Prologue: The Village of Red Eyes (Part 5)

Snow fell soundlessly onto the rooftops of Asterveil.

Yun Yun walked through the village's narrow streets.

The wind tugged at her red scarf as her footsteps sank into the fresh snow.

Yet even the freezing night felt more comforting than the chaos inside her mind.

Kaien.

Always Kaien.

His gaze.

His questions.

His relentless need to uncover the truth.

Yun Yun gently bit her lip.

She knew exactly where it would lead.

She had seen it happen before.

That was exactly why she was afraid.

Little by little, the golden lights of the Vesperis estate emerged through the heavy snowfall.

Like a foreign castle in the middle of a dying village.

Large windows.

Black iron gates.

High stone walls.

Almost absurdly luxurious for Asterveil.

Yun Yun stopped before the entrance gate.

Her gaze swept across the enormous estate.

She had lived here for seven years now.

Yet sometimes...

...it still didn't feel like home.

With a quiet creak, the gate opened.

An elderly servant gave her a silent nod.

Yun Yun didn't respond.

She simply stepped inside.

Warm air enveloped her at once.

Silence filled the mansion.

Too much silence.

As always.

Large paintings lined the walls.

Old chandeliers bathed the black marble floor in a warm, golden glow.

Every footstep echoed through the mansion's long hallways.

That was exactly what Yun Yun hated.

This house never felt alive.

It felt like a beautiful cage.

She had barely taken off her coat...

...when a voice shattered the silence.

"YUN YUN VESPERIS."

Yun Yun closed her eyes.

Slowly, she turned around.

At the top of the grand staircase stood Selene Vesperis.

Long silver hair.

An elegant black dress.

Red eyes.

And that same stern expression.

Even so...

...she was beautiful.

Almost unnaturally so.

Selene descended the staircase.

The soft click of her heels echoed through the entrance hall.

"Where have you been at this hour?"

Yun Yun answered calmly.

"I was out with Kaien."

The moment his name left her lips...

...Selene's expression changed.

Not with anger.

With concern.

"You know you're not supposed to spend time with that boy."

A tightness immediately settled in Yun Yun's chest.

The same words.

Again and again.

"I can decide for myself who my friends are."

Selene let out a quiet, weary sigh.

"Yun Yun."

"What?"

"You know your father doesn't like it."

For a moment, Yun Yun's expression went completely still.

Then the anger came.

Deep.

Uncontrolled.

"He's not my father."

Selene stopped in her tracks.

"AND YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!"

Her voice echoed through the entire mansion.

Even the servants froze.

No one dared to speak.

Selene's stern expression softened.

Sadness filled her eyes.

"Yun Yun..."

Before Selene could say anything else, Yun Yun bit her lip.

She regretted her words immediately.

It was written all over her face.

Slowly, she lowered her gaze.

"...I'm sorry."

Outside, the wind rattled the windows.

"I really do see Lyra as a sister."

Her voice grew quieter.

"But to me... you're more like an aunt and uncle."

Neither of them spoke.

After a few long seconds, Selene stepped closer.

To Yun Yun's surprise, she gently rested a hand on her head.

"That's alright."

Yun Yun looked up at her.

A faint, sorrowful smile crossed Selene's face.

"I never tried to replace your mother."

That familiar tightness returned to Yun Yun's chest.

Her real mother.

Mei.

In her memories, her face was slowly beginning to blur.

That was what frightened her the most.

"But no matter what happens..."

Selene's voice turned more serious.

"...you are still part of our family."

Yun Yun didn't answer.

She never knew how to respond to words like that.

Because deep down...

...she was afraid of losing people again.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the staircase.

Yun Yun didn't even have to look.

She recognized them immediately.

Eryndor Vesperis.

Tall.

Broad-shouldered.

A black coat.

Gray hair.

Cold red eyes.

He looked like the kind of man who could intimidate even the snow itself.

Silently, Eryndor fixed his gaze on Yun Yun.

Then he spoke in a calm voice.

"You were with the boy."

It wasn't a question.

It was a statement.

Yun Yun immediately crossed her arms.

"Yeah... so what?"

Eryndor remained silent for a moment.

Then he descended the last few steps.

"I've told you often enough to keep your distance."

"And I've told you often enough that I don't listen to you."

Selene let out a quiet sigh.

Apparently, she had seen this argument countless times before.

Eryndor's expression hardened.

"That boy will only bring you trouble."

Yun Yun held his gaze.

"This whole damn village is trouble."

The words echoed through the hall.

No one responded.

The servants immediately lowered their eyes.

No one spoke to Eryndor Vesperis like that.

No one.

But Yun Yun had never been afraid of authority.

Perhaps because she had already lost everything that truly mattered to her.

Eryndor slowly stepped closer.

"You truly don't understand how dangerous this could become."

Yun Yun let out a dry laugh.

"I do."

Her red eyes met his.

"I probably understand it better than anyone else in this house."

The silence between them stretched on.

Selene watched the two of them without a word.

She looked almost nervous.

At last, Eryndor spoke again.

This time, his voice was much quieter.

Almost cautious.

