Twilight hung low. Outside the eaves, a gentle breeze brushed through the ancient, tangling vines, their leaves rustling softly and carrying a faint, cool scent of damp earth and greenery. Night was descending quietly upon the forest, yet inside the wooden cottage, the lamplight remained warm and inviting.
The hearth fire flickered, and the air was thick with the sweet, intermingled aroma of vanilla and cream—a scent so soft it seemed capable of smoothing away all fatigue.
"Where on earth did you go!? Why are you back so late!"
Somaria stood at the kitchen doorway, hands on her hips, her voice sharp with clear dissatisfaction. Her cheeks were slightly flushed with emotion, but beneath the reprimand, the shadow of worry was impossible to hide.
Selphira merely grinned, carelessly brushing the dust and dirt from her hem.
"I was just playing in the forest," she said brightly. "I wandered a bit too far, and before I knew it, it was dark."
She spoke with such nonchalance, as if the falling night were nothing more than a speck of dust she could flick off her skirt.
"You—" Somaria started to retort, but she was interrupted by a gentle voice.
Their mother stepped out from the kitchen, still wearing her apron, her expression as soft as spring water.
"That's enough, Somaria. Selphira is only a little late," she said softly. "Don't be so hard on her. Come now, dinner is ready."
Their father also set down his scroll and looked up at Selphira, a warm smile gracing his face.
"Selphira, I heard you've already mastered Necromancy?"
As Selphira sat down, she watched her mother ladle steaming stew into her bowl. As the aroma rose, her eyes lit up, her expression full of pride and satisfaction.
"Yep!" she nodded. "Elder Morvea said she has nothing left to teach me. So—my Necromancy lessons officially ended today!"
"Splendid!"
Her father's face immediately broke into a look of delight, his pride unconcealed.
"As expected of the pride of the Vesperis family," he said excitedly. "If you can master Divination next, and then delve into the realm of Space-Time... then our family—will truly stand above all others and become the first!"
The firelight reflected in his eyes looked like a spark of ambition had been ignited.
"But—" Selphira pouted, sounding dissatisfied. "Divination sounds so boring. Isn't it just seeing what happens in the future? I could probably guess eighty or ninety percent of it just by winging it."
She spoke dismissively, as if it were a skill of no real value.
Her mother sat down beside her, gently stroking her smooth, long hair, her voice tender but carrying a hidden weight of expectation:
"Be good, Selphira... You are a once-in-a-century All-Element Magic User."
Her voice was soft, yet every word settled deep into the heart:
"If you can integrate every branch of magic... perhaps you won't just master Forbidden Magic, but even—create magic that is entirely your own."
"Forbidden Magic?" Somaria couldn't help but widen her eyes, her voice tinged with a hint of surprise and unease.
Their father turned his head toward her, his expression growing solemn.
"Those are ancient arcana once strictly forbidden by the Gods," he said. "Because their power was so immense it could trigger catastrophes, they were sealed away—some were even erased from the pages of history."
He paused, his voice dropping to a low murmur.
"What remains today are nothing more than scattered fragments and blurred records. But—if it is Selphira..."
His gaze settled back on Selphira, carrying a weight of expectation that bordered on absolute certainty.
"Perhaps you truly can manifest those lost miracles once more."
The firelight flickered. At that moment, the room seemed filled with nothing but the echoes of "expectation" and "possibility."
Suddenly, Selphira slapped her forehead with a sharp smack.
"Ah! Oh no—I forgot something super important!"
"What is it?" her mother asked, momentarily startled.
"Lola and her stubborn streak!" Selphira said huffily. "She said my Necromantic puppet isn't as good as hers. We agreed to have a match tomorrow—and I totally forgot to go look for materials to make a new one today!"
Their father couldn't help but burst into laughter, his eyes full of doting affection.
"So that's what it was." He nodded. "It's fine. Go take a look in my material storehouse later."
His tone carried a hint of approval. "Thinking of using necromantic components to craft a golem... that line of thinking is certainly unique."
