Prologue: The Village of Red Eyes (Part 7)

Weak morning light streamed through the room's tall windows.

Outside, Asterveil was still buried beneath a thick blanket of snow.

The night's storm had passed.

All that remained was the cold silence of morning.

Yun Yun blinked sleepily.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

For a brief moment, she wasn't even sure where she was.

Then she heard the soft crackling of the fireplace.

And the gentle rustle of turning pages.

She sighed.

Of course.

Slowly, she sat up.

Sure enough...

...Lyra was already sitting in her chair by the window.

With impeccable posture.

And, of course...

...an ancient book rested on her lap.

With an annoyed sigh, Yun Yun sank back into her pillow.

"You're seriously creepy."

Lyra didn't even look up.

"Good morning to you too."

Yun Yun rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"How long have you been awake?"

Calmly, Lyra turned another page.

"For about three hours."

Yun Yun let out a pained groan.

"You're definitely not human."

The faintest smile touched Lyra's lips.

For a while, Yun Yun simply watched her.

Then her gaze drifted back to the thick book.

Its cover was black.

Ancient.

Almost burned.

Golden symbols covered its entire surface.

Yun Yun frowned.

"Why do you always read those books?"

This time, Lyra slowly looked up.

Her red eyes seemed unusually serious.

"Because they might contain the answers to all our questions."

Yun Yun blinked.

Slowly, Lyra closed the book.

A thin layer of dust drifted from its yellowed pages.

"People die here."

Yun Yun sat up a little.

"They explode."

Lyra's voice remained calm.

Almost unsettlingly calm.

"Or perhaps I should say...

...they slowly lose their minds."

Outside, the wind brushed softly against the windows.

"And it all seems to be connected to magical energy."

Yun Yun watched her in silence.

Lyra rarely spoke this openly.

That was exactly why she listened so attentively.

"As you know...

...everyone in Asterveil possesses an unusually large amount of magical energy."

Yun Yun gave a slight nod.

By now, even the children in the village knew that.

It was simply never spoken aloud.

"But no one has ever learned how to truly control it."

The fire crackled softly in the fireplace.

Lyra let her gaze drift across the yellowed pages.

"That's why people die here."

Yun Yun felt an uncomfortable knot form in her stomach.

"The energy eventually consumes them from the inside."

At once, she thought of the woman at the well again.

The black veins.

The blood.

"Please stop..."

Lyra looked up briefly.

"I've really had enough of this."

But Lyra continued.

Not emotionlessly.

More like someone who had to follow a thought through to the very end.

"I don't believe magic itself is evil."

Yun Yun frowned slightly.

Holding the book in one hand, Lyra slowly stood up.

Then she walked over to the fireplace.

The firelight reflected in her red eyes.

"I think...

...people are using it the wrong way."

Yun Yun tilted her head slightly.

"Using it?"

Lyra nodded.

"Or rather...

...they don't even try to control it."

Yun Yun let out a quiet sigh.

"You're starting to sound like a crazy old witch."

The faintest grin appeared on Lyra's face.

"Thank you."

Yun Yun rolled her eyes.

Then her gaze drifted back to the ancient book.

"And what exactly are you trying to achieve?"

Lyra was quiet for a moment.

When she finally answered, her voice was unusually calm.

"I want to understand magic."

Neither of them spoke.

"And I want to learn how to master it."

Yun Yun froze.

"You're completely insane."

Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"You're only going to get yourself killed."

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then that small, dangerous smile returned to Lyra's face.

"That's entirely possible."

She gently ran her fingertips across the yellowed pages.

"Or I'll become this village's first true mage."

The fire in the fireplace suddenly flared brighter.

A cold shiver ran down Yun Yun's spine.

Not because of magic.

Because of Lyra.

Sometimes, she almost forgot how dangerously intelligent this girl really was.

Lyra wasn't like the other people in Asterveil.

She didn't accept the village's fear.

She studied it.

Analyzed it.

Tore it apart piece by piece.

That was exactly what frightened Yun Yun.

Almost as much as Kaien.

A soft knock came at the door.

Tok. Tok. Tok.

Both girls turned toward the door at the same time.

Slowly, the doorknob turned.

Then the door opened.

An elderly butler stepped inside.

Impeccably dressed.

Gray gloves.

Perfect posture.

Even his red eyes seemed strangely lifeless.

"Miss Lyra. Miss Yun Yun."

He gave a slight bow.

