Whispers Hidden in the Dark Night (2)

It hurts so much…

I'm so tired…

Why…

The endless darkness in her vision made her believe she was in an abyss. The fatigue and confusion in her heart were greater than her fear, because she had never seen the light.

Where there is no expectation, there is no fear.

"What… what is this…" She felt an itch in her palm and couldn't help but raise her hand, discovering a thin red line. Confused, she brought her eyes closer, her eyes widening, bloodshot veins spreading upwards beneath her eyeballs… until the line began to wriggle towards her wrist, suddenly "drilling" into her hand.

"It's you… haha." She squinted and smiled, her smile extremely stiff, her face seemingly unaccustomed to such an expression.

However, her expression changed the very next second. She screamed, clutching her wrist until flesh and blood became a bloody mess, "No… ahhh… no!"

The fear on her face consumed her fatigue. Then, the fatigue condensed into a thick mass, enveloping her brow, causing her to fall to the ground, clutching herself in pain. Blood from her wrist slid down her face, "Please… don't… don't ahhhhhh!"

Click.

"Welcome back, Mage." Fatenai opened the door, and a pleasant voice echoed from the dim interior.

Fatenai looked expressionlessly at the person who shouldn't have been in the darkness. Ed Ansendil greeted her, but maintained his posture of looking down at his book, not looking at her.

She didn't speak, picked up the water glass on the table, and took a sip.

"Did your family teach you how to dispose of corpses?" Fatenai asked slowly after drinking the water.

It sounded as if she were asking if he had ever read a particular book.

"The Ansendil family's education is not as good as the Wisdom Family's. If you haven't received such education, then I haven't either." Ed's expression remained unchanged as he calmly dismissed Fatenai's suggestion. However, he changed his tone, "But if the lady is in trouble, I am always at your service."

Fatenai didn't speak, tacitly agreeing. She turned and left the room, walking neither too fast nor too slow, appearing very calm. Yet, her heart was unsettled because of the scene just now. In the environment where darkness and silence mingled, she couldn't help but recall the details of that moment – it was the corpse of a young girl, only fourteen or fifteen years old. Her face was dark and blue, retaining only an expression of "fear" – her mouth and eyes were stretched wide open, and her limbs were contorted strangely. Although there wasn't a drop of blood on the ground, it was undeniable that she was dead… even dead for some time.

Ed followed Fatenai, stepping out with a rhythm that sounded quite elegant. His azure eyes held no emotion, neither surprise nor joy.

"How could this be…" The two quickly returned to the corridor opposite the small hall, but Fatenai whispered softly, revealing her surprise – the corpse that had been lying on the ground was long gone, not even a trace left behind.

It was as if everything had been her imagination.

This reminded Fatenai of some unpleasant memories.

When she was a child, she had stayed in a castle within her family's territory. Something happened then, and she couldn't help but tell her parents about it – but in the end, it was just like today, leaving no trace.

"Lonai, don't do that again. Making a fool of yourself will bring shame to the family," Duke Wisdom said at the time.

This is terrible.

"It seems the other party was a coward." Fatenai heard Ed's voice as she was lost in thought. He glanced at the ground.

"What did you say?" Fatenai couldn't help but turn to look at him.

Ed's words contained a lot of information. Seeing Fatenai's suddenly brightened eyes, he said, "It's time to go back and rest. I remember you still have work to do."

The light in Fatenai's eyes gradually faded. Coming back to her senses, she couldn't help but look at Ed, "Don't you think you're toying with me?"

"You guessed right, I am indeed toying with you." Ed said, turning and walking away, completely indifferent to Fatenai's current feelings.

"No, you know something." Fatenai quickly walked forward and blocked Ed's path. Her eyes stared intently into his. "I know how malicious you are, but you'd better not treat me like a child and fool me. And about Wickel, who was it you killed back then?"

"It was Wickel, didn't you see him already?" Ed replied.

"What I want to know is the truth." Fatenai's gaze turned fierce. She was usually easygoing, but Ed could easily push her to her limit.

Ed let out a light laugh, which made Fatenai's heart sink to the bottom – her vision blurred, and Ed's voice drifted from behind her, "What a person knows is consistent with their position – what do you think you can know…"

Fatenai frowned. Ed knew where she came from. And speaking of the eldest daughter of the Wisdom Family, any noble would be aware of the fact that this young lady could not use magic.

This was irony, mocking herself for being unable to use magic yet trying to show off here.

She really shouldn't consider this person's words to be of any use.

"Alright, as you say," Fatenai took a deep breath. "But let's give it a try and see how much I can find out."

"Heh… cute lady, the world of mages is not God's garden – attempting to know unnecessary things will twist yourself." Ed's voice grew more distant. He walked down the central stairs, and Fatenai couldn't see him.

Fatenai was silent for a moment, then turned and walked away, no longer paying attention to Ed. This action showed that she did not agree with anything Ed had said.

"Perhaps you will push that mage too far," Ed said again, and then his voice never sounded again.

Sudden arrival, sudden departure.

Fatenai didn't even know the reason for Ed's appearance, but out of her dislike for him, she didn't try to understand the issue.

However, life could no longer be like it was before.

The next morning, Fatenai went downstairs for breakfast as usual.

"Good morning, Fatenai." The same greeting as yesterday, but not from the same person. Fatenai looked back and saw Shirey. Just as she had first seen her, her face lacked any expression. "Has life been peaceful lately?"

"Very peaceful, thank you for asking." Fatenai replied, though she didn't understand why this girl, who had always kept her distance from others, would suddenly care about her.

"She's just fulfilling her duty, no need to be so surprised." At this moment, Shirey's only friend spoke. Fatenai subconsciously looked towards the owner of the voice, her pupils contracting for a moment.

It was a gentle-looking girl, taller than Shirey.

That's not the point.

The point is.

She had the same face as the corpse from last night.

"Hello, my name is Christie," Christie said with a friendly demeanor, her ordinary appearance putting one at ease.

"Hello," Fatenai extended her hand, her eyes fixed on Christie's as their hands clasped. "Do you have any sisters?"

"No, Shirey and I are both orphans," Christie stated frankly. "But she and I are like sisters, we depend on each other."

Christie's smile was genuine, but when that smile overlapped with the terrified face Fatenai had seen last night, a chill ran down her spine.