Mathias looked down upon his mother’s face. Seeing her like that, so calm and serene, in a way that could almost trick him into believing she had always been like that in life, made strange things to him.

How unusual. He never thought there would be a time he would look at his mother and not feel pity, fear, or disgust for her. That he could forget the woman who cried all the time, the woman who screamed bloody murder whenever his brother left a room and she didn’t have to pretend to tolerate him anymore, the woman who clung to him even in his sleep, who would sometimes sneak into his room late at night and not let him go even if he begged her to.

She was dead, he reminded himself once again. Dead, and, now that he was in control of his own decisions again, never coming back to the world of the living. Whatever hell she ended up into, it was better if she stayed there.

With a sigh, he looked at the flask of oil in his hand, and slowly, methodically, spread it over his mother’s body. It was good, he thought sardonically, being a noble and able to afford such luxuries. He did the same to the rest of the mausoleum, before taking the lamp standing on the nearby table and walking to the door. Once there, he carelessly threw it inside, seeing as the oil caught fire and it spread, consuming everything in its path. He didn’t look back as he walked away, closing the doors behind him.

It was just a matter of time for his father to appear. Adela said with the spell she casted over the entire castle he wouldn’t be able to wake up any time soon, but Mathias had his doubts. His father was too strong a mage, more so than a simple necromancer’s apprentice, no matter how powerful her lineage may be. Any moment now, he would wake up, that is, if he even fell asleep in the first place.

Mathias stopped a distance away from the mausoleum, watching the lights flickering on the floor as the fire consumed the construction. He stood there, touching his forehead and thinking again that he felt nothing different. He was supposedly free now, but everything was the same. The same dark air hanging around him, the numbing coldness in his fingers, the same pressure in his chest.

Then again; he thought, self-deprecating; it’s not like I’m actually free. I just changed a master for another.

He put down his hand and looked through the windows, searching for Adela.

His father arrived before he could find her. He looked furious.

Mathias swallowed in nervousness and fear, but he stilled himself, maintaining eye contact with his father as he halted a few meters in front of him. He stared his son down, reminding him of all the painful moments when he did the same in the past, making him revive the terror that consumed him whenever his father would get truly angry, whether it was Mathias’ fault or not. He was always the one to pay.

This time, his father had a real reason for his fury, but Mathias pretended to be strong, like so many other times, and faced him on, waiting for his father to talk first.

The words came after what felt like a very long time. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Isn’t it obvious, father? I’m burning down mother along with the rest of the mausoleum” he answered, smiling, hiding the trembling of his heart behind petulant, self-assured words like he always did.

“Don’t think this won’t have consequences” was all his father said in return, raising his hand and focusing his gaze on the burning building. He murmured some words, but, unlike what he expected, nothing happened.

He looked at his son with astonishment. Mathias chuckled. “You’re looking for the wrong person, father. After all, I’m not strong enough to counter your spells. And even if I were, you know I suck at offensive magic. But I’m flattered you think so highly of me.”

Daniel frowned, examining his son with more detail. “You broke the seal” he stated once his eyes returned to Mathias’ face.

Mathias shook his head. “Like I said, you give me too much credit, father.”

“You wouldn’t be speaking like this if the seal wasn’t broken.”

“But he can do so if it’s transferred to someone else” another voice interrupted, sounding above their heads. Both father and son looked up, finding the figure of Adela sitting on the rail of one of the balconies. She had her legs crossed, and she was playing with her staff, as if bored. “Seals and contracts are not you forte, are they viscount?” she asked, mockingly.

This time, the viscount reacted.

“You let a necromancer tinker with the seal?!” he walked over to Mathias, his steps heavy as if announcing death and destruction, while this one remained in place, clenching his fists to keep himself from bolting. “You would rather belong to a filthy necromancer than your own father?!”

Before he could reach the boy, Adela appeared in front of him, brandishing her staff and threatening the viscount with it. “This necromancer thinks a father giving his own son the seal of servitude it’s filthier than working with the dead. Especially when said father abuses its power constantly. Besides” she smiled, tilting her head and giving him an angelic smile; “Mathias himself came begging me to take him as my toy. Me, a necromancer. What do you think about it?”

“You were the one who came to me though…”

“Details. You still cried with joy when I transferred the seal’s authority over to me.”

Suddenly, Adela’s staff clashed with the viscount’s wand, taken out from his coat in the split of a second. She smiled cockily at the man in front of her, even though her arms were trembling. This was not a show of physical strength, but of magic, and she was rueful to find she could barely hold him back.

“Oh my, taking out the big guns already?” despite that, she couldn’t resist goading him. The viscount hissed.

“Your master won’t take too kindly to this.”

“The good thing of living with my master is that I know the exact amount of Lateia Water to pour in his drink to get him to sleep like a baby. Always comes in handy when I want to go out for a while without his permission. Haven’t noticed anything yet even after all these years, my poor master.”

The viscount narrowed his eyes, and in the split of a second, Adela used her other hand to send Mathias flying.

“Run! I will distract him! Make sure to do what I told you to!”

Mathias, who managed to land on his feet on the other side of the courtyard, growled internally. This was supposed to be his fight, however the pull of Adela’s orders was irresistible, just like his father’s had once been, and he had no other option but nod while turning away.

Behind him, he could already hear the sounds of battle.

A.P.R.L.

You see when in manga, the characters keep talking and talking instead of fighting? Well, this is the written version! But don't worry, the actual fight will take place in the next chapter. Wish me luck though, because I'm not that good with them, but I'll try my best. Now, to talk about the chapter itself, I don't want a single comment complaining about Mathias' "seal" being too predictable or a plot device to, I don't know, show he isn't responsible for his actions or begin a redemption arc (that Mathias won't have, I'm telling you all right now). I left plenty of clues and foreshadowing in previous chapters for this not to come as a surprise. Besides, it's what I planned from the very beginning, and though I indeed thought of changing it once because I was afraid it wouldn't settle well with the readers, in the end I decided to keep it, because I don't have to change it if I think it works just so the readers won't get angry. Think about this though, Mathias it's now Adela's "dog" and she's not the kind of person who won't take advantage of that (if only just to annoy the heck out of Mathias).