Chapter Forty-Three: Whispers Hidden in the Night (2)

"Looks like our opponent is a coward." Fatenai heard Ed's voice as she stood lost in thought. He glanced at the ground.

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

Ed's words held a lot of information. When he saw Fatenai's eyes suddenly light up, though, he said, "It's time to go back and get some rest. I believe you still have work to do."

The light in Fatenai's eyes gradually faded. Coming back to herself, she couldn't help looking at Ed. "Why do I feel like you're messing with me?"

"You guessed right. I am messing with you," Ed said, turning to walk away, utterly unconcerned with how Fatenai felt.

"No, you know something." Fatenai hurried after him and stepped in front of him, staring into his eyes. "I know how awful you can be, but don't treat me like a child and toy with me. And about Wickel—who was the person you killed back then?"

"That was Wickel. Didn't you see?" Ed replied.

"I want to know the truth." Fatenai's gaze turned fierce. She was usually easygoing, but Ed could drive her to the brink of anger with little effort.

Ed chuckled. Fatenai's heart sank. Her vision blurred, and Ed's voice drifted from behind her. "What a person knows is commensurate with their power and status."

Fatenai frowned. Ed knew where she came from, and every noble knew that the young lady of the Wisdom Family couldn't use mana.

It was mockery—mockery of her, for showing off here despite being unable to use mana.

She really shouldn't expect anything useful from this man.

"All right, as you say." Fatenai took a deep breath. "But come and see for yourself what I can find out."

"Heh... My dear young lady, the world of mages isn't a garden of the gods. Trying to learn things you have no need to know can twist you out of shape." Ed's voice grew more distant as he walked down the staircase in the middle. Fatenai couldn't see him.

Fatenai was silent for a moment, then turned and walked away, no longer paying Ed any mind. Her gesture made it clear she didn't agree with anything he'd said.

"You might drive that mage into a corner. You'd better be careful dealing with her from now on." Ed spoke once more, then his voice fell silent.

He really... knew something.

He had come without warning and left just as suddenly.

Fatenai didn't even know why Ed had appeared, but she disliked him too much to bother trying to understand.

Before leaving, Fatenai glanced over that way again and let out a barely audible sigh.

Things could no longer go on as they had for a while.

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

"Good morning, Fatenai." It was the same greeting as yesterday, but from someone else. Fatenai turned and saw Shirey. As before, there was little expression on her face. "Has life been peaceful lately?"

"Very peaceful, thank you for asking," Fatenai replied, though she didn't understand why this girl, who was usually distant toward others, had suddenly taken an interest in her.

"She's just doing her duty. You don't need to be so surprised." Shirey's only friend spoke up. Fatenai instinctively looked toward the voice, and her pupils contracted for a moment.

It was a gentle-looking young woman, taller than Shirey.

That wasn't the point.

The point was...

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

"Hello, my name is Christie," Christie said in a friendly voice. Her unremarkable appearance somehow put people at ease.

"Hello." Fatenai held out her hand and watched Christie as their hands clasped. "Do you have a sister?"

"No, Shirey and I are both orphans," Christie said calmly. "But we're as close as sisters, and we've always relied on each other."

Christie's smile was sincere, but seeing it laid over the terrified face Fatenai had seen last night made her skin crawl.

It hurts so much...

I'm so tired...

Why...

The endless darkness in her field of vision made her think she was in an abyss. Yet the weariness and confusion in her heart outweighed her fear, because she had never seen the light.

Without hope, there could be no fear.

"What is... what is this..." She felt an itch in her palm and couldn't help raising her hand. There was a thin red line there. She stared at it in confusion, bringing her eyes closer. Her eyes widened as blood vessels spread beneath them... until the line began to creep toward her wrist and suddenly "burrowed" into her hand.

"It's you... haha." She narrowed her eyes and smiled, though the smile was stiff, as if her face wasn't used to the expression.

But the next second her expression changed. She screamed and clutched her wrist until it was a bloody mess. "No... Aah... no!"

Fear swallowed the weariness on her face. Then the weariness gathered into a dense mass around her brow, and she collapsed to the ground, clutching herself in agony. Blood from her wrist ran down her face. "Please... no... nooooo!"

Whoosh!

Fatenai jolted awake and looked at her palm.

There was nothing there.

Her nightgown made her look even more delicate. Her platinum-blond hair spilled loose as she took a deep breath, her hand still trembling for some reason.

Why had she dreamed something like that?

The feeling from the dream surged into her mind along with the darkness. It all filled her with boundless exhaustion. Her eyelids felt like things bobbing in water, rising and falling until their movements grew smaller and smaller. She wanted to close her eyes and sleep forever...

Knock, knock, knock!

Just as Fatenai's eyelids were about to close, the knocking "woke" her once more.

"Who is it?" Fatenai frowned.

"Oh, it's me!" With a creak, the door opened and a little face peeked in. Fatenai immediately recognized her smiling face—Chris. "Oh, are you still asleep?"

"What do you want? Isn't it a little early?" Fatenai shook her head to clear it. Sleep filled with nightmares was never restful, and it unsettled her, since she rarely dreamed. She glanced at the pocket watch on her bedside table as she spoke.

"Of course I came to see if you slept well." Chris's answer made Fatenai frown.

By any ordinary measure, it wasn't even morning yet. She was a little too...

"Oh, you're no fun," Chris said, waving her hand. "I wanted to ask if you know where the 'Divine Language' is in Professor Lyteta's lab."

"Do mages study the 'Divine Language'? I wouldn't know. You know it's always a mess in there." Fatenai's tone was cold. "And why don't you ask her yourself? If there's nothing else, please leave."

Seeing that Fatenai was in a bad mood, Chris pouted, then smiled. "All right, then. Have sweet dreams!"

Fatenai watched the inexplicable girl, her mind elsewhere.

How could she possibly get back to sleep?