"Your mother, Madam Selene Vesperis, requests the pleasure of your company for breakfast."

Without a word, Lyra closed her book.

Yun Yun, on the other hand, flopped back onto the bed.

"I don't want to."

The butler didn't react.

As though he had expected that answer.

Lyra was already on her feet.

"You still have to."

Yun Yun let out an annoyed groan.

"Why are you always so annoying in the morning?"

"Talent."

With another sigh, Yun Yun threw back the blanket and got to her feet.

A few minutes later, the two of them walked silently through the mansion's long hallways.

Golden light reflected off the black marble floor.

Servants moved soundlessly through the corridors.

Almost like ghosts.

Yun Yun hated the mansion most in the morning.

Everything felt too perfect.

Too orderly.

Too controlled.

As though no one was allowed to truly live there.

The scent of fresh bread and hot tea filled the air.

At last, they reached the grand dining hall.

An enormous room.

A long black table.

Tall windows.

At the head of the table sat Eryndor.

Of course, impeccably dressed.

Of course, wearing the same stern expression.

Selene sat beside him.

Unlike the previous evening, she seemed a little more relaxed.

When she noticed Yun Yun, she gave her a gentle smile.

"Good morning."

Yun Yun gave a slight nod.

"Morning."

Lyra quietly took her seat beside her mother.

Yun Yun reluctantly sat down across from Eryndor.

No sooner had they taken their seats than several servants began serving breakfast.

Silence settled over the room.

Only the soft clink of cutlery and dishes broke it.

Yun Yun couldn't stand this kind of silence.

At last, Eryndor turned his gaze to Lyra.

"You were up all night again."

Lyra calmly took a sip of her tea.

"Correct."

"And those books again."

It wasn't a question.

It was a reproach.

Even so, Lyra answered calmly.

"Yes."

Eryndor's expression darkened slightly.

"You're playing with things you don't understand."

Lyra barely raised an eyebrow.

"That's exactly why I'm trying to understand them."

Selene let out a quiet sigh.

Apparently, she had heard this conversation countless times before.

Eryndor slowly leaned back.

"Curiosity is dangerous."

A dry laugh escaped Yun Yun.

At once, everyone's eyes turned toward her.

"Everyone here really says that."

Eryndor didn't answer.

His gaze lingered on Yun Yun for a moment.

Then...

...for the briefest instant...

...there was something that almost looked like concern in his eyes.

A short while later, breakfast continued in near silence.

Until Lyra suddenly set down her cutlery.

In the same calm voice as always, she said,

"I want to meet Kaien today."

The words brought the room to a standstill.

Yun Yun nearly choked on her tea.

Selene blinked in surprise.

Eryndor's expression, however, turned ice-cold instantly.

"No."

"It's too late."

Eryndor frowned.

Unfazed, Lyra took another sip of her tea.

"I've already made my decision."

Yun Yun stared at her as if she had lost her mind.

"Since when do you make decisions like that on your own?"

Lyra looked at her calmly.

"For as long as I can remember."

"Why do you even want to meet him?"

Lyra thought for a moment.

Then that barely noticeable grin appeared on her face.

"Scientific curiosity."

Yun Yun let her head drop onto the table in exasperation.

"You treat people like research subjects!"

Lyra nodded with complete seriousness.

"Most of the time."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then Selene suddenly laughed.

Even Eryndor looked annoyed for a brief moment.

Yun Yun let out a groan.

"Why am I surrounded by nothing but crazy people...?"

Lyra calmly stood up.

"We're leaving after breakfast."

Yun Yun's head shot up.

"We're what?"

"We're going."

"Lyra."

"Yun Yun."

"You're impossible."

A faint, almost triumphant smile appeared on Lyra's face.

Then she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small black notebook.

Her diary.

Yun Yun froze instantly.

"You're not bringing that with you."

"Of course I am."

"You're going to traumatize Kaien."

Lyra considered that for a moment.

"Possible."

Selene couldn't hold back another quiet laugh.

Even Eryndor closed his eyes in annoyance for a brief moment.

When breakfast was over, the two girls stood up.

Lyra tucked her diary under her arm, while Yun Yun looked at her with an expression somewhere between resignation and despair.

Together, they left the dining hall.

A short while later, they stepped out of the mansion into the cold winter air.

Snow crunched beneath their boots.

A gray sky still hung over Asterveil.

Without another word, they made their way toward Kaien's house.