Descending sun tainted the sky. Its orange gleam embraced the city for one last time, as the night’s shade approached already. Dressed in ebony contour, the evening’s presence gently but surely chased the now fading horizon. Flocks of birds hurried through the infinite sky too. Fast they clapped wings, cut straight through the atmosphere. 

Their black silhouettes appeared in someone's pupil. A golden pair of eyes watched, then rolled to the direction, where the birds fled from.

The eyes stopped. Lit up red, bright and shiny. As did the face they belonged to, revealing a young girl. Her eyes no longer glowed gold, only reflected vicious brightness. The sky above no longer shown, and the horizon barely burned through the greyness, covering it. Everything was devoured by a whirling mass of smoke.

An explosion roared, shook the air with sudden force.

Violent waves followed, lashing through the girl who covered in fear. Two uniformed men rushed to embrace her from above. 

Distant noises hit the girl's ears. Cries and screams of many, fire roaring again, beyond them. She opened her eyes to see, and so witnessed the chaos. Plants, vanished in the blink of an eye, and blackened object fell apart on the ground. Their ashes soiled the endless flames, growing larger and larger atop.

She looked further up, and saw the monstrous fire, crawling, feasting upon the whole building. Wood cracked, glass shattered as the palace got consumed, in the fire’s hunger. Everything dispersed in boiling demise, turned to dancing ashes in the sky.

A woman with panicking look approached.

“Where is she? Where’s the other one? “ She was crying, “Where’s my other daughter!?”

The guards did not answer, their terror was just as deep as the woman's.

“Victoria," she said. The girl had no response. Frozen in her place, she just stared.

“Victoria! Oh Vitoria,” the women hugged the girl tight, tears bursted out of her reddened eyes, “Your sister…where is she? Please tell me you know where she is," the words left her lips, breath transgressed and voice reeking of tragedy.

One of the uniformed men placed hand on her shoulder, “My lady. We couldn’t have time. With all respect to your royal blood, we…”

“No!” she screeched at him. The guard pulled his hand back quickly, “Don’t you say more words," she said and collapsed on the grass, "...please don't..." 

The girl finally spoke, ”Sweet mother. She promised to return. Any time now," said the girl amongst the ashen storm, circulating her intensively.

The class was still. Most were painting the model in front of them, but few were staring at Victoria. The paint was getting solid on the brush she held, as it did on the canvas. 

Her skin was fine and seemingly untouched by life’s destructive effects. Almost illuminating in the light running through its surface. The curly brown hair, falling beyond her shoulders, was a compliment to such quality.

“Victoria dear, are you feeling alright?” An old man with long beard spoke.

Victoria didn’t answer first. Then a sense of consciousness sparked up in her tired eyes. 

"Have I...have I done it again?" shamefully she spoke, now facing the old man.

“I’m afraid so. But it’s okay. Nobody was disturbed, beside your condition being understandable, anyway. Perhaps you could be…excused for now,”

“That's no solution, master Cournet,” Victoria answered, still displaying a slight sense of shame.

"Perhaps. But your therapist advised this to me, that I can recall well. Please do take care of yourself, and get some rest," Master Cournet shown concern, just enough to influence the girl. 

"If you recommend, master," that's all Victoria responded, and she left the class with her bag.

The girl walked out of the marble building. She turned around to take a final look before she leaves. Above her, a large, decorated plate was shining “Holdan Academy of Great Minds”.

It was busy outside. A lot of people made their ways through the square. Shops, dozens of them posed as the square's walls. Their colours were made clearly visible, identifiable from distance. 

A beautiful fountain dazzled at the middle of the area. Its water shards sparkled under the sunlight like day time stars. Victoria felt a sudden sickness by seeing this image. But before she could drown into her head to find out why, the loud neigh of an animal emerged from the street’s murmur. A brown chariot was approaching the building, dressed in marvellous, green decoration. The noble motives compelled all who passed by to look, by their golden framing’s beauty. 

The chariot stopped, precisely, next to the girl. The carter in green raised his hat, greeting Victoria. Then the door opened and a middle-aged man hopped out. 

He finely bowed, keeping his other hand on the door “Greetings, Lady Victoria. Has thee experienced a marvellous day?” the men spoke the words in sweet voice, as he raised his head back up. The night-black hair lucidly shifted to the side of his head, revealing sharp blue eyes. 

“I… I did quite alright today, yes. Thank you for asking, Sirein,"

“That’s lovely, I’m interested to hear more, my lady. But for now, if you may, the cart is ready to set off.”

