Prologue: The Village of Red Eyes (Part 4)

Kaien lay awake in bed.

His eyes were open.

The blanket was pulled up to his neck.

Sleep wasn't even remotely possible.

Too many thoughts circled through his mind.

Yun Yun.

Yun Yun's parents.

The demons.

The North Wall.

Magnus.

The woman from the book.

And those damned red eyes.

The small room lay in darkness.

Only faint moonlight filtered through the frost-covered window.

The wind made the old wood creak softly.

Kaien stared at the ceiling.

His head felt heavy.

Numb.

For years, he had searched for answers.

Now that he was finally beginning to find them...

...everything only felt worse.

A soft knock broke the silence.

Kaien didn't answer.

The door slowly opened anyway.

Mireya Vale stepped inside, carrying a small oil lamp.

Its warm light flickered gently across the walls.

She sat down on the edge of his bed.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

Then she said quietly,

"You can't sleep again, can you?"

Kaien let out a quiet snort.

"I'm just not tired."

A faint smile crossed Mireya's face.

Sad.

Not offended.

She knew exactly what he meant.

Kaien looked away.

Mireya gave him a moment before gently brushing a hand through his hair.

"Eren doesn't mean any harm."

Kaien let out a dry laugh.

"Of course he doesn't."

"Kaien..."

"He only throws bottles at me and treats me like garbage."

Mireya lowered her gaze.

Kaien immediately realized that she didn't have a real answer.

Because he was right.

"He's just afraid.

Just like I am."

"Afraid of what?"

Mireya took a moment before answering.

Outside, the wind rattled the window.

"They're afraid of the same things everyone else in this village fears."

The words lingered between them.

Kaien closed his eyes for a moment.

"Everyone seems to be afraid."

"This village changes people."

Her voice suddenly sounded heavy.

Tired.

Almost exhausted.

Kaien turned toward her.

"You know more than you let on."

A faint smile touched Mireya's lips.

"Maybe...

...or maybe not."

Kaien sat up.

The bed creaked softly beneath him.

"This village..."

He hesitated.

"...it isn't safe."

Mireya didn't answer immediately.

The warm glow of the lamp reflected in her eyes.

"Is it...?"

Kaien gave a slow nod.

Mireya closed her eyes for a brief moment.

Then Kaien understood.

The pain in her eyes was real.

"Yes...

...I suppose you're right."

Only the quiet creaking of the old house broke the silence.

Then Mireya spoke again.

"Let me tell you a story."

"Yun Yun's mother's name was Mei."

Kaien listened quietly.

"And her father's name was Ren."

Outside, the wind continued to sweep through the night.

A small smile appeared on Mireya's face.

This time, it was genuine.

Almost nostalgic.

"Back then, Ren was one of the most famous hunters in all of Asterveil."

Kaien frowned.

"Hunters?"

Mireya nodded.

"Back then, many of the village children believed he was invincible."

"Did he hunt monsters?"

Mireya hesitated.

"Partly."

Kaien didn't like that answer.

Once again, it was only half the truth.

But this time, he let her continue.

"Ren was loud.

Wild.

Stubborn."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Eren could never stand him."

Kaien couldn't help but smile.

"That doesn't surprise me."

For a brief moment, Mireya laughed.

Softly.

But genuinely.

The smile faded just as quickly.

"And Mei..."

She paused.

"...was probably the kindest person I have ever met."

Kaien listened quietly.

Mireya's gaze drifted toward the window.

As though she could still see something that had long since disappeared.

"We were best friends."

Kaien raised an eyebrow.

"When she was pregnant with Yun Yun...

...we spent almost every day together."

A gentle smile returned to her face.

"She was constantly afraid of doing something wrong."

"Really?"

Mireya nodded with a quiet laugh.

"Yes."

"Mei worried about everything."

"Whether Yun Yun was getting enough sleep."

"Whether she was eating enough."

"Whether she'd ever be cold."

Kaien lowered his gaze.

It felt strange.

To imagine Yun Yun as a small, ordinary child.

Not as the mysterious girl with the red eyes and all her secrets.

But simply...

...as someone's daughter.

"Ren, on the other hand, was much more easygoing."

A slight grin crossed her face.

"He was always saying, 'My daughter is an angel. One day, she'll surpass me.'"

Kaien couldn't help but laugh.

Mireya noticed.

A small smile touched her lips.

But the warmth of the moment quickly faded.

Her expression turned serious again.

"But when Yun Yun was about six years old..."

She paused.

"...something changed."

Outside, the wind grew stronger.

Kaien immediately felt that familiar tightness return to his chest.

"Ren started asking questions."

"The same ones I'm asking?"

Mireya gave a slow nod.

"Why the walls exist."

"Why people disappear at night."

"Why no one is allowed to leave the village."

"Why the forests are filled with mist."

"Why people explode."

Her voice grew quieter.

"And eventually..."

She lowered her gaze.

"...they wanted to leave."

The words caught Kaien off guard.

A knot formed in his stomach.

"They wanted to leave Asterveil?"

Mireya nodded.

"They didn't want Yun Yun to grow up in a place filled with fear and secrets."

Kaien couldn't help thinking of Yun Yun.

How she had cried that day.

How her hands had trembled.

And her words.

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE!"

"Ren used to say..."

A sad smile crossed Mireya's face.

"If I stay, my daughter will one day become just as empty as this village."

Kaien's gaze drifted to the wall.

