"Bandi… should I put this here?" Rodeo pointed to my right, brick in hand.
"Yeah, just set it there."
Peace had finally settled. Three days after the war's end, Alira and Kael had moved on, resuming their travels. They departed silently, clearly affected by Lumino's death. I understood their pain.
I, too, had suffered a great loss. Terasvari, the woman who raised me, met a brutal end. I didn't witness her final moments; Ronovan shielded my eyes the moment we arrived.
That war stripped so much from me.
Having already succumbed to grief, I had retreated into isolation, unable to acknowledge her passing. However, the day of rebuilding had arrived, and we were committed to uniting vampires and werewolves, constructing shared homes.
"I'm too old! You lead them instead. You don't mind, do you?" Ronovan told me yesterday. With those words, I couldn't keep sulking anymore.
Now, Fenrir's endless complaints grated on my ears.
"Why the hell should I help?"
"Quit whining and work, Fenrir!" Ronovan smacked his forehead.
I had no choice but to accept that the body of the woman I once loved was now being used by my father. That revelation itself came as a shock, dumped on me one night.
"Fenrir's your father. No need to treat him with respect—I'm just telling you," Ronovan said casually.
I was dumbstruck, unable to process it. At least… it made the days less dull.
Brakk!
A bottle flew and hit my head.
I turned to see who threw it.
"How dare you staring at me, huh? You got guts!" Fenrir snarled.
Should I just hit him?
My glare revealed my fury, an expression so threatening that it intimidated Fenrir and made him shut his mouth.
"I miss Alira…" Rosaria sighed. "Why didn't she even say goodbye at all?"
"I miss my savior too. Who knew that night would be our last meeting?"
Ronovan and Rosaria exhaled heavily at the same time.
"Miss someone? Like she's that important," Fenrir scoffed.
"So what if she is important?" Ronovan glared.
I'm sick of their arguments.
I stepped away, calming myself under the shade. Sitting down, I whispered, "I miss Lumino too… If I ignore the monstrous image of him, I still want to see him. After all, he saved me from that cell. I thought of him as a friend, more like my brother. Why did he have to die? "
I tilted my head toward the sky, faint light seeping through the clouds.
"And I also miss you, Clementine…"
Rodeo caught me from afar but turned back to his work, pretending not to see.
Rosalina nudged him. "Why are you looking at him like that?"
"Tch… mind your own business."
"Sensitive wolf. I was just asking."
Rodeo brushed her off and walked away.
Meanwhile, Fenrir and Ronovan were still bickering—until Ronovan suddenly went silent. His eyes lingered on Fenrir.
"What? Why're you staring at me like that? Gives me chills."
"Shut it. Hearing your voice… talking to me with Clementine's face… it pisses me off." Ronovan lowered his gaze, sadness etched across his face. "Until the end, I couldn't tell her what I felt. Couldn't even say sorry. Couldn't thank her… She saved me from Caroline, nursed me in my worst state… and I never repaid her."
Fenrir sat beside him. "I hated her, so I don't get it. But if you've got words unsaid, just say them to me. At least you'll feel lighter, right?"
A faint smile tugged at Ronovan's lips. "You're right." He leaned his head on Fenrir's shoulder.
"Hey… you're heavy."
"Just… let me stay like this for a moment…"
Fenrir stared down at him, cursing under his breath.
Not far away, I placed a gravestone near the mansion. One read Terasvari, the other Lumino. Kneeling, I prayed quietly.
"May you receive blessings…"
When I finished, I stared at the grass swaying in the wind.
How are Alira and Kael now? I hope they're not drowning in grief…
Elsewhere, Alira, Kael, and Lumino were in a crisis of their own.
"I told you already, I want rabbit meat!" Alira snapped.
"I want to cook venison," Kael countered.
They glared at each other, ready to tear the other apart.
Almost at once, they turned toward Lumino.
"What do you want, Lumino?" they asked in unison.
"Rabbit, right?" Alira pressed.
"Venison, right?" Kael pushed.
Lumino gave a sheepish smile. "Actually… I'd prefer chicken."
The two froze.
"…Then," Alira muttered.
"…We'll eat chicken," Kael finished.
Lumino scratched the back of his neck. 'Didn't think they'd just follow my lead like that.'
"I'll grill you chicken satay. You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Kael said with an uncharacteristically soft smile.
'He's been… strange lately. Gentler. Not a single curse word. Makes me feel… off.'
"Then I'll add black pepper!" Alira grinned.
"No! Satay's best with soy sauce!" Kael shot back.
Their argument reignited instantly. Lumino only sighed in defeat, caught between the two.
-----
"Hello, Lumino…"
In the depths of darkness, a woman's voice oozed through his dream—a voice he loathed, one that dripped with poison and mockery. Of course, she was here again, to haunt him.
"You still won't stop tormenting me. Whatever scheme you're plotting this time, it won't work. I won't lose control of my emotions again, Seraphine!"
"Instead of snapping at me like that, why don't we dance?" Her tone was playful, dripping with an unsettling sweetness. "The last time, you enjoyed it, didn't you? Dancing with me…"
Lumino's gaze sharpened as Lady Seraphine revealed herself, lounging in midair as though gravity was beneath her. She sat with her legs elegantly crossed, her cheek resting lazily on one hand.
"I won't move according to your whims ever again."