Victoria nodded and stepped in the chariot, followed by the longhaired man, who took a good look around, before he got inside too. The carter grabbed the reins and the horses started to move.

Inside the chariot, it was much darker. Crimson cushion layer stretched all on top of the seats. No shake could disturb, as it miraculously absorbed all movement. It looked comfortable, even just to fathom.

A newspaper was sitting in the door’s socket, with the fume of fresh print. Victoria grabbed the paper and took a deep sniff ,“hmm…I can never get bored of the smell” then she looked at the front line “The Ghost Strikes Again. For the sake of a change, huh?”

“Oh yes, that’s a passionate reader. And the third case this week, by the way,” Sirein responded while he was unpacking a delicate box.

“That’s impressive. Not sure if the police are bad or the Ghost is a genius.”

“Biscuits?” Sirein asked with excitement, ignoring her point.

“Uhm…I’m not hungry, thank you. What do you think of this menace then?“

“But desserts are not to ease hunger. I made it myself,” he dodged the discussion again. It became clear to Victoria that Sirein won’t change his thoughts when it comes to dessert, for the dramatic sweet tooth he is. “The jelly buttons in the middle. Oh, yes, they were imported from the Lotaringia Isles. Not easy to bake it right, but perhaps that’s what makes this well-done piece, truly precious,” he just kept staring at the biscuit, hesitating to decide over its fate.

“Well, I can try it I guess. May I…” Victoria took the biscuit out of his hand and bit into it.

Sirein smiled “That’s the spirit,” he then took another one out of the box and crunched on it, “It’s a she by the way,” Sirein was barely understandable, as he greedily stuffed that biscuit into his mouth. The gesture perfectly revealed, how badly he enjoyed every bit of the sweet snack.

The lack of focus in the discussion started to irritate Victoria. Yet she decided to tolerate it and enjoy the moment “A she?” Victoria showed a change in her voice. “It was a women, the whole time?”

“Uhum,” Sirein gently swallowed, “Apparently. I don’t get all this surprise about it. It was reported to wear skirts, in almost all sightings,”

“Anyone can wear a skirt. Just think about the guards. He…She’s an assassin after all. Could be an intentional mislead, ”

“Well, that’s a solid point. But assuming her sex is still more realistic, than the fairy tales around this figure,” Sirein giggled and he reached out for another biscuit. “The people started to whisper things. That she is a spirit, who died a violent death long ago. But she came back, possessing the Velan-craft to take form, and murder all who would kill others. See she’s a good-doer, in some perspectives. Like a mythical hero, of some sort.”

Victoria grabbed his hand before he could take another biscuit. “And what do you think? Is she a hero, or a heartless murderer?”

“I think she’s just a person with her own sense of justice. Quiet few of her victims weren’t actually criminals. My guess is, that some people got to the wrong place, in the wrong time,” Sirein rolled his eyeballs at the biscuits than back at Victoria.

She smiled ”You’re such a sugar fairy! There are higher concerns than eating delicacy, don’t you think?”

“Not my concern. Now let me get one more, please,” his light-headed response was the last Victoria could tolerate.

“What if one day the Ghost comes after me, would you be protecting me, or stuff your face while she’s stabbing me to death?” her arms were folded now.

Sirein’s cold blue eyes sparked up, accompanied with a slight smile.

“I’m a royal butler, meaning I’m trained in duelling. An encounter between the Ghost and me would be exquisite. I heard she could fight off men in mere seconds, but those are men of the street. My analysis is that she’s reliant on the element of surprise. You see, if she exposes herself before me, she would have no option, but to fight. And before it, I don’t think she would consider such a sugar fairy like me, a real threat to target,”

“You might under estimate her,” she sounded quizzical. “What if the ghost goes for you first, while you’re not expecting it?”

“I think, she would under estimate a man like me, who resembles nothing of the street’s roughness. As I said, she’s conditioned to stalking and strike, but the situation might not be under her control. I’m conditioned to notice stalking, and allow others to strike first, so I could counter attack. You see, I can create my own suppression, while she would need me to make mistakes. I never make mistakes,” he looked at the perfectly shaped, shiny biscuits.

Victoria only realised how delicately measured, and precisely constructed the patterns were on it. It was like a piece of art from her class, except it was multiplied, in the same perfect copies. Suddenly, the chariot bounced. All the biscuits catapulted into the air, and Victoria lunched forward a little.

