The night was quiet, with the silver glow of the full moon illuminating the village.
Inside the small house, Lucy sat at the kitchen table, her attention fixed on the flickering lantern. Amanda stood beside the counter with her arms crossed, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long silence, Lucy finally broke it.
"Hey… what was it Papa told you that night?" she asked, narrowing her eyes with curiosity.
Amanda's expression softened into a faint smile.
"Papa and Mama weren't weak, Lucy. They were Renshi users. Despite possessing Renshi, they refused to officially become Shinras."
Lucy tilted her head, confused.
"Renshi users? Then why would they refuse?"
"Because they didn't believe being a Shinra was something to be proud of."
Amanda paused, recalling her father's words.
"Papa once told me something strange. He said, 'The title of this world as the World of Chronicles is for the weak.' I never understood what he meant until the night our kingdom was attacked."
Her hands slowly tightened into fists.
"That night, the Special Darkside Knight and his Pro Darkside Knights were fighting on the frontlines. Meanwhile, the lower-ranking Shinras fought recklessly, more concerned with their own battles than the people they were supposed to protect. Citizens were being slaughtered in the streets, but nobody cared about those who couldn't wield Renshi. They simply let the kingdom burn."
Lucy lowered her gaze.
"So… Papa and Mama…"
"They went out to protect the helpless, not to seek glory or recognition from anyone."
Amanda's expression hardened.
"While the Shinras abandoned the citizens, Papa and Mama fought side by side against the invaders. If not for them, half of Guhan would have been destroyed that night."
Lucy's expression softened as she absorbed her sister's words.
"I never knew…"
Amanda lowered her voice.
"Before Papa left, he gave me something. He didn't explain it with words. Everything was written down."
She walked toward the far wall, where an iron safe was concealed behind a wooden board. After removing the board, she entered the combination and unlocked it.
The metal door creaked open.
Amanda reached inside and retrieved an old scroll sealed with wax.
"Come here."
Lucy immediately hurried to her side, unable to hide her curiosity.
Amanda carefully unrolled the scroll across the table.
"It took me days to figure this out. At first, I thought it was complete nonsense. But once I understood part of its meaning, I realised we might still have a chance."
Lucy leaned closer, examining the strange markings.
"I can't understand any of this. How did you even read it?"
"Look at the first row."
Lucy squinted at the symbols.
"Numbers one through four… followed by a padlock symbol. Then the same numbers again, but this time the padlock is locked."
She frowned.
"What does that mean, Sis? None of this makes sense."
Amanda smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. I've already figured that part out. But there's more to this scroll than just codes."
She turned it over.
Lucy's eyes widened.
"Wh-what? Ancient writing? And what are these shapes? They look like palm prints."
"Exactly. They're connected to the five fingers, and I believe they represent some kind of sealing technique. I couldn't decipher everything, but I discovered something important."
"What is it?" Lucy asked eagerly.
Amanda pointed toward the numbers.
"These four symbols represent a single word. SEAL."
Lucy's jaw dropped.
"How is that even possible?"
"Just shut up and let me finish," Amanda interrupted, her voice impatient but not angry.
Lucy folded her arms and fell silent.
Amanda looked at her for a moment before speaking again.
"You have no idea why the citizens hate us, do you?"
Lucy hesitated, then shook her head.
"No… I guess not."
Amanda sighed.
"Papa and Mama told me to keep this a secret. But they're gone now, and the truth can't remain buried forever."
She looked directly into Lucy's eyes.
"When we were born, we weren't like ordinary humans. We weren't even like other Renshi wielders."
Lucy's heart began to pound.
"What do you mean?"
Amanda's next words left her speechless.
"We were born with the two types of Renshi. Both light and dark. That's what makes us witches… or so they told me."
"Witches…" Lucy whispered.
"Do you know what that means? We descend from the bloodline of wizards, the very beings who once tried to destroy the universe."
Amanda's voice trembled slightly.
"Ordinary humans possess only one type of Renshi, but we were born with both. The moment Papa discovered the truth, he sealed our powers. Even then, some of our aura continued to leak out. The people could sense it, and they hated us without even knowing why."
She paused, her fists trembling.
"Three years later, you were born. Papa sealed your powers too. After that, they decided not to have any more children. They didn't want to bring another witch into this world."
Lucy's breathing grew heavier as the truth sank in.
"So… that's why everyone despises us."
Amanda nodded.
"Yes. But no matter how much the people hated us, Papa and Mama never abandoned us. They always stood by our side."
Her gaze returned to the scroll.
"Papa once told me, 'As long as the seal remains, we can live as lowly Shinras. We can hunt Darkside Spirits, grow stronger, and wait for the right time. When that time comes… we'll break the seal.'"
Lucy's hands began to tremble.
"So we're witches? You've known this all along, and you never told me?"
Her voice rose as anger began to take hold.
"It's been four months since Papa and Mama were killed, and you've kept this from me the entire time."
Amanda stepped forward, raising a hand.
"Calm down, Lucy. Everything I did was for your own good."
"For my own good?" Lucy shot back. "Or were you just too afraid to tell me?"
She shoved her chair aside and stormed toward the door.
"Where do you think you're going?" Amanda asked.
"I need to be alone… and process all of this."
Lucy flung the door open and stepped into the cold night.
Amanda watched her leave for a moment before following, the scroll still clutched in her hand.
Outside, Lucy's boots crunched against the gravel as she made her way up the hill behind their house. When she reached the summit, she stopped.
Below her stretched the Kingdom of Guhan.
Moonlight washed over the rooftops, revealing the streets where countless people continued to live their lives, unaware of the truth that had just been uncovered.
Lucy stood in silence, her fists clenched at her sides. Her mind was overwhelmed by everything Amanda had revealed, and she struggled to make sense of it all.
A few paces behind her, Amanda stopped.
She watched her younger sister's silhouette beneath the full moon, the old scroll still held tightly in her hand.