"Oh yeah, Nyx… I have something to ask you," Kael said, changing the topic.
Nyx, who had been enjoying her playful teasing, blinked at the sudden shift in his tone. She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing with curiosity.
"What is it?" she asked, her voice calmer now.
Kael's jaw tightened. His mind replayed every image. He exhaled slowly, then met her eyes.
"There's something in the ruins near the dark forest. We went there—me, Eva, and Aren. And…"
He paused, as if the words themselves resisted leaving his lips.
"There was a body. A woman, hanging… mutilated. Like she had been dead for a long time but cursed to stay fresh. And then—there was something else."
Nyx stood straighter, her playful demeanor now completely gone.
"What did you see?" she asked, her tone now serious, almost sharp.
Kael shook his head slightly.
"I didn't see it clearly. But I felt it. It chased us. It didn't speak, it didn't roar—but I felt its steps behind me."
He looked away, fingers tightening in dread.
"I want to know what that was. Do you know anything about something like that?"
Nyx didn't answer right away.
She stared at him, and for the first time since they met, Kael saw something flicker in her eyes.
Fear....
"It's not that I don't know," she said slowly, "but I didn't think it was possible for them to be here."
She stepped closer to Kael and gently placed her fingers on his forehead.
"Hold still," she murmured.
Kael closed his eyes as a cool sensation washed over him. His memories began to surface—clear, vivid, and raw. The haunting image of the hanging woman. The suffocating mana. The footsteps in the dark.
Everything played in Nyx's mind as if she were there beside him.
After a few minutes, Nyx slowly pulled her hand back and opened her eyes. She let out a deep sigh, as if a heavy weight had just lifted from her chest.
"Thank the stars," she muttered under her breath, then looked at Kael. "They weren't what I feared."
Kael looked at her, confused but attentive. "Then what were they?"
Nyx crossed her arms. "Necromancy."
"Necromancy?" Kael echoed. "Like… reviving the dead?"
Nyx nodded. "Exactly. That woman you saw—she was real once. Probably kidnapped, maybe killed for the sake of an experiment. Some lunatic mage must have been conducting necromantic research, using humans as their test subjects. And when it failed… the body became that."
Kael swallowed.
"So it wasn't some ancient evil?" he asked.
Nyx shook her head. "Not ancient, no. But still dangerous. Failed necromantic experiment often create zombies. They become mindless, aggressive, and worst of all—they spread the poisonous necrotic mana. If you had stayed longer, you would've been infected."
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
"So… we were lucky."
"Yes," Nyx said, her eyes serious. "Very."
She stood to sit on his bed, legs crossed.
"But the question is… who's doing necromancy that deep in the woods near your town? That kind of magic doesn't happen by accident."
Kael stood up as well, falling onto the bed beside Nyx with a long, tired sigh.
"I don't know…" he muttered, eyes on the ceiling.
His body sank into the mattress and the day's exhaustion quickly caught up to him now that he knew the truth.
Humans often fear what they do not understand—the unknown, the shadows that lurked just beyond their reach.
It was that uncertainty, that inability to control what waited in the dark, that crushed hope and caused nightmares.
Now that the veil had been lifted—even slightly—it was easier to breathe.
Kael turned his head lazily toward Nyx.
"You ever get scared?" he asked.
Nyx didn't answer right away. She just looked at him.
"Even the strongest get scared," she finally said. "The difference is whether you let it paralyze you or push you forward."
Kael gave a small nod, his eyelids starting to close.
**
Meanwhile,
Alaric had taken little Lisa to her room, tucking her in and staying by her side until she fell asleep.
Back in the kitchen, only Lyra and Ellie remained. Lyra was wiping down the table, humming softly when she glanced towards Ellie.
"Did both children behave today?" she asked.
Ellie, standing near the dishes, gave a light smile. "Yes, Mistress Lyra. Young Miss Lisa was full of energy today—she played the whole afternoon without a single complaint. She's such a cheerful child."
Lyra smiled at her words, her hands moving automatically as she continued wiping the table.
Ellie continued, "As for Young Master Kael, he stayed in his room most of the time."
She paused, recalling something.
"Ah, yes—he did come out once. I saw him standing outside your room."
Lyra paused mid-wipe, a slight frown forming. "Outside my room?" she asked, turning to face Ellie fully. "Why was he there?"