Chapter 1: Prologue

The Same, But Different

The breeze that swept through the streets at this time of night always seemed colder than usual, somehow. Without the glow of their lantern, there would be nothing much to see other than the shadows cast by the buildings that stretched alongside them. Despite the cold, barren place they were walking through, this walk made Wysteria feel warm. 

"You better keep moving," the man behind her grunted. "No funny business this time, or I'll cut off one of your toes."

Her escort, Till, nudged her with the end of the stick that the lantern hung on. Wysteria ignored it and stayed in place, planted on the cobblestones, head tilted up towards the sky. 

Between the tall buildings, the clear sky was like a blanket over her face. She got lost in the way the stars twinkled as she looked at them, stripping her surroundings from her view, getting lost in the cloudless sky above. Every time she looked at the sky, it felt different. Some days, her heart would ache at her desire to know what lies beyond the emptiness she could see. Other times, she quietly wished that it would just come crashing down, to eliminate all the pain and suffering she knew that there was. 

Till huffed, every word emphasised with a growl. "I said, let's go. You cause enough trouble as it is, the Master won't be happy if you're late."

Wysteria laughed, solemnly. "I doubt he'd be happy if I was on time," she said, her hair shifting in the wind. "Let me stay out just a while longer, I heard there would be a meteor shower tonight. Why not let me see it?"

This time, it was Till's turn to laugh. Only, it was a cruel, dry laughter. "You sound like a spoiled brat. What right do you have to request that? Let's not forget who you really are, Wysteria. You're nothing but a washed up Lord-"

The rest of his words didn't leave his lips, before Wysteria yanked the lantern stick closer and snapped her forehead into Till's. Though, since he was a head taller than her, she only managed to reach his nose. But with the force of her attack, Till's nose cracked under the pressure and blood began to trickle from his nostrils.

Bent in an awkward position, Till stumbled back, clutching his face. Tears started to well in his blood-shot eyes, before his dark pupils regained focus and shot towards the 'lady' he had been charged with guarding. Though Till was dedicated to his job and proud of his role as the Master's sentry, he cursed at his luck for getting such an assignment. She was, without a doubt, the furthest thing from a lady Till had ever met. He didn't understand why the Master even bothered to indulge in the whims of such an arrogant creature, to let her wander at night and do as she pleased. In Till's eyes, she was nothing more than a waste of resources that should be executed.

Till didn't know enough to be sure, but there had been rumours of Wysteria's connection with the Master whispered all over the Estate. Even more so now that the Master had taken her in, if being taken in meant being locked in an empty Crystal Spire. To Till, it was obvious that it was meant to be her prison.

The Spire used to be filled with treasures and gold; a warehouse for the kingdom's spoils of war and adventure. When Wysteria arrived with the Master, the Spire's vaulted peak, which once stored the Master's most prized possessions, was emptied to accommodate the annoying brat. It had been a pain to move, especially for Till, who's quiet nights had now been replaced with baby-sitting duty.

With deeply furrowed eyebrows and a tight scowl, Till tried to speak without hurting himself too much. "You dirty rat. You'll regret that! Wait until the Master hears about this." 

But his words fell on deaf ears, or rather, no ears at all, as Wysteria turned around and pushed off into a full sprint down the street. She was out of sight before Till had a chance to chase after her, turning down winding alleyways and around heaps of trash until she felt safe enough to slow down. 

Skidding around the junk heap outside of a blacksmith's, Wysteria's leg scraped against a few pieces of sharp metal that were dangerously jutting out from a scrapped product. The pain caught up with her as she squatted behind it, listening out of Till while she checked out the immense pain that erupted from her leg. 

"I don't have time for this..." Wysteria said, wincing as she ripped off part of her skirt. Frantically, she wrapped up the bleeding gash and tied it off, wobbling back onto her feet. 

From where she was, she could hear Till scream in frustration. "Wherever the hell you are, you better stop playing and come out!" He then continued to string as many curse words as he could at her, some that even she thought were quite creative. 

Despite how much Wysteria wanted to retort, she kept quiet and crept further backwards, further into the poorly lit alley. From memory, she knew that most dead ends had a ladder that would bring her up to the top of the building, and, after feeling around in the dark for a moment, that's exactly what she found. 

Now, reassured with how far Till sounded, she crawled up the ladder as quickly as she could. Every time her leg hit the bar, Wysteria bit her lip, but she didn't stop until she reached the roof. The taste of metal soaked her tongue as she climbed, feeling the metal creak under her weight.

The wind whipped furiously up here, not blocked or channelled by the concrete buildings below. Wysteria took a deep breath in as she walked towards the edge to sit, her legs swinging into the vast space. As she laid down, her back nipped by the chill of the cold ground, Wysteria released her breath with a long sigh. 

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"How did we get here?" She wondered out loud, her question unwillingly carried away by the breeze.

"I believe you knocked your guard in the head and climbed up here." A voice behind her said, coldly.

Wysteria didn't move, recognising who it was instantly. "Just let me stay here, Shen. I'm not running away. I just wanted to lie under the stars. It's been forever since I've felt the wind like this against my skin."

"No. It's cold. Get up." Shen almost took a step closer, but stopped himself. Instead, he straightened his silver robes and narrowed his eyes when Wysteria laughed.

"Cold?" She giggled. "Nothing is colder than being inside that Spire. This is barely a summer's breeze." 

"Wysteria, you will get up now. We're going back." 

"And, if I say no?" Wysteria asked, a cheeky smile on her face. The kind that Shen so desperately wanted to hate. The kind that riled up the hatred in his heart so much. It was the kind that tipped Shen over the edge, forcing him to burst out. 

"You will come now." Shen said, biting his words sharply. 

As he spoke, wisps of silver and emerald energy flowed from his fingers, curling around his wrists. They stretched out from him and wrapped around Wysteria's body, pulling her up from the ground. It turned her to face him, her feet dangling a short distance above the stones. 

Wysteria stared at Shen, her purple eyes glowing from the light of his energy, reflecting the colour of dark clouds on a stormy day. His gaze, disconnected and tired, stared back. Then, Wysteria's gaze softened. 

"Shen, we both know how this will end. There is no choice here. Please, just let me go." Wysteria whispered, her voice cracking towards the end of her plea, but her smile was still there.

The man's pupils darkened. "There is a choice. You will just pick the wrong one, like you did before. But I will not." 

Shen walked towards Wysteria and stopped in front of her, his nose almost touching hers. He curled his fingers around her chin, his eyes searching hers for some kind of answer, any kind of answer. But, as always, they hid her secrets behind an impenetrable veil. 

Wysteria sighed. "This is quite a familiar situation, isn't it? Except, back then, I remember being in your shoes, and you mine." As she spoke, she leaned her head forward and let her forehead touch his. The motion made Shen's eyes widen, but he didn't move. "What choice will you make, then?" 

The breathlessness of her voice made Shen's skin crawl. Or perhaps, it was what she was asking that unsettled him. But, in that moment, his instincts snapped him out of it and Shen took a step back. 

"You forfeited that concern a long time ago." Shen said, his jaw clenched. "All you have to know is that you're coming with me. Right now. Let's go." 

He waved his hand around the both of them, easily conjuring a teleportation rune that whisked them from their place on the roof, to within the barren walls of the Crystal Spire. As they disappeared from under the clear night's sky, Wysteria closed her eyes and let a tear roll down her cheek.

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