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Four hours had passed. I went outside to sit on the front steps and watch the world pass by, each person trying his best to escape the heat of the afternoon that I hardly noticed.

Ah, the joys of being a Son of Fire...

He finally, after some time, decided to stumble awkwardly out into the dim noon light and sit beside me.

"I...I did it..." He broke out into a wide grin. "I really did it, Aiden!"

"Yeah, I guess you did. Told you that you had it in you."

I ruffled his hair and smiled warmly, though the day's events still plagued my mind with troubled visions. If he could summon that much power...could he be...?

"Aiden!"

I snapped back to reality to find Walt screaming at me to pay attention and control myself. Apparently, I had momentarily lost control of my aura, letting it flare and scorch the steps underneath me. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't realize..."

"I'm fine!" Walt chuckled. "But I don't think the Elders will be too happy that you've ruined their stairs."

I got up and helped Walt up with me, chuckling a little myself. "I think they've got enough problems to deal with, don't you think?"

"Yeah... Well, it's getting close to lunchtime, and father will be a little more than furious if I skip lunch to be here hanging out with you. Um...you know how he gets..."

"I know, I know." I groaned. "He's becoming more of a nuisance than a father for you anyway. Come meet me after lunch, then?"

He grinned. "Definitely! I'll meet you here, I promise!"

"Alright. See you later, Walt."

I watched him until he had disappeared behind the South District gate, then I started off for home. I tried to forget the events I had seen today, that black, shadowy horse that appeared on the fringes of my vision when Walt let loose all his power, but I couldn't. Something about him...his power...it just didn't add up. His power should have been diluted due to his multiple siblings.

He's done something...Something he did that night he got the Spark...Perhaps...?

I put it out of my mind for the time being and started back home. I hadn't gone three steps before I bumped head-on into a Red Rose Premier, one of the more influential higher-ups in the party, who, upon seeing my White Rose pin, immediately started apologizing profusely and bowing. I waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Happens all the time."

"I b-beg your p-p-pardon, sir! I'm awfully clumsy, and-"

I laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "It's alright. Really."

He had kept his head down the whole time as a sign of respect, but after my gesture of goodwill, he turned his chin up to face me. Immediately, I noticed something wrong. His eyes, as they stared into mine, floated over a river of emotions. Fear, sorrow, disappointment, then suddenly realization, joy, awe, and fear again. After working with politicians your entire life...you either have to learn to read people, or drown in guesses. Thankfully, I'd learned early on.

He knew me. Personally.

His outburst had begun to well from deep within, but I caught it before he could shout for joy, help, whatever. I simply shook my head and bade him keep silent, and he nodded accordingly. He stood upright, tipped his hat, and walked off, beckoning secretly for me to follow him. I did so, keeping to the shadows as he did, navigating the winding, dark, maze-like back alleys of the Central District with ease. Finally, we reached a large stone door inlaid with fiery rubies and gold. The Premier spoke a phrase in the old tongue, something I barely understood, then the door swung wide, revealing a dimly-lit hall, framed by the sparkling lights of torches.

"After you, sir," he said, bowing.

I entered the hall and jumped a bit as the door slammed behind me.

Jeez, you'd think I'd be used to that by now. They really need to get that looked at...

Those standing in the hall eyed me cautiously, then, upon realizing who I was, stood and bowed as I walked by them. I waved them off one by one, chuckling to myself. "Seriously, guys, you don't have to do that every time I walk by you. You'll break your damn backs, then where will I be?"

Apologies all around. I shrugged them off and walked onward toward the main chamber. The low-set roof suddenly angled sharply upward, forming a great peak with a dozen suspended candles hanging from its rafters. A deep orange glow bathed the entire room in a warm light, softening all the shadows to the feathery Fade-projections they truly were. Around the edges of the room were benches upholstered with red and gold cushions, each sporting a bit of wear and tear around the edges. Soft, plush carpet hugged the walls and floor, and a few pools of standing water with soft blue lights from below framed the center island. On it, a single stone pillar loomed, and from its grooves hung quilted, ruby-colored tapestries with the Red Rose emblem embroidered in the center, garnished with gold. Various party members bustled about the room, oblivious to my entrance.

I didn't need a welcoming party. I had business to attend to, after all. So I set off for the meeting hall. Upon entry, I found a few members preparing reports of crumbling pages and scholars pulling faded scrolls or newer books from the shelves. Already, it was turning out to be my kind of meeting. Usually, I tried to be conveniently "otherwise occupied" with something else (usually concerning Walt, go figure) when the Party asked me to head a meeting. This time, however, the Party really needed me present to decide what course of action should be taken against White Rose aggressions in the North District.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," I began, "I believe it's time to start. What issues are at hand?"

One woman stood. "Sir, riots have been breaking out all over the city that the White Rose can't control. Splinter groups have been committing acts in the name of the Red Rose, besmirching our name and provoking White Rose aggression. They've already diminished our party's control of the Parliament and the Bastille. Things are looking grim, I'd say."

I merely grinned. "Grim, you say? I don't think you really know who I am, do you?"

"No sir," she stammered, "I-I'm new here..."

Light laughter blanked the air for a moment. I began, "Ma'am, I'd like to tell you who I am, if it would clarify things for you. My name is Aiden Weiss. I'm the leader of the Red Rose Party by birth, as the rite had been passed on to me by my father, who died shortly after the Great Unification. My mother joined him in the heavens merely three weeks later out of pure grief. I had been completely orphaned by Death's hand, and I was scared. These people you see before you," I gestured, "took me in as their own and raised me. I couldn't have asked for a better family than these people. Using party funds, they've payed for my house and maintained my order and status as leader of both the Red Rose Party and the House of Fire, of which there is only one remaining member."

She blinked. "O-oh...I'm guessing that'd be you?"

I chuckled and exhaled a little column of smoke and flames for her. "It would indeed! Been a prominent wielder of the art of Fire since age two, my dear. Now then, is there anything else going on that I need to know about?"

Tom Higgens stood. "Sir, we need to address the growing threat of elimination by White Rose legislation. They've been pushing a few laws to have the bipartisan system outlawed. If they succeed in this...we're through."

I simply nodded. The thought of total annihilation at the hands of the very people I worked for had crossed my mind numerous times over the past few years, but every time it came to the forefront, something else grabbed my attention. I never lingered on what would happen if the bipartisan system our forefathers had worked so hard to establish just suddenly...vanished, I guess. I never wanted to linger on it.

"Do we have any lobbyists in our favor? Any allies at all? Mercenaries, assassins, fighters guild, high mages...anyone?"

Tom nodded. "Of course, sir! Thousands of allies are at our beck and call. We have treaties older than the old regime running through the House of Fire's loyal alliances. If necessary, we could wage all-out war on the White Rose."

"No! Just...I'm sorry. No." A soft sigh and a slump in the chair signaled to the others that I was done talking about this. "No need to go to war. We're trying to hold this country together, not rip it apart at the seams again."

Whispers and nods. They knew something else was on my mind. War would stir that thing... That evil thing would rise up, I just know it...

I shook my head gently to clear my thoughts, but wound up coughing. My sigil had begun to glow under my skin, a bright beacon of power in the deep darkness of the room. Those around me who realized what it meant cowered slightly and became visibly nervous, while others adopted a more puzzled look of disbelief as their distinguished Party Leader began to have a minor breakdown.

"It's alright," I assured them. "I just need a little fresh air..."

And with that, I hurriedly left the room, leaving the Board alone in silence.