Lucanis Dellamorte

You stand in the dimly lit study, the iron tang of blood mingling with the earthy scent of rain. Your breath comes heavy and ragged, each inhalation a reminder of the struggle just past. The mage's body lies sprawled before you, testament to a battle fought and won, but not cleanly. Caterina would be displeased with the mess, but Caterina is not here. Instead, it is someone else, someone unexpected.

Lightning flashes, casting the room in a stark, white light for the briefest moment, and you see him—Lucanis Dellamorte. The thunder follows, a deafening roar that shakes the windows and seems to reverberate through your very bones. When the darkness returns, you can still see his silhouette, standing tall and imposing by the window. Lucanis. Once a friend, a fellow Crow, and Caterina's rare little pupil. He should not be here. He should be dead. Yet here he stands, eyes drifting from the corpse at your feet to you. You feel a pang in your heart, a flicker of emotion you quickly bury deep.