= Yoei’s POV =

  The sun now teetered on the edge of the horizon, casting the room in a warm orange hue through the single window that was nearly swallowed by creeping vines.

  Yoei slowly stirred awake, her crimson eyes flickering open once more. She reached out, her hands still stained with dirt and blood.

  Bringing her hand closer, she inhaled the scent lingering there—Madam Ruby’s essence was unmistakable… even if only through her blood. Yet, another faint scent mixed within it.

  “This… is Suna’s” Yoei whispered, her voice fragile, still weighed down by the tragedy that had befallen Madam Ruby.

  “For some reason… it makes me feel safe,” she added, closing her eyes as she continued to breathe in the lingering trace of Suna.

  After a while, she slowly drew her hand away, her gaze sinking into a hollow stare as thoughts began to swarm her mind.

  “What have I done… I shouldn’t have acted so strangely,” she murmured, her attention fixed on her stained hands.

  With a quiet sigh, she cautiously slid off the bed. A faint smile curved on her lips, relieved to find no pain in her body as she stood—but her eyes betrayed her, reflecting the other kind of pain she still wrestled with.

  She suddenly noticed something missing from the table where the crystal figurine of Suna once stood. Although some sheets of paper still remained, Yoei could feel that something was gone.

  “No… someone must have taken it,” Yoei whispered, her fingers carefully sifting through the messy stack of papers.

  “First, they took Madam Ruby. Now, even my magic papers are gone… What’s next? Will they take my soul as well?” she added, forcing a small, eerie ugh to console herself.

  Without realizing it, both her hands began pulling at her white hair, gripping it so tightly as though her body was trying to numb the pain she carried.

  “No, Yoei. You have to be strong…” she murmured, her voice trembling as tears dripped onto the scattered papers.

  Suddenly, she heard the faint sound of footsteps from outside her room. Even though the sound was muffled, she was certain those steps were heading directly toward her door.

  Without thinking twice, Yoei rushed back to her bed, hastily returning to the exact position she had been in earlier. She adjusted every limb, even her hair, until she looked untouched.

  The footsteps drew closer. Closer… and then—stopped.

  The door to Yoei’s room creaked open, and a man with blonde hair stepped in. His usually stoic face was now tinged with barely restrained irritation.

  The man sat on the edge of the bed, his back facing her as she stayed still, feigning sleep.

  Yes, it was Suna Althoria.

  Silence bnketed the room; neither of them dared to speak until Yoei, gathering her courage, peeked timidly over her shoulder—only to jolt slightly when Suna suddenly spoke.

  “Did you sleep well?” Suna’s voice was firm, dripping with pure disdain, yet there was an undeniable trace of concern buried within.

  Yoei only nodded at first, her lips parting as she tried to find the right words, as if the very rotation of the earth had shifted.

  “I know you’re awake. Answer me with your voice—while you still have one, Yoei,” he added, sounding like he could snatch away someone’s voice at any moment.

  “Y-yes!” Yoei replied, her tone slightly too high, betraying her nervousness.

  “U-um, I mean… yes, I slept well. Brother,” she corrected herself, now speaking carefully, as if sewing armor made of silk.

  Suna exhaled heavily, as though about to say something, but instead he stood from the bed and walked toward the door without offering so much as a parting word.

  Sensing his presence fading away, Yoei quickly rose from her bed and called out to Suna, who was now standing beside the door.

  “Brother— I mean, Suna… have you seen my magic papers? The ones that were on the table…?” Yoei asked softly, her tone carrying the weight of someone speaking to a stranger.

  “Which papers?” Suna’s voice was low as well, and he didn’t bother turning around.

  “Um… the ones about Transmutation magic and…” Yoei’s breath hitched as if even uttering the next name required forbidden courage.

  “Litomancy,” she added at st, the word leaving her lips like an incantation not meant to be spoken aloud.

  Suna didn’t answer right away. Instead, he cast a gnce at her over his shoulder. Even the two guards outside exchanged uneasy looks, cold sweat sliding beneath their armor.

  “No, I haven’t seen them,” Suna finally replied, before stepping out into the hallway, which was now bathed in the silver light of the rising moon.

  The door creaked toward its frame. Just before the final thud, Yoei glimpsed the guards’ hands—trembling, even beneath their gauntlets.

