◤◢◣◥◤ ◢◣◆◢◣◥◤◢◣◥

Let’s continue with Aurélia Demahy De Chevenelles, Irwin’s eldest sibling. 

Back in Paris, their hometown, she was still waiting for news from Ricardo. She was hoping that he had managed to convince her little brother to come back home. She was blankly looking at her cellphone, waiting for it to ring. She hadn’t noticed that her room maiden had entered to clean up the table where she had just finished eating her lunch. She didn’t even hear her announcing the arrival of a visitor.

What you need to know about Aurélia is that she had stopped being herself ever since the murder of her beloved brother. The fact that her other remaining brother, Irwin, left the family home didn’t arrange anything. She was constantly sad and short-tempered. 

She took a stroll inside the corridors of her enormous home. Looking at paintings and family portraits hung on the walls. She came across one of her mothers, Marie-Alice De Lacroix. She had died when Aurélia was just becoming a teenager, years ago. Looking at her mother’s portrait brought back happy memories but also sad ones. Her mother died due to a degenerative bone disease specific to the Magi population. Nothing could have been done to prevent it, even the most powerful healers and world-renowned doctors couldn’t have saved her.

Then, Aurélia passed in front of the bedroom of her deceased brother. The door had been magically sealed by its occupant for years and nobody was ever able to open it. Their father tried to force it but with no result. She tried numerous times herself with different spells, but, she never succeeded. Only her late brother had the key to that seal on his bedroom door. She remembered when he had announced his magical prowess and dared their father to try and break the seal. She remembered how frustrated their father was not being able to figure out what kind of magic his son had used.

Then she continued her way down to the library, where she spent most of her time when she was not at work. There she found a person she didn’t want to see, one of her uncles, the one responsible for the death of her brother.

“What are you doing here uncle” she started with a hostile tone. “You can’t enter the house unannounced!”

“Hello, Aurélia.” He said, ignoring her tone. “This house was mine before it was yours and I’m sure I told your maid that I was here. Didn’t she tell you?”

Aurélia sighed and took a sit. “What can I do for you then?” 

“I came to see my son. But I was told by your staff that he wasn’t here and he won’t answer my calls.” He got up and looked through the huge window next to where they were sitting. “Where he went, I wonder. Or rather, where have you sent him?”

“I thought he was the clairvoyant,” she said with sarcasm - it runs in the family “not you, Uncle Nathaniel.”

“Don’t sass me, child!” This time, he didn’t let her impudence pass. “Where is Ricardo? I need him home right now.”

“He went on a trip. It's summer after all. I didn’t see any problem with it.”

“Do you know where?” He asked with a less authoritarian tone.

“Uncle, I’m not his mother, I’m his cousin. He does whatever he wants. Why have you brought him here in the first place?”

“Because I was worried about you Aurélia. With your father occupied at the International Committee and your two remaining siblings gone, I thought a little company would do you good.” He seemed genuinely preoccupied with her apparent sadness. “Since Ricardo was doing nothing, I thought it would also occupy him a little. Two hits, one stone.”

“Why would you worry about me, dear uncle?”

“You were rather upset the last time we met.”

“You mean when you and the other elders wanted to ship me off to South Africa and replace father so I wouldn’t try anything to bring my brother back from the dead?”

“I won’t speak about him!” Nathaniel furiously turned away, not wanting to look his niece in the eyes.

“Oh, I’m sorry uncle.” She was losing her temper again. “It’s okay to have murdered him but it's forbidden to speak about it!”

“Enough child!! That's enough. I’m your uncle and you will respect me!” He quickly recomposed himself after realizing he went a bit too far. “You know what your brother did, what he almost did to our family. The repercussions on the entire magical community, you know it needed to be done.”

“And what about what you’ve done to him, uncle? How else should he have reacted after you and father killed Leslie?!”

“I won’t continue this conversation,” Said Nathaniel with a sad expression on his face. “We are done talking as I see you still haven’t forgiven me. You call Ricardo and tell him to come back home immediately. And remember, you are forbidden to speak about this matter to him or anyone else besides your father and me.”

Nathaniel left the manor as quickly as he could. Aurélia was left even more furious. She hated her uncle so intensely at that moment that she involuntarily made the entire library shake due to the destabilization of her power caused by her unstable emotions. The vibrations spread throughout the entire manor and alerted the staff. It took quite a moment for her to calm down. It was obvious to the maids that came rushing in that their mistress was still very much affected by the loss of her favorite brother, even though five years had passed since the incident. Her room maiden, Daisy, suggested to go upstairs and rest. But Aurélia wouldn’t hear any of it. She needed to distract herself by doing something productive. So, she decided to go to her office downtown. 

Aurélia was the director of the accounting division of a reputable bank that was owned by her family. Usually, she wouldn’t be working on a Saturday but she needed a change of scenery. As she was putting her stuff together, her phone rang. It was Ricardo, as she was expecting. She didn’t need to say much when she answered, her cousin was the bearer of good news. She just had to wait for him and Irwin to come back home.

Two weeks passed. Irwin was on his way back to his family’s domain for the first time in five years. He missed Paris a lot during his self-imposed exile. Seeing the city he grew up in brought back a lot of memories, some very good. But mostly, he was very nervous to face his family. They will have questions and details of his whereabouts. He didn’t care what they would say or do to him but, he was nervous about what he would learn about the death of his brother and he was hoping his intentions behind his return would stay secret. For a minute, the fear of being discovered overwhelmed him and almost turned him around. But, he was eager to see Aurélia again and see his goal through. 

The taxi dropped Irwin just in from the great gates that marked the main entrance of the immense Demahy De Chevenelles’ domain. It was one of the largest private properties in the entire French country, situated just outside Paris. It was protected by a high, thick wall that kept any and every intruder out. Inside was built four immensely huge manors spread throughout the domain, one private cemetery which included mausoleums, catacombs, and a secret family museum. The domain also had two vast parks and gardens spewed with animal life and a sizeable lac filled with few types of fish.

Irwin had forgotten how beautiful his home was. Seeing those big black gates separating him from his home made him feel nostalgic. He looked for the security guard who would usually stand guard but he wasn’t there. This was just as well because it gave Irwin time to rethink the strategy that would have had him explain why he had brought Mark with him before he even got inside the property. Indeed, Irwin had brought his friend Mark Roosevelt with him.

 End of part 1