Chapter 9: The Contract Under the Moonlight
Every door that opens to welcome the lost...
is also a door that invites the cruel outside world to follow...
Mercy... is therefore often the bravest and most foolish decision one can make at the same time.
— From "The Journal of a Borderland Innkeeper"
The heavy knock on the door instantly silenced the atmosphere in the house. Father... Aether... frowned before walking to the door. He didn't open it all the way, but just a crack.
As soon as the door was ajar, figures in pitch-black cloaks slipped into the house with great speed, before kneeling on one knee in unison. Their leader was a dark elf with a scar running across his eye.
"Please, do not be alarmed," he said in a low, deep voice. "We have been watching all along... and we saw everything you did... I am Kaen... Captain of the Shadow Guard. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saving the life of Princess Lunaria."
Kaen began to recount a story that seemed torn from a legend...
"In the subterranean city of "Sylvana," hidden deep beneath the earth... a quiet but brutal civil war is raging. A radical group of nobles had staged a rebellion to seize the throne, their primary target being the assassination of "Princess Lunaria"... the last direct heir of the old royal line, in order to uproot the old dynasty completely."
"They... the Shadow Guard... had escaped with the princess through a secret tunnel but were ambushed along the way by an assassination unit using weapons coated in "Life-Disintegrating" poison. Many of them fought to the death to open a path for the princess to escape alone."
"We followed the trail of her blood and her weakening magical energy all this time... until it stopped at this very house."
"But why here?" Father asked the crucial question.
"The royal seal the princess carries..." Kaen explained, "...it contains an ancient magic that automatically guides its bearer to the 'place with the purest and most stable magical energy' nearby when in mortal danger... and it led us here."
My father and mother turned to look at me... I could only lower my head and avoid their gaze.
"The situation in the city is too dangerous now," Kaen continued, his face grim. "To take the princess back is to send her to her death... Therefore, I have a shameful request to make..."
He bowed so low his forehead almost touched the floor.
"Please... could you allow the princess to hide here for a while longer? We will provide for everything... money, provisions, and we will secretly post guards to ensure the safety of you all."
Before my parents could decide... a hoarse voice came from the bed in the corner of the room.
"I will stay here."
Lunaria propped herself up. She looked at Kaen, then turned to meet my gaze directly.
"Here... the 'voices' are quiet."
Kaen raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Princess... you mean the 'Echoing Curse'..."
"Yes," Lunaria replied curtly, her ruby-red eyes still fixed on me. "...Near him... I don't hear the screaming... I don't hear the sounds of hatred... There is only... silence."
Now... all eyes in the room turned to me once again.
My father was the one to break the silence. "She can stay here... until the time is right."
The agreement was made. Kaen used magic to inscribe some runes on the "obsidian pendant she always wore" for Lunaria to use to disguise her appearance. Her reflection in the crystal was as beautiful as a pixie. Then, they vanished into the darkness.
The next morning... a new "merchant family" moved into the abandoned house at the edge of the village. They were an ordinary-looking man and woman... but I noticed the faint scar on the man's wrist... and the way they stood at a disciplined distance from each other... Shadow Guard... I thought to myself.
Over the past few years... my life had improved greatly... receiving the love from a family I never had... using my knowledge to help those I love... It was like pouring water into a leaking vessel... it still leaked... but it would never run completely dry again.
MP: 127/1000
This number was the proof... It was the daily battle... the small, accumulated victories. But the "Shadow" was still there... always waiting for a moment of weakness to drag me down...
And that very afternoon... Vulcan arrived.
He did not come with a smile of admiration. His eyes were serious and filled with concern.
He placed a small "mana detector" on the table. Its needle quivered.
"Last night... there was an abnormal eruption of magical energy in this area," he said flatly. "I followed its trail... to here."
He glanced over at the disguised Lunaria... then looked back at me.
"Faelix... I don't know how you did it... but 'Life-Disintegrating Poison' is not something a seven-year-old can cure... This rumor is dangerous... very dangerous."
Vulcan took a deep breath.
"Your talent is a double-edged sword. It might create miracles... but at the same time, it will draw disaster to you... and to your family."
He placed a small wooden box on the table.
"You need the power to protect yourself... and this is your first lesson."
"Inside is a 'Basic Runic Engraving Kit'... I give you one month... Use all the knowledge you have... to create a 'protective ward' that can 'distort perception' around this house... Turn it into a 'blind spot' on the map of anyone who comes looking for trouble... Do it before the next uninvited guests... who may not be as friendly as last night's... arrive."
[ New Main Quest Appeared: 'Shadow Bastion' ]
Objective: Create a protective ward (Level: Perception Distortion) around the residence...
Time Limit: 30 Days...
Warning: External interest is rising... The family's safety level is at risk...
Reward: 'Runic Engineering' Proficiency +100, Unlock 'Apprentice Runesmith' class, Family's Safety...
I looked at the wooden box...
This was no longer "homework" that I could choose to do or not.
It was the first "mission"... with my family's life on the line.