He looked at Selphira, his smile deepening. "As expected of our Selphira—the cleverest child."
"Father..." Somaria spoke up softly, her tone laced with a trace of hesitation. "May I... also take some materials? I want to try making a puppet of my own, too."
She spoke very quietly, as if fighting for an opportunity she wasn't sure would be granted.
Her father stiffened slightly. His expression smoothed over, becoming serious and cool.
"Somaria, you should focus on your Mental Magic first."
His gaze was steady, showing not a hint of wavering.
"Your progress in Ice and Flesh Magic has indeed improved, but your teacher has already said—your foundation in the Mental branch is still unstable."
He paused, his voice turning firmer. "Without a stable foundation, everything else is empty talk. Solidifying your roots is the key to how far you will truly go in the future."
The air seemed to freeze for a heartbeat.
Somaria lowered her eyes, her fingers tightening slightly. Finally, she merely whispered in response:
"...I understand."
She didn't say another word.
Selphira, meanwhile, was biting into her cake, cream smudged on the corner of her mouth. She looked up, her smile relaxed and bright, her voice muffled but entirely unburdened.
"Don't worry so much, Big Sister~ Mental Magic is actually really simple!"
She swallowed a mouthful of cake, her eyes crinkling. "But this cake you made—it's seriously super delicious!"
That compliment was sincere and natural, yet it landed like a feather on a scale that was nowhere near balanced.
Chapter 48: Echoes of the Witch Village - The Weaver's Prologue (Part 4)
Their father raised his wine glass, his face brimming with unconcealed pride and joy.
"Haha! At this rate, in just two more years—" His voice was high and confident. "Selphira will become the first all-element witch in history at the age of sixteen, and—the most powerful one at that!"
The liquid in the glass swayed slightly, reflecting the dancing flames.
"By then, the glory of the Vesperis family will be etched into the annals of magic, passed down from generation to generation!"
His voice echoed through the house like a proclamation of future glory. Moonlight filtered through the window lattice, silvery-white like frost, plating the warm dining table in a soft radiance.
However—no one noticed.
Somaria's gaze was fixed quietly on Selphira. That dazzling brilliance reflected in her eyes, yet it brought no warmth. It only left behind a trace of unspoken complexity, spreading quietly in the depths of her heart.
—Envy?
—Resentment?
—Or some yet-unformed fracture?
No one knew.
The night grew deep. Moonlight like frost quietly blanketed the wooden floor. Outside the window, the insects chirped softly and the shadows of branches swayed as if whispering in low tones.
Somaria gently closed the door. She pulled Selphira back into their small room, her movements seemingly calm, yet carrying a hint of hidden urgency.
"Tell me," she whispered, staring directly at her younger sister with a trace of interrogation in her eyes. "Where exactly did you go today?"
She frowned slightly. "Playing until you forgot the time... did you fall asleep in the forest?"
Selphira sat on the edge of the bed, kicking off her boots. She looked up, her smile carrying a touch of irrepressible mischief and excitement.
"I wouldn't fall asleep in the forest," she said, swinging her legs lightly. "I just wandered quite far... and then, deep in the woods, I met someone from outside the village."
"Someone from outside the village?"
Somaria was stunned. Her expression tightened instantly, a clear look of vigilance surfacing in her eyes.
"Haven't we been told?" she whispered urgently. "No one except the elders is allowed to leave the village, let alone have contact with outsiders."
She took a step forward, her tone becoming frantic. "What... what did they look like?"
Selphira tilted her head slightly, as if lost in memory. The lamplight fell upon her hair, reflecting a faint silvery-blue luster.
"They're much like us," she said casually. "But—there was a boy..." Her lips curled up, her smile turning sly, as if she were harboring a little secret that belonged only to her. "He's... much better looking than any of the boys in the village."
Somaria's brow furrowed, her expression complex. "Just... much like us?"
She curled her lip in disappointment. "I thought they'd be cyclopes, or monsters like goblins and dwarves. Isn't that how the storybooks draw them?"