Sirein reached out for Victoria’s hand, folded it underneath his palm while pulling the girl towards himself. As Victoria landed on the seat, she watched the man catching all the biscuits mid air and holding the box on his right feet. Sirein landed on the place where Victoria was previously sat.

“You see Victoria, I’m not only ready for surprises. I’m able to align them to my will, in the very immediate.” He raised his hand with the biscuit. It was the one she took out of his hand earlier.

Victoria looked at the biscuit in her hand, and realised it was the one with a bite mark that Sirein had, before the chariot bounced. “He swapped the bloody biscuits. Was he planning this the whole time?” she thought.

“I’m impressed. We’re going to swap biscuits then?” Victoria was admiring her butler’s skills.

“I’m terribly sorry, but you picked my favourite one. It’s made with extra sugar, so don’t worry, it wasn’t meant for you anyway,” he bit into it, enjoying his literally sweet victory.

The chariot stopped. Both of them inside looked at each other, checking if the other one is listening. Words from outside were the only noise now, accompanied with the horses’ nervous snort. The men’s voice was rough and slightly violent. Steps were approaching the door. Sirein’s face expression was still and cold, grasping his blade’s handle.

Someone knocked. “Hello? Sirein, you wolf faced bugger, if you stab me I will make you bloody regret that!”

Victoria looked at Sirein who has already drawn his rapier, ready to impale whoever opens the door. She found it amusing that the stranger outside was so confident, only an inch away from his end. “Who could it be?”

Siren put his blade away, and opened the door. A man, about the same age as Sirein was standing there, holding a bottle of red drink in his hand. “May I?” He said, looking impatiently at Victoria and Sirein. The man quickly hopped in the chariot, right next to Sirein. “Oh biscuits!” he grabbed one.

Sirein’s look shifted at Victoria who seemed somewhat amused.

“Maybe there’s one person who can surprise me, after all. This is my friend, Tobias. He helps me to gather the finest goods in the Explored Lands. I believe he has something for us.”

“That’s right, my lady. I’m the one funds this cat-faced cooker’s kitchen paradise. Here, let me present you, the Bathory Aszu. Finest of the red, sweetest of the finest, as they say.” The bottle held by Tobias was in a magnificent crimson gleam, pulsating in the chariot’s semi-darkness. The paper on it was heavily decorated, with the Bathorian crest sitting at the middle. It read, “May your joy last forever.”

“Magnificent. How much trouble did you go through to get it, friend?” Sirein asked, clearly.

“Well, I did travel for about five days there and back. The money you gave me wasn’t enough, so I had to improvise for the rest,”

“Improvise? I was certain about the shire prices.”

“Nah fella, they have gone up since the puddings stirred the money pot. Now the shire-exclusive products are far pricier.

“It’s due to the Solemburg business politics,” Victoria joined in the conversation. “Me and my father have discussed it back and forth. If you want to know what the puddings change in the country, you’re free to find me and ask. I can make things easier,”

“Well I very much appreciate your help, I will ask a few questions here and there. But for now, I’m in need of the copper so some extra payment wouldn’t be too bad. How about a good stack of fifty and a pint in the Hound later?” Tobias looked at Sirein comically.

Sirein didn’t seem to agree but he took some extra notes out of his pocket and gave it to Tobias “I give you fifty, but next time, just meet me at the agreed location. We don’t want to be late, from the Grand Chancellor,”

“Oh come on buddy, are you not amused that I could catch up with a chariot? I won’t be late next time, tho, or Lord Sitwell will have my head on a pike,” he laughed and than looked at Victoria “My pleasure, Lady Victoria,” he opened the door and left quickly.

“What an interesting gentleman. Wouldn’t think you had friends outside the castle” said Victoria, as the chariot swung into motion again.

“Not. A single. Word. Especially not for the Lord Chancellor,”

Victoria laughed, knowing that she has defeated Siren’s perfectionist arrogance.

“One thing you need to know, as a soon to be politician. Always have your connections. And never to be picky,” he tried to talk sense into the situation.

“Oh don’t sweat it. Besides, I’m quiet alright with him being a connection,” she agreed, hinting that she’s on his side.

“You never disappoint me," Siren responded with relief,  "Now, tell me, how was today’s class?” he held the biscuit box to Victoria with a satisfied face.

The chariot continued to roll on a path, surrounded by long trees. A great castle with vast gardens showed up in the distance.