"Did he ask questions?"

For a brief moment, Yun Yun's heart skipped a beat.

Of course he had.

Kaien always asked questions.

She said nothing.

She didn't have to.

Eryndor's expression darkened.

"Damn it."

Yun Yun clenched her teeth.

"He has a right to know the truth."

"NO!"

His voice thundered through the hall.

Even Selene flinched.

Eryndor closed his eyes for a moment and slowly exhaled.

When he spoke again, his voice was calm once more.

"You should know better than anyone, Yun Yun.

Knowledge kills people in this village."

A cold shiver ran down Yun Yun's spine.

The exact same words.

Her father had once said them to her.

Shortly before he disappeared.

"Maybe people still deserve to know the truth."

Eryndor held her gaze for a long moment.

Then he spoke words that struck Yun Yun to her core.

"Sometimes the truth is crueler than any lie."

Neither of them spoke.

Outside, the wind howled through the night.

At last, Selene stepped gently between them.

"That's enough for today."

Her voice remained calm.

But unmistakably firm.

"Yun Yun, please go to bed.

Lyra is waiting for you."

Yun Yun didn't answer.

She simply walked past them.

Just before she reached the staircase...

...Eryndor spoke again.

"Magnus has already heard about him."

Yun Yun stopped instantly.

Her heart began to beat faster.

"If Kaien keeps digging..."

He let the words hang in the air.

"...he will die."

Yun Yun didn't answer.

Her fingers trembled ever so slightly.

Then she continued up the stairs.

The mansion's long hallways felt even larger at night.

Even emptier.

Golden light filtered through the tall windows.

Old paintings watched her in silence.

People with red eyes.

People with cold faces.

People who had long since died.

Yun Yun hated those paintings.

Whenever she looked at them, she couldn't shake the feeling that they were watching her.

At last, she stopped in front of the heavy wooden door to her room.

She took a deep breath.

Then she pushed the door open.

Warmth welcomed her immediately.

The room was large.

Far too large for a single person.

A fire crackled softly in the fireplace.

Books were scattered everywhere.

By the window sat a girl with long white hair.

A book rested on her lap.

Behind a pair of small round glasses, red eyes remained fixed on its pages.

Lyra Vesperis.

Of course she was still reading.

She didn't even look up when Yun Yun entered.

"You're far too loud."

A faint smile crossed Yun Yun's face as she closed the door behind her.

"And you're way too creepy."

Lyra turned another page.

"I suppose you're right."

Yun Yun took off her coat and the rest of her winter clothes before changing into something more comfortable.

A comfortable silence settled over the room.

Then Lyra broke it without looking up from her book.

"Father is angry."

"When isn't he?"

Lyra let out a quiet snort.

Only then did she finally look up.

Her eyes immediately fell on Yun Yun's face.

Her slightly reddened eyes.

The tension in her expression.

Slowly, Lyra closed her book.

"...What happened?"

Yun Yun didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she quietly changed into her nightclothes.

Then she dropped onto her bed with a weary sigh.

"Kaien knows too much now."

At once, Lyra's expression turned serious.

"What exactly...

...and how much?"

"Too much."

Several seconds passed.

Then Lyra slowly rose to her feet.

Every movement was calm.

Almost graceful.

She crossed the room and carefully sat down beside Yun Yun.

"Did he learn about the demons?"

Yun Yun gave a small nod.

Lyra closed her eyes briefly.

"Why, Yun Yun...?"

A moment later, she opened them again.

"Why?"

Yun Yun kept her eyes on the ceiling.

"I didn't want to tell him."

"But you did anyway."

"He would've kept searching either way."

Lyra said nothing.

Because she knew it was true.

Kaien was like fire.

The more you tried to contain it...

...the more fiercely it burned.

For a while, Lyra simply watched Yun Yun.

Then her voice softened again.

"You really like him."

Yun Yun froze.

"WHAT!?"

Lyra merely raised an eyebrow.

"You always use that voice."

"What voice!?"

"That silly voice."

Without thinking, Yun Yun grabbed a pillow and threw it at her.

Lyra caught it effortlessly.

She didn't even look surprised.

"Shut up."

A quiet laugh escaped Lyra.

"Interesting...

...very interesting."

"You're unbearable."

The faintest smile touched Lyra's lips as she stood and returned to the window.

But this time, she didn't reopen her book.

Instead, she gazed out at the falling snow.

"I saw something strange today."

Yun Yun looked at her immediately.

Her expression turned serious.

"What?"

Lyra remained quiet for a moment.

Then she spoke.

"At the East Wall."

Outside, the wind howled louder.

"Something tried to get in."

A chill ran down Yun Yun's spine.

"A demon?"

Lyra gave a slow nod.

"But not like the others."

Yun Yun sat upright.

"That thing..."

Even Lyra looked uneasy.

"...it spoke."

The room went still.

Yun Yun felt her breath catch.

"What do you mean by... spoke?"

Lyra slowly turned to face her.

Her red eyes were more serious than usual.

"It knew names."

Yun Yun froze.

Lyra held her gaze.

Then she said quietly,

"It asked about Kaien."