Under the light of the moon, the siblings were learning something entirely different.
The stone walls of the secret training hall pulsed faintly with ancient sigils, etched deep into the floor and ceiling in shimmering lines of silver and black. The air smelled of old magic—heavy, metallic, electric—beneath the flickering glow of cold witchlight.
In the center stood Lilith Silford, her straight crimson hair braided back tightly, her bare feet steady on the runes. Her emerald green eyes burned with rare intensity as she focused on the swirling darkness coalescing between her hands.
Opposite her, serene as ever, Count Caelum Thorne moved with deliberate slowness, his long midnight-blue hair brushing his biceps as he raised one gloved hand. The silver pendant of twin moons gleamed at his throat.
"Again," he said softly, his voice barely a breath. "But this time, do not fear it."
Lilith exhaled through her nose, her hands trembling as the darkness, tainted with slight crimson, thickened—smoke, shadow, and unformed chaos curling at her fingertips. The power felt alive: a deep, gnawing hunger, a whisper in the blood.
"It's loud," she murmured, her voice tight. "It… it pulls. It doesn't stop."
"It never will," Caelum replied, stepping closer. "That is Chaos. The raw breath of creation and destruction, bound in your veins. You were not born to shape water or flame, my lady. You were chosed to be something older."
She hesitated, biting her lip.
Caelum's teal eyes softened faintly. "The four elements—they are your mask. They will keep you hidden when the time comes to leave this manor. But they are not your truth. You must understand, my lady. You were chosen by Mother Chaos. When the four gods find out about you, you will be in danger. For that, you need to learn how to control your true power."
She gave a nod, closed her eyes, and grounded herself as he had taught her.
With a whispered invocation—the words unspoken by human tongues—the power surged through her.
Her emerald eyes flashed—then bled into burning crimson. Her crimson hair paled, strand by strand, until it shone snow white, as if the moon itself had poured silver fire across her skin.
The dark energy between her hands twisted, writhing into the shape of an open maw—something monstrous, unfinished—and with a breath, she let it dissolve harmlessly into dust.
Her knees buckled. Caelum caught her before she hit the ground.
"Well done, my lady," he murmured softly, steadying her. "Much better."
Lilith's breath came shallow, but her green eyes slowly returned as she blinked up at him.
"It… it didn't swallow me," she whispered.
"No," he agreed. "Because you are its master. Not the other way around."
She leaned into him briefly, exhaustion written across her face. "When I leave the manor… will they know?"
"They would, if they were to pay attention. However, they are way too arrogant for that." Caelum scoffed lightly and shook his head. "No. They won't notice it until it is too late. And you, my lady, by using the four elements can mask and further delay that date to some degree. After all, do not forget that the four elements came to be from Chaos, for they are also Her children," he said quietly. "The elements will shield you until you are ready."
Her white hair faded slowly back to crimson as the last wisps of magic faded. She let out a shaky breath and nodded before getting back up and returning back to her magic.
On the other side of the secret training hall stood Elias. Arin was standing in front of him, guiding the young boy like how Caelum was guiding Lilith.
"Focus again," came Arin's calm voice behind him, echoing faintly off the stone. The Shade leaned against a dark pillar, arms folded. His hood was pulled low, but his amber eyes shone beneath it like embers. "You let the darkness react to your fear. You're giving it shape, but not purpose."
Elias's brow furrowed. He was sweating, despite the chill. Before him hovered a black tendril, twisting like smoke caught in a jar. With a breath, he pushed it forward, trying to shape it into a blade. It hissed, then evaporated.
"Again," Arin said simply.
"I am trying," Elias muttered, frustrated.
"I know," Arin said. "But darkness doesn't respond to frustration—it feeds on it."
Elias shook out his hands and exhaled slowly. "Then what does it respond to?"
"Understanding," Arin said, stepping closer. "To shape it, you must embrace what it is. Darkness isn't evil, Elias—it's concealment, protection, control. It allows you to move where others can't. To see what others won't."
The boy closed his eyes and concentrated. This time, he didn't push the darkness away or mold it forcefully. He let it settle—cool, familiar. It wrapped around his hands like a second skin, quiet and alert. A curved dagger of shadow shimmered into shape.
He opened his eyes, staring at it. "...That's it?"
"Not bad," Arin said, nodding approvingly. "Now balance it."
Elias turned, raising his other hand. A faint glow began to shimmer at his palm—gentle, golden, wavering like candlelight.
"Light is not just warmth," Arin continued. "It's clarity. Truth. It reveals what you'd rather not see. Some people fear it more than the dark."
Elias felt the strain between the two forces—the silent cold of his left hand, the tender heat in his right. A headache crept into his skull, but he kept them stable. The dagger of darkness trembled; the light dimmed slightly.
Behind him, a loud thrum pulsed through the chamber. Lilith released a wave of chaos, and the stone underfoot groaned. Elias didn't turn, but he felt it—that surge of something wild and divine.
"You feel that?" Arin asked softly.
Elias nodded. "Lilith…"
"She's the storm," Arin said. "But you're her shadow. You don't need to shine as bright. You just need to endure. Stay with her."
Elias looked at the magic in his hands—one destructive, one illuminating—and slowly let them fade. "I won't fall behind."
"I know," Arin said. "You're already further ahead than most adults who dabble in both. But remember this—Light and Dark aren't enemies. They're twins. Balance them, and you'll never be at war with yourself."
Elias smiled faintly. "Twins, huh? I think Lilith would disagree."
"Let her," Arin said, grinning beneath the hood. "Just keep proving her wrong."
In the distance, Lilith's Chaos magic flared again—briefly illuminating Elias in shadow and gold.
And for a moment, he stood between the two as if born to it.