Then quietly
Without turning
He spoke.
"The past made us survivors."
A pause.
"But what comes next..."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"...will decide whether we remain one."
Riven stepped beside him.
Far below, the Nocturne Estate glowed beneath the moon.
Powerful.
Ancient.
And alive.
But somewhere else within the mansion.
Nyss was speaking with Diana.
And neither of them yet understood...
That conversation might change everything next.Weight Of The Third.