'Jacob, why are you ignoring me? What was with all that? Answer me,' Yggdrasil complained within his mind, his voice carrying that familiar mix of irritation and persistence, while Jacob made his way back through the entrance hall of the building, acknowledging the guards with brief nods, trying all the while to keep his expression composed and unreadable.

It was only when he entered the carriage that he finally let himself relax, slumping back against the seat and raising one hand to his forehead, massaging at the spot between his brows as though it would help clear the ache that had begun to settle there.

'Have you always been this loud?' he muttered.

'I simply have many questions,' Yggdrasil replied with no trace of apology, 'why you've chosen to ally yourself with the princess, which true runes you've managed to grasp, how far you've taken that technique, what you intend to do about the giant girl she spoke of, and countless others besides.'

Jacob exhaled slowly, eyes half-shut in exasperation. 'Can't you just read my mind?'

'Your mind is… different now,' Yggdrasil admitted after a moment, 'if I tried to read through your enhanced mind directly, I can't guarantee it wouldn't leave damage.'

Jacob gave a slight shake of his head and leaned over to close the carriage window, drawing the shutter across to block off the small gap that connected the passenger room to the driver's seat.

'As for the princess,' he began after a pause, 'first, the Skydrid family is a knightly house, their support for mages is weak at best, so I needed outside backing. And second—' he stopped, eyes fixed on the empty seat across from him as though he were addressing it directly, 'she told me why Lucas had to die.'

'Hmm, and are you going to tell me now, or do you plan to brood over it for a few more hours?' Yggdrasil teased, his tone making it sound like a poor attempt at a joke, though Jacob hardly reacted.

'According to her, Akashic had three aspects,' Jacob said quietly.

'Rather, he only recorded three of them,' Yggdrasil interrupted with an absent sort of certainty. Jacob almost pressed him on the point, but then he let the thought pass, there was no need to understand what Yggdrasil meant right now.

'Lucas's aspect,' Jacob continued, 'was the same as one of Akashic's — the ability to store an infinite number of runes in the inner world. They didn't like that someone outside the royal family carried such a thing, so Samuel took steps to have him killed.'

'You put a lot of blame on Samuel,' Yggdrasil remarked, his voice more thoughtful this time, 'but is it not possible he simply didn't know what would come of it? Not everyone would have guessed that you fools would experiment with an untested rune.'

Jacob's hand dropped from his forehead to his lap as he stared down, his expression hardening. 'If you've seen my memories from before, then you should recall the letter he sent me afterwards. And apart from that…' He let the silence stretch before finishing, 'Akashic's journal was tampered with. Whole sections of runes and equations adjusted, deliberately changed, just to make success impossible.'

'And you know this because?'

'I saw the original,' Jacob replied, and with that he allowed his eyes to fall shut, the steady vibration of the carriage beneath him lulling his thoughts into stillness. 'I'm going to sleep. Please don't interrupt.'

Gradually he slipped into slumber, but his dreams were no longer the same as they had once been; the desolate, hellish wasteland that had haunted him for so long was gone, reshaped by his own will into something that, at first glance, seemed almost tranquil. Now it appeared as a small park, the kind of place where people walked at an easy pace, where benches offered quiet rest, and where life seemed to go on without disturbance.

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He had found that the old, brutal landscape no longer held sway over him, its horrors dulled by familiarity until they had become little more than an irritation, and because he would not allow his punishment to lose its weight he had altered it, trying different ideas until this one settled into place. Peaceful it seemed, until one looked closer.

The people strolling through the park were not nameless figures but the priests he had burned in the chapel, their faces calm, their gestures casual, as though they had never known pain. To his right, Lucas and Mary sat together in quiet debate over rune theory, their expressions content, their voices carrying the ease of old friends. Not far from them, Dawson moved with steady purpose, practicing his swordsmanship with tireless focus.

It might not have appeared like a punishment to anyone else, but to Jacob it was sharper than the flames and the clawing dead had ever been. None of them turned on him or cursed his name; they simply lived, and in that simple living they reminded him of what he had taken.

Each time Lucas spoke of dreams Jacob had stolen, each time Mary smiled as she recalled Jessica, each time Dawson swung his sword in pursuit of a future he would never reach, Jacob felt his heart constrict. The park was quiet, but it was built on guilt, and every glance reminded him of the blood that rested on his hands.

'You even feel guilt over that Dawson boy?' Yggdrasil asked in quiet disbelief as he settled himself beside Jacob, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back with casual ease. 'Wasn't he the one who tormented you, the one who beat you when no one else dared?'

'Before he died, the look on his face…' Jacob's voice was calm, though his gaze stayed fixed downward. 'He was terrified. He was my age, still a child at heart, and he didn't have to die. His death was nothing more than the result of my own childish anger, of me letting my emotions take hold and drive me into making that mistake.'

'And yet you are preparing to kill that giant girl,' Yggdrasil pressed, his tone neither accusatory nor mocking but curious, as though he wanted only to see the shape of Jacob's reasoning. 'You would take her life simply because she has chosen to ally herself with Samuel?'

'If she allies with Samuel, then it is no different than her father lending him support,' Jacob replied, his eyes remaining lowered, his tone even. 'The giants are bound by loyalty to their kin above all else, and her allegiance to him places her family beside him as well. We are already seeking to draw the northern ancient clans to our side, while both the Holy Kingdom and the Empire move against us. Allowing Samuel to gain the loyalty of someone with her standing would tip the balance too far in his favour.'

He let out a slow breath, his voice firm as he added, 'It is her choice to stand with him, and so when she dies I will feel no guilt. I will feel nothing at all. Now leave me to my dreams, Yggdrasil, and grant me rest for a while.'

At those words Yggdrasil vanished, leaving the dreamscape silent once more. Hours later, Jacob stirred awake, the movement of the carriage having stilled. Through the window he could see the familiar structure of the Skydrid residence, guards standing at attention before its gates, and just beyond them another carriage drawn up beside it, its crest faintly recognizable as belonging to some minor noble house he could scarcely recall.

Jacob stepped down from the carriage and crossed the familiar threshold of the mansion, his mind already set on reaching his room without delay, yet his stride slowed when he noticed Henry leaning casually against the wall near the entrance, a thin trail of smoke curling upward from the cigar in his hand, his posture making it clear that he had been waiting for someone in particular.

That someone was Jacob. The instant Henry's eyes found him, he straightened, snuffed out the cigar with a practiced flick, and approached with a grin that seemed deliberately wide, almost theatrical. "To think my brother actually returned home. How long has it been now, four months, maybe five?"

"Is there anything you need?" Jacob asked, his voice flat as Henry shifted to stand directly in his path, forcing him to stop.

"Yes, Mr. Undefeated At Rank Ten," Henry said with a hint of mockery in his tone. "Some guests are here to see you."

"Me?" Jacob asked, frowning slightly.

"Yeah. Something about hiring you to help their son with a hunt. Don't ask me why they'd come to you of all people."

Jacob stepped to the side, brushing past him without ceremony. "Tell them I'm not interested. They should hire a guard with a higher rank."

"They're willing to help you ascend once," Henry called after him, and that single line made Jacob pause mid-step. Leah would help him, but the next opportunity would not be so easily secured, and the one after that even less so. Relying on her alone was short-sighted; it would be better to build other means.

He exhaled slowly, then turned back toward Henry. "Take me to them."

"Yes, sir," Henry replied, the mock salute and exaggerated tone making it clear he had no intention of hiding his sarcasm. Still, Jacob said nothing, and together the two brothers made their way toward one of the main halls.

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