She paused, then looked up at Selphira again. "And their magic... was it strong?"
Selphira shook her head.
"I didn't see them use any magic." Her eyes shimmered with an excited light. "But—we played something called 'hunting.'" She let out a soft laugh. "It was so much fun!"
"Hunting?" Somaria tilted her head. "That sounds... a bit barbaric."
Selphira sat bolt upright, beginning to explain with enthusiastic gestures. "They use this thing called a 'bow' to take a long, slender stick—an 'arrow'—set it in place, and then whirr! It shoots out!" She mimicked the motion with her hands, her gaze bright. "I even shot a pheasant myself!"
"Just... a bird?" Somaria raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of dismissiveness. "A single ice spike or a shadow whip would have dealt with that instantly, wouldn't it? Why go through all that trouble?" She shook her head gently. "Using... thin sticks."
"They're called 'arrows,'" Selphira corrected, huffing slightly. But she wasn't truly angry; instead, there was a simple, earnest quality to her voice. "It's because you can't use magic that it makes it interesting." She smiled softly, as if relishing the memory of that specific achievement. "I tried for so long... before I finally hit it."
Somaria fell silent for a moment. She crossed her arms and sat on the edge of the bed, her tone becoming cold and rational.
"I still don't understand," she whispered. "That bird... it was a living being. To have its life taken just for a game—what is fun about that?"
Selphira looked at her. Then—she smiled gently.
She raised a finger and wagged it lightly in front of Somaria. The movement was composed, even carrying a slight air of "explaining the world."
"Have you forgotten?" Her voice was calm and natural. "It is said in Necromancy—" Her voice grew soft, yet it held an unsettling sense of matter-of-factness. "Life and death are merely parts of a continuous process."
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes so clear they were almost chillingly calm. "Souls do not disappear." She added in a whisper, "As long as there is a vessel—this process... can be reversed."
Somaria remained quiet for a long while, her gaze dropping as her voice was nearly swallowed by the night. "I can't even learn Necromancy anyway... forget it. We have lessons tomorrow; I'm going to sleep."
She pulled up the quilt, burying herself in the soft darkness. Her tone carried a trace of exhaustion—and that lingering, wordless envy.
"You really are something..."
Selphira laughed softly, her tone as light as the breeze. She lay back on her own bed, hands tucked behind her head, staring up at the wooden beams of the ceiling.
"One of these days when you're free, I'll take you to play with Evan. Then you'll finally see—what 'real fun' looks like."
The room gradually grew still. Outside, the moonlight flowed like water, blanketing the floor and the edges of the beds as if covering the night in a thin layer of frost. Both lay in their respective places, their breathing eventually evening out.
But—neither spoke another word.
As the first light of dawn broke, a gentle breeze swept over the village, bringing with it a moist, fresh scent.
In the courtyard, a white-haired elder was speaking in low, hushed tones with their father. Her voice was heavy with gravity.
"Intruders were detected on the outskirts of the village last night... Though they have been dealt with, we must increase our vigilance from now on. These outside humans—they never bring peace."
The words were like a cold stone dropped into a pool, sending a faint ripple through the air.
At that moment, Somaria adjusted her robes and stepped out of the house, offering a slight bow to the two of them.
"Elder Daetherin, Father—good morning."
Shortly after, Selphira stumbled out as well, rubbing her bleary eyes. Her hair was a mess, and her voice was laced with a lazy yawn.
"Morning..."
Their father nodded, his tone warm yet firm with instructions.
"Selphira, Elder Daetherin will be taking you for your lessons today. No fooling around; listen well to her lecture."
Daetherin gave a soft chuckle, her eyes filled with doting expectation.
"Hehe, she is the rising star of our village; how could she possibly fool around? Today, I plan to take her to the lakeshore to explain the foundations of Divination magic."
With that, she took the hand of the still half-awake Selphira and stepped onto the forest path. Their silhouettes were soon swallowed by the morning mist and the shifting shadows of the trees.
