The Black Lotus | Vol.1, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

4.

Today was the day.

Sebastian knew his life would never be the same after it was done.

His distorted reflection stared back at him as he stared at the polished mask in his hands. The glossy silver felt heavy in his grip, despite weighing almost nothing. The black robes covering his clothes felt like a straitjacket; the dark fabric practically covered every inch of him.

He stood in his bedroom within Castle Braexus, his home for the last three years and the headquarters for the Order hidden deep in the forests of northeast Romania. If you asked any other magician from his house, the castle didn't exist. No maps portrayed its location and only a select few knew of its whereabouts.

The Shades made sure to keep their hideout hidden. No one could know what they were scheming beyond the basalt walls surrounding the dark fortress.

Not yet.

Sebastian pulled his black hair into a short ponytail for the night's mission, insuring not a single hair was out of place. The black nail polish coating his fingernails had been recently reapplied. He spent the last hour pacing his room while shining his new mask, making sure there were no smudges in the silver.

Everything had to be perfect. Perfect for him.

Today was the day.

The day he finally completed his initiation and became a full-fledged Shade. The day he finally joined the Order. The day he would finally earn his father's respect. He had been dreaming about this day ever since Thorian revealed he was the true leader of the Order of the Black Lotus. That was his sixteenth birthday. Now freshly nineteen, Sebastian was ready to take the next step in his journey as a Shade and shadoweaver—a controller of shadows and dark magic.

Despite only beginning his Shade training for three years, he felt like he had been preparing for this moment for his whole life.

This is it. No mistakes.

For a decade, his father had been using the Shades to carry out his wishes in the shadows. His quest for the Eldenarian Artifacts was well underway. The first on his list was the Illumio—currently in the hands of the last living members of House Lumai.

The Shades were preparing to retrieve it. Earlier that week, they received intel on Lumaian magicians living amongst Ordinaires somewhere in Canada. The Redfangs returned with information on what Thorian Tedorof had been seeking for what seemed like ages.

Sebastian had never seen his father that happy. The man rarely smiled. The only emotions he expressed regularly were anger and disgust.

He glanced at the scar creeping down his wrist. A cut from his father's scythe during training. It had just started to heal, even with the help of the castle's healer. Something about the blade of his father's vayrir made it hard for wounds to close.

A knock sounded on his door. Stiffening, he turned around, preparing to see the pale face of his father. His shoulders dropped.

"Oh, it's just you."

"Don't sound so delighted," Amora said with a roll of her dark eyes. Her high-pitched voice grated his ears.

"Where's Father?"

"Preparing."

He nodded.

Today was Amora's first mission too. The pair were twins, albeit fraternal. One could've sworn they were identical, though. They both had long, stretching legs and wiry frames. Silky, black hair cascaded down her back while he kept his shoulder length. Their eyes, so dark they almost looked black, hid a similar pain and anguish behind them.