Chapter 54: I will take full responsibility for what happened!
Daemon aged seven, entered with a cheerful air, his black hair disheveled, his eyes shining with excitement. He always had that excess of energy, which automatically made him tiring... "Kristian! The patriarch is calling us! The elemental water house has come to visit us!" he exclaimed, almost jumping on the spot.
At that time, Lancelot, Daemon’s father, was not yet dead. He was the patriarch, a tall and imposing man but with a gentle gaze.
I placed my wooden sword on the rack and wiped the sweat from my forehead. "Lord Drigan’s children, right?"
Daemon nodded enthusiastically. "Victoria and Ermin! It has been a long time since we last saw them!"
Katelyn put away her rapier and gave me a sideways glance. "Shall we go?"
I shrugged. "I suppose."
The living room was a large space heated by a monumental fireplace where oak logs crackled. The walls were covered with tapestries depicting the battles of the Sword Clan.
All the Clan leaders were present, lined up in two rows behind Patriarch Lancelot. And facing them, Lord Drigan of the elemental water house sat enthroned in an armchair, his long cyan blue hair flowing over his shoulders.
As soon as we entered, Lord Drigan turned his gaze toward me. His black eyes were deep, but his smile was warm. "Kristian, you have really grown well," he said in a gentle voice.
I bowed slightly. "Lord Drigan."
Behind me, Katelyn also greeted, her gesture elegant and measured. Daemon, for his part, gave a big smile and bowed with an exaggeration that made some of the soldiers present smile.
In the corner of the room, there were two children. Victoria, a reserved little girl with cyan blue hair and black eyes, very frail in her winter dress. And Ermin, her big brother.
Well, supposedly her big brother. Rumors said that Lord Drigan had adopted him because he thought his wife could not have children. But a year after the adoption, his wife gave birth to Victoria. Ermin and Victoria therefore had no blood relation. It had never really been a problem, at least on the surface. But sometimes a strange tension could be felt between them, a discomfort that the adults pretended to ignore.
It was not the first time they had come to the domain. Daemon, with his cheerful nature, was very close to them. I was not particularly part of their group. I preferred to listen to my father and train. Children’s games bored me, and the endless discussions about clans and alliances gave me headaches.
Patriarch Lloyd Lancelot suggested that we stay among the children while the adults discussed serious matters. Daemon immediately accepted with enthusiasm. Ermin nodded with a smile. Victoria remained silent, her eyes fixed on Daemon.
I politely declined. "I prefer to go back to training." Without waiting for a reply, I left the living room.
Katelyn caught up with me in the corridor. "You are really antisocial, Kristian."
I shrugged. "I do not like social formalities."
I returned to the training room and performed movements for an hour, maybe two. Time passed, the light changed, and fatigue began to numb my shoulders. I put away my swords and headed to my room to rest.
It was at that moment that Katelyn called me.
She was running in the corridor, her face pale, her voice breathless. "Kristian! Daemon is in serious trouble!"
My heart skipped a beat. I did not ask questions and ran.
The snow crunched under my boots as I crossed the courtyard at full speed. The cold wind lashed my face, but I did not even feel it. I was running toward the Frozen Lake, toward that place where children were not supposed to go alone. Katelyn followed me, but she was slower than me.
"What has he done this time!" I shouted.
When I arrived on the scene, it was a nightmare.
The lake was frozen, covered with a thin layer of fresh snow. But in the middle, there was a gaping hole in the ice, broken slabs floating on the surface of the water. And on the shore, Daemon was kneeling, his eyes wide, his face livid.
Next to him, Victoria was crouching, her hands clutching her coat, but she was not crying. She was looking at Daemon...
Ermin had disappeared under the ice.
I stopped, panting, and stared at the black hole. The water was calm now...
"Oh no..."
Later, I learned the truth. Ermin loved Victoria, but she did not even look at him. After all, he was an orphan adopted by her father. What connection did he have with her?
So Ermin had asked his closest friend, Daemon, to help him organize a staging. The idea was simple: make believe that Victoria was in danger, and Ermin would save her to become her hero.
An immature and very dangerous act. They did not know how treacherous the ice could be. They did not know that the lake, frozen on the surface, hid deadly currents in the depths.
They had decided to play at the Frozen Lake. Daemon was supposed to make Victoria fall into the water, just a little, just enough for her feet to get wet. Ermin would arrive, pull her out of danger, and that was it, the hero saving the princess...
But when Victoria’s feet sank into the broken ice, Ermin, reaching out to save her, broke the ice under his own weight. He fell into the icy water, his clothes weighed down by the water, and he drowned quickly.
The most tragic thing about all this was that even in death, Victoria was not looking at Ermin.
She was hugging Daemon, trembling, and her eyes did not leave the face of the one she had truly been looking at all this time... She had come here to play with Daemon, not with her adoptive brother. Ermin was nothing to her. He had never been anything.
On the shore, Daemon let out a nervous laugh. "Ahaha... Well, I am sure he will come out, right? Haha... It is impossible. He is from the elemental water family. It is like a fish drowning. It is impossible..." His voice broke on the last word, and his eyes became misty.
It was the first time Daemon made an ironic remark to hide his fear. In the years to come, he would continue. That armor of sarcasm was born that day, on that icy shore, in front of the body of a boy who had caused the death of his friend.
I approached Daemon. He was trembling. His hands were red from the cold, his face was as pale as the snow. I helped him up, supporting him by the shoulder.
"Do not worry, Daemon," I said in a firm voice. "I will take full responsibility for what happened."