Somaria watched their retreating backs, her brow furrowing as a sliver of doubt grew in her heart. She turned to her father. "Why would the Elder suddenly come to pick her up in person? What were you two talking about just now?"
Her father smiled, his tone dismissive.
"Nothing much. Just word that there might be wild beasts prowling nearby; I was telling everyone to be careful." He paused, then added, "You should head to your own lessons as well. Don't let the gap between you and Selphira grow too wide—you are a daughter of Vesperis as well."
"...Yes."
Somaria responded in a low voice. As the wind swept through her hair, she gazed toward the distant horizon shrouded in morning mist. For some reason, a sudden, inexplicable chill rose from the depths of her heart.
It felt as though something invisible was lurking in that wind—a whisper.
It felt like a summons... yet also like a warning.
The afternoon sun slanted into the house, and the air was thick with a slight, dry heat.
"Where did Selphira go!?"
Lola burst into the house in a fit of rage, clutching two exquisitely crafted small puppets.
"She promised we'd have a match, but she's nowhere to be found!"
Somaria was taken aback. "She said she was going to find you. What, she didn't show up?"
"She sent a puppet to find me!" Lola puffed out her cheeks in anger, pulling a scrap of paper from her pocket. "And she wrote: 'Puppets are boring, I've gone to find something more interesting'... That girl is just—!"
Somaria sighed helplessly.
"She's always been like this." She paused, her tone lightening slightly. "Forget it, let her play on her own. Want to go for a walk, the two of us? It's actually more relaxing when she's not around; we don't always have to accommodate her."
Lola's eyes immediately lit up.
"You're right! That's perfect! Come on, let me show you the new beauty puppet I made—I can already make her dance an entire routine!"
"Really?"
A flash of surprise and joy lit up Somaria's eyes, and she stood up immediately. "That's amazing! Quick, show me!"
Meanwhile, far away in the dense forest outside the village, sunlight filtered through layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows upon the forest floor. A light breeze blew, and the shadows of the trees swayed gently.
Selphira stood at the spot where she had met Evan the day before. She looked around, her brow arched with a mix of curiosity and confusion as she whispered to herself:
"Huh? Why are there so many people today... and everyone is dressed exactly the same? How strange..."
Chapter 48: Echoes of the Witch Village - The Weaver's Prologue (Part 7)
She stepped forward, tapping the shoulder of the nearest person with zero hesitation or wariness.
"What are you all doing?"
The man was clad in silver-gray armor, his aura steady and disciplined. The moment he heard her voice, he spun around. His pupils constricted, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.
"You... You are Miss Selphira?"
Selphira tilted her head, a breezy smile playing on her lips. "How do you know who I am?"
"Excellent!"
The soldier's expression shifted instantly from shock to ecstatic joy, as if a long-awaited mission had finally been accomplished. He immediately shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Gather round! The lady has arrived! Prepare the rest area! I'm going to report to His Highness the Prince at once!"
In a heartbeat, the atmosphere in the forest transformed.
The soldiers moved like the wind, their actions synchronized and precise. They swiftly set up sunshades and laid out soft cushions and wooden tables. They even masterfully accounted for the wind direction and sunlight, ensuring the small space remained cool and comfortable.
Everything felt as though it had been meticulously prepared, merely waiting for her arrival.
Selphira sat down without the slightest bit of modesty, shifting her weight slightly to test the seat. A look of satisfaction filled her eyes. "You're all so thoughtful. This chair is very comfortable."
The soldier bowed, his voice respectful yet restrained. "If the lady is satisfied, it is our honor. His Highness the Prince has commanded—the moment we see you, any request you make must be fulfilled immediately."
Selphira blinked, her eyes lighting up as if she had discovered a fascinating new game. "Then... I want fruit juice and cake!"
"As you command."
The soldier retreated without a second thought.
Before long, a carafe of freshly squeezed juice and a plate of exquisite cake were respectfully presented. The cream was soft and delicate, its aroma diffusing slowly through the air.