Lady Seraphine's lips curled upward, her lashes fluttering with a dangerous glint.
"Lumino, darling… you're far too cold with me. Why not give me that sweet smile instead? Hmm? Rather than wearing that sour expression?"
"How long do you plan to hide?" Lumino's voice reverberated in the void as he floated forward, rising until he stood eye to eye with her. "Why don't you face me properly—stop whispering in my dreams, stop lurking in shadows, and meet me head-on in reality?"
"Oh my, how bold you've become… daring enough now to bare your emotions so openly."
"Thanks to you," Lumino spat, his tone cutting. "You made me realize I'm no longer that naïve, harmless man I once thought I was."
"Pft… hahahaha!"
Lady Seraphine burst into laughter, her voice echoing across the dreamscape like a chorus of bells twisted with malice. She leaned forward, their faces only inches apart, her breath warm against his skin.
"And this… is your form of submission?" she whispered, her words teasing, taunting.
Lumino met her gaze silently, refusing to flinch, refusing to grant her the satisfaction of a reply.
"Ahaha… but Lumino, if you keep staring at me like that, how could I possibly resist? You make me burn all the more for you…"
"Enough of your nonsense," Lumino cut her off, fists tightening at his sides. "Tell me the truth—what did you do to my body?"
His eyes flicked upward into the void.
< Red Orb - 100% Completed >
The translucent text had lingered before him since the start of this dream, stubborn and inescapable.
"Hm… you could say the Orb is complete now, ready to be used," she cooed, her voice oozing with pride.
Lumino's jaw clenched. No matter how he tried, the floating words would not fade.
"It's a shame… but I've enjoyed our time together. Our next encounter will be in the real world."
Her fingers brushed against his cheek with a mockery of tenderness before her body dissolved into nothingness.
–––
Lumino's eyes snapped open. The dream ended too abruptly, leaving him hollow. Yet when his vision adjusted, the same text still floated before him.
'I knew it… even in reality, I can see it.'
He rose slowly. The sky above remained shrouded in night. Turning his head, he caught sight of Kael and Alira still sound asleep beside the campfire.
'Because of me, they're dragged into this Orb mess…'
With a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck, deciding to wash his face at the nearby stream. The cool water reflected his features—haunted eyes, softened by exhaustion.
'My bangs are getting too long…'
His gaze dropped to the earring, a precious gift from his grandfather, presented on his seventeenth birthday, which now dangled from his ear.
Slipping it off, he gripped it in his palm.
'In the end, this is all I have left.'
He tucked it carefully into his pocket before heading back. But when he returned to their resting place, Alira's mat was empty.
Lumino's eyes darted. He spotted her—half-hidden behind a tree. She was speaking softly, as though to someone unseen.
He froze, pressing himself against another tree nearby, ears straining.
"…Is this the right choice?"
'Who is she talking to?'
"Are you serious? Is it truly possible to make it real?"
Lumino held his breath, every word sharpening his curiosity.
"Fine… I don't have any purpose, but… can you promise me something?" Alira inhaled deeply, her tone wavering with doubt. "…I want a guarantee…"
Her next words became too faint to catch.
Lumino leaned forward to peek—but in that instant, she was gone. He blinked, scanning frantically, until—
A tap on his back.
"Why are you staring so intently over there? Looking for something?"
Lumino spun around, startled. Alira stood there, looking at him quizzically.
"Y-you… I wasn't… I wasn't looking for anything…"
"Couldn't sleep?"
He nodded sheepishly. "I just woke up, that's all…"
"How do you feel?"
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"Your body—does it feel fine? No… strange changes?"
"N-no… why?" Lumino stammered.
Relief washed across Alira's face, followed by a light laugh. "Good. If anything feels off, tell me, okay?"
She turned toward the tent. Lumino trailed behind her quietly, but she suddenly glanced over her shoulder.
"Oh, Lumino."
"Yes?"
"I actually know the location of the one who cast that spell on you. I've been tracking them. How about we head there tomorrow?"
"…The one who cast it… but the thread, I can't feel it connected anymore. Do you really know who it is?"
"I know where they are."
Lumino's steps slowed, his voice dropping. "…Alira, I have a strong feeling it was Lady Seraphine who did it."
"So, you've realized."
He lowered his gaze. Of course, he had. Who else but that woman would embed the Orb within him?
"Then… do you not need me anymore?"
Her words weighed heavy in the night air. Lumino looked up—her expression calm, but her eyes carried something deeper.
"What are you saying? Of course, I need you. Alira, why would you even say that?"
"From the beginning, you brought me along because you hoped I could track the caster of that spell, didn't you?"
"Alira…" He stepped closer, his voice firm. "Don't you ever think that's the only reason. Useful or not, I'd still take you away from Mideway Library. Kael and I—we'll still stand by you."
A faint smile tugged at his lips, warm and earnest.
"You're my precious friend, Alira, and I value our bond. So, please don't act as though you're easily replaceable."
Her breath caught. His sincere gaze made her heart race and her cheeks burn.
"Idiot Lumino… why do you say things so seriously? Enough, let's go back. If Kael wakes and finds us missing, he'll make a fuss."
She quickened her steps.
"Ah—wait for me."
Following her, Lumino moved swiftly, and their shadows grew long together in the weak light of the dying flames.