"Then Yun Yun turned seven."

Outside, the wind almost died away.

As though even the night itself were listening.

"And one morning..."

She paused.

"...her parents were gone."

Kaien listened without interrupting.

"No traces."

"No bodies."

"Nothing."

Her voice faltered.

"They only found their arms near the forest."

The weight of her words settled over the room.

Kaien shivered.

Even though the stove was still burning.

"Did Magnus have something to do with it?"

Mireya didn't answer.

She didn't have to.

Kaien clenched his teeth.

"This damned village..."

Gently, Mireya placed her hand over his.

"Don't blame Yun Yun."

Kaien looked up at her.

"I don't even know exactly what happened myself."

"But if she doesn't want to tell you..."

She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"...it's only because she's afraid of losing you too."

Kaien fell silent.

The house filled with drawings.

Her tears.

Her fear.

Then, suddenly, something clicked.

"Wait."

Mireya looked at him.

"How do you even know I talked to Yun Yun?"

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Well..."

She gently tapped him on the forehead.

"You don't have that many friends."

Kaien pulled a face.

"Very funny."

Mireya laughed quietly.

"Besides, it's always obvious when you've been with her."

"How exactly?"

Her smile widened just a little.

"You always come back looking annoyed and happy at the same time."

Kaien blinked.

"What's that supposed to mean!?"

Mireya couldn't hold back another quiet laugh.

She looked genuinely relaxed.

If only for a moment.

"Nothing."

Kaien rolled his eyes.

Yet, despite himself, a pleasant warmth spread through him.

That only annoyed him even more.

Slowly, Mireya got to her feet.

"Ever since her parents disappeared, Yun Yun has been living with the Vesperis family."

Kaien frowned.

"The rich weirdos near the East Wall?"

"Kaien."

"What?"

"Don't be disrespectful."

Kaien let out a quiet snort.

Of course he knew the Vesperis family.

Everyone in Asterveil did.

Their large estate near the East Wall was impossible to miss.

In a place like Asterveil, it almost looked out of place.

While most of the village was falling apart...

...warm golden lights still shone behind its enormous windows, even at night.

"Back then, Selene Vesperis took Yun Yun in immediately."

"Why?"

A gentle smile appeared on Mireya's face.

"Because Selene loved Mei like a sister."

Kaien thought about that for a moment.

"And the father?"

"Eryndor Vesperis."

Her voice grew more cautious.

"He's..."

She searched for the right word.

"...complicated."

Kaien twisted his mouth.

"That sounds reassuring."

Mireya let out a quiet sigh.

"Eryndor is strict.

But he takes care of his family."

"And their daughter?"

Mireya's smile softened.

"Lyra?"

Kaien nodded.

"She and Yun Yun grew up almost like sisters."

Kaien vaguely remembered Lyra Vesperis.

White hair.

Red eyes.

Always impeccably dressed.

Almost always with a book in her hand.

And that look...

...as though she'd long since decided that everyone else in the room simply wasn't worth her attention.

"She doesn't like me."

Mireya let out a quiet laugh.

"Lyra doesn't like almost anyone."

"Wonderful."

Mireya walked toward the door.

Just before leaving, she stopped.

Without turning around, she spoke quietly.

"Kaien."

"Hm?"

"Please be careful tomorrow."

Outside, the wind picked up again, howling around the house.

"The North Wall changes people."

Then she left the room.

The door clicked shut behind her.

Kaien was alone again.

Moonlight spilled through the frost-covered window.

His gaze drifted back to the ceiling.

Yun Yun.

Her parents.

The North Wall.

And now the Vesperis family.

More and more names.

More and more secrets.

Slowly, he closed his eyes.

Only a few minutes later...

...a faint scratching broke the silence.

Kaien's eyes opened at once.

Nothing.

Then it came again.

Krrrrrrr...

Slowly, he sat up.

The wind had stopped.

Completely.

The scratching grew louder.

Slower.

Like fingernails scraping across glass.

Kaien felt his heartbeat quicken.

Carefully, he got to his feet.

His breath formed white clouds in the freezing room.

Why had it suddenly become so cold?

He stepped toward the window.

Outside, there was only darkness.

Snow.

Mist.

Then...

...something moved across the other side of the window.

Kaien recoiled.

For a fraction of a second, he saw two pitch-black eyes.

Not red.

Black.

Beneath them...

...an unnaturally wide grin.

The next instant, it was gone.

Kaien froze.

His heart pounded in his chest.

Without hesitation, he cracked the window open.

An icy gust rushed into the room.

No one was there.

Only snow.

And darkness.

His gaze dropped to the ground below.

Footprints.

Deep footprints were pressed into the snow.

They led away from the window.

Straight toward the forest.

Something black lay between them.

Kaien swallowed.

He pulled on his coat.

Then he quietly made his way downstairs.

The house was silent.

Only Eren's steady snoring drifted from the living room.

Mireya's oil lamp had long since gone out.

Carefully, Kaien opened the front door.

The icy night air bit at his face.

Slowly, he stepped outside.

Snow crunched beneath his boots.

His eyes settled on the black object.

His blood ran cold.

A human finger.

Freshly severed.

Beside it, someone had drawn a symbol in the snow.

A circle.

Crossed by black claw-like lines.

The same symbol he had seen in Yun Yun's house.

That familiar weight settled over his chest once more.

As though something was watching him.

Then...

...a quiet laugh drifted from the dark trees.