Selphira took a bite, and her eyes sparkled. A look of unadulterated happiness washed over her face. "Wow... this is even better than the stuff in the village."
Her tone was innocent, yet it carried an air of entitlement to the pleasure she was receiving.
As she was eating happily, a familiar figure came racing through the trees.
Evan.
His breath was ragged, and a light sweat stood on his brow, but the moment he laid eyes on her, his gaze seemed to ignite.
"Miss Selphira!"
He stopped before her, leaning over slightly to catch his breath, yet he couldn't hide the delight in his voice. "Thank goodness... I've finally seen you again."
Selphira looked up at him and blinked. "I told you I'd come today, didn't I? What were you worried about?"
"I'm sorry..." Evan's face flushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head, looking a bit sheepish. "It's just... I really, truly wanted to see you."
"You're so strange." Selphira let out a light laugh, seemingly unable to grasp the true weight of that sentiment. "Anyway, what are you planning to play with me today? More hunting?"
Evan hesitated for a split second. "If that's what you want... of course, I'll accompany you."
Selphira shook her head, her voice trailing off in search of something fresh. "We did that yesterday. Today, I want to do something different." She leaned forward, eyes shimmering with anticipation. "Tell me, is there anything even more special, even more fun? I want to go back and brag about it to my sister."
"Of course there is!"
Evan didn't hesitate for a moment. He turned and barked out orders:
"Prepare the performers! And set the midday banquet!"
As the command fell, the forest sprang into motion once more.
Before long, a spectacle akin to a small festival unfolded within the woods. Vibrant dancers spun between light and shadow, their sleeves fluttering like wings; a comical jester tumbled and leapt, making exaggerated faces; the music was melodious, drifting away on the breeze.
Fragrant delicacies were presented one by one, and sweet fruit wine shimmered in the cups.
It was all as surreal as a dream.
It was as if the entire world were revolving around her, and her alone.
Selphira held her cake, laughing so hard she leaned back and forth.
"Hahaha! That jester is hilarious! He actually pulled a cat out of a hat!"
Evan clapped with a smile, his voice gentle yet commanding. "Reward him with a silver coin."
And so—anyone who could coax a laugh from her was rewarded.
And so—everyone performed with even greater fervor.
Pleasing her became the singular goal of the afternoon.
As the sunset dipped lower, spreading golden embers through the woods, Selphira stood up and lightly patted her skirt. "It's getting dark; I have to head back. Otherwise, Somaria will start nagging again."
Evan's gaze dimmed slightly. "Are you... truly leaving already?"
"Of course," Selphira replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I must be back in the village before night falls. I have a full day of lessons tomorrow."
Evan lowered his head, his expression looking somewhat dejected.
"However—" Selphira suddenly smiled, adding in a light tone, "I can come back the day after tomorrow."
In that instant, the light reignited in Evan's eyes like a lamp being lit. "That's wonderful! I will definitely wait for you."
"You really are strange." Selphira squinted her eyes, laughing as she sized him up. "Sad one moment, happy the next... are you sure you aren't suited to be a performer yourself?"
"No." Evan took a deep breath, his gaze suddenly becoming firm and earnest. "It is because—I like you."
"Eh?" Selphira froze for a moment. Unconsciously, a faint blush crept onto her cheeks. "You said... you like me?"
"Yes." Evan slowly dropped to one knee, his tone solemn and devout. "From the first moment I saw you, I have been unable to help myself."
He looked up, his gaze clear and burning with intensity. "I am the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Lunaris—Evan Virselis."
"I wish to marry you."
"I will offer the best future this world has to give, entirely to you."
The twilight deepened. The wind died down, and the forest grew silent. Selphira's eyes widened, seemingly still unable to fully process this sudden confession. She looked down at the remains of the cake in her hand, her fingertips lightly touching the soft cream.
At the corner of her lips, a smile quietly surfaced—confused, yet impossible to hide. It was as if a new emotion was, for the first time, beginning to sprout within her heart.