  “What do you think is meant by Litomancy?” asked one of the guards, slowly returning to his usual post after Yoei’s door had fully closed.

  “I don’t know, but I’m certain it’s something bad.. judging by Lord Suna’s expression,” the other replied.

  “Then why are our hands trembling, even though we don’t know what it is…?” the first guard asked again, lowering his voice intentionally.

  “Maybe it’s because humans aren’t really afraid of the dark.. but of what hides within it?” he answered. For the first time in a long while, the two guards were having a real conversation instead of standing in silence.

  The other guard fell quiet, an aura of confusion emanating from him despite his expression being hidden behind the armor. After a moment frozen in thought, he let out a small chuckle.

  “Seems like I’m talking to a philosopher,” he joked, breaking the tension along the corridor leading to Yoei’s room.

  “Tell me, what’s your name?” he added, the heaviness between them finally beginning to ease thanks to their conversation.

  The other guard gnced around first, making sure the surroundings were safe, before answering in a slightly rexed tone.

  “My name is Vaelion, a writer who somehow ended up as a pace guard,” Vaelion replied, his voice carrying a hint of sarcasm as though the two of them were family members teasing one another.

  The other guard let out another quiet ugh, but soon his gaze drifted down to the floor. For a brief moment, he said nothing.

  Not wanting the atmosphere to crumble into awkward silence, the guard lifted his gaze again and spoke.

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Kaelion,” he said, his tone as steady as usual, though the spark from earlier seemed to fade slightly—as if he had just remembered something.

  Their conversation continued until the moon stood directly above the pace.

  The two guards, who had long remained silent, had finally found their voices—though the trigger was fear and confusion, something that had become a daily meal for the people of that era.

  Silence soon returned as the night grew deeper, when most of the people had already fallen asleep. The corridor now felt the same as it always did—no more jokes, no more warm conversations between guards.

  Yoei, who remained awake, opened her door slightly and peeked outside.

  To her surprise, there was only one guard on duty.

  Slowly but surely, she stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her without making a sound. She approached the guard, who looked half-asleep and seemed to be wrestling with his own drowsiness.

  “Forgive me, but where is your partner?” asked Yoei. Even her gentle voice startled the guard, making his drowsiness vanish in an instant.

  “Oh? Lady Yoei… Vaelion is likely resting now, since it’s my turn to take this watch,” Kaelion replied, though his firm tone as a guard was gradually eaten away by the drowsiness that returned to attack him.

  “Vaelion…?” Yoei echoed, her tone ced with confusion. But she dismissed the thought with a quick shake of her head.

  “Maybe I could use Somnus Break to help you stay awake… umm, what’s your name?” Yoei asked, her crimson eyes trying to pierce through the yers of armor that hid the guard’s face, her gaze filled with curiosity.

  “It is an honor to share my name with you, Lady Yoei. My name is Kaelion.” He paused for a moment, drawing a deep breath before continuing.

  “As for Somnus Break… I don’t think it’s necessary. I would rather not shorten my lifespan just to stay awake longer. But if it’s Lady Yoei’s request—”

  "Wait, so.. Somnus Break can shorten the lifespan of the person affected by it?" Yoei interrupted, her tone filled with concern, as though she had never realized that every magic carried its own price.

  “Yes, Lady Yoei. I do not wish to die young. There are still many things I want to do once I retire,” Kaelion said, his tone brimming with hope, as though he truly believed he could one day be free from the shackles of being a pace guard.

  Yoei could only look at him, truly observing him. It was as though she had found a flicker of humanity in a world where even some humans were not treated like humans at all.

  “I understand, Kaelion,” Yoei said, her voice softer now, as if she had found a glimmer of light in this man’s existence.

  “I will never ask you to use Somnus Break. My only request is this: live as a human is meant to live. Perhaps I can help you, someday.” She finished the sentence with a gentle smile, tilting her head slightly.

  Unbeknownst to Yoei, Kaelion stood frozen. Tears began to well behind his helmet, silently rolling down his face. Only Kaelion knew he was crying.

  “Oh, I hope I can meet Vaelion too someday. But for now, I need to visit the pace garden. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” Yoei added with a soft smile.

  With that, Yoei left Kaelion alone—

  the guard who felt as though he was rusting from within his armor, burdened by the dream of wanting to live a normal life.

  Yoei’s presence, brief as it was, made Kaelion feel like the moon finally finding its light through the sun.