CHAPTER 19: Whispers of the Past

Kaziel sat on the edge of his bed, his elbow resting on his knee as he leaned his back against the cold stone wall. The flickering lantern cast faint shadows against the dormitory walls, giving the room an air of quiet contemplation. He let out a sigh, his gaze drifting across the room.

"Is this place a prison or a sanctuary? Do people lived here all this time?" he mused aloud, directing the question at the raven perched beside him.

A soft rustle of fabric sounded as a silhouette stretched from the shadow of the raven, cast by the dim lantern light. Anna remained still, her arms crossed, her form dark and featureless, blending into the shadows like an empty void. "I’ve gathered some information—thanks to Raven’s scouting," she said. "This so-called ‘Farmland’ took in hundreds of homeless and orphaned children from Elyssia... forced them into labor."

Kaziel’s eyes darkened, his fingers curling into a fist. “I see… So they were hurting innocent people… That’s cruel.”

Anna nodded, her voice carrying a hint of frustration.

“Yeah… What surprises me is that no one in Elyssian ever talks about it. It’s strange—they don’t even ask. I guess it makes sense, though. People like that… especially the homeless… they’re easy to overlook.”

Kaziel let out a slow sigh, his expression still troubled.

“Even so, I don’t understand… Why wouldn’t the survivor want to leave? She doesn’t seem to remember anything from her past. She just keeps tending the plants, going about her life like nothing happened… right?”

Anna hesitated before nodding. “Right.”

Something clicked in Kaziel’s mind. A thought—unsettling and persistent.

"…All the people from Elyssia, huh?" His voice was quieter this time, his breath sharp. "I doubt it."

Anna blinked, tilting her head. “Why?”

His gaze flickered with thought. "Because Maika doesn’t seem like she came from there."

Anna's voice frowned. "Then where do you think she’s from?"

Kaziel recalled the way Maika’s eyes had burned with something deeper than sorrow—something unshaken, unwavering. "From her presence alone... she’s connected to the Sapphire Heart’s protectors."

Anna's breath hitched slightly. "You’re saying she’s one of them?"

Kaziel nodded. "Think about it. She can use Elyssence. She built that entire garden without relying on a single Sapphire Heart. Only the chosen ones can do that."

Anna stared at him, stunned. "Does 'Her Grace' know about this?"

Kaziel’s thoughts lingered. If Her Grace—Amastacia, the High Priestess of Selphine—knew about this, wouldn’t she have acted by now?

The elven princess had been revered since childhood, rising to power with wisdom beyond her years. She was no fool.

"I’m not sure," Kaziel admitted. "I might be wrong about her being a candidate. But there’s no mistaking it—she wields a Divine Sword infused with dark power. That alone makes her unique."

Anna nodded, lost in thought. “Dark power… then it’s impossible. But those hybrids alone… they’re something else.”

She let out a sigh. “We’ll figure that out later. I need to ask Helion if he knows anything.”

“Ah, yeah… that might help,” Kaziel replied.

Anna’s gaze sharpened. “Right now, your goal is clear—recruit her before it’s too late.”

Kaziel raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Since when were you so eager to have her join us?"

Anna huffed, crossing her arms. "L-listen... ever since I met you, I haven’t had a single girl to talk to. I need a break from your nonsense."

Kaziel smirked. "Oh? Is that so?"

Anna snapped. Then she ordered the bird to peck on his head harshly.

"Ow!" Kaziel winced as Anna’s raven delivered another sharp peck to his head. "How many times do you need to do that?!"

As he shifted, his elbow knocked against the pillow, causing it to fall from the bed. A small rustling sound followed, and Kaziel frowned as a few papers tumbled onto the ground.

"Letters..?" Anna asked.

Kaziel frowned, picking up one of the fallen letters. The ink had faded slightly, but the handwriting was delicate, yet precise—almost too precise.

“This handwriting… I’ve seen it before.”

He traced his thumb over the parchment, narrowing his eyes. At first glance, it looked ordinary—just another letter. But there was something about the way certain strokes curved, the way some letters seemed slightly off in spacing, as if a hidden rhythm was woven into the words.

A pattern.

His heart beat a little faster. He quickly flipped over another letter.

‘To: Etsuko.’

His breath hitched slightly. He turned to another.

‘From: Maika.’

Anna leaned in, sensing his shift in focus. “What is it?”

Kaziel didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his pouch, retrieving a small vial of shimmering dust. He let it drift over the page, watching as the magic settled.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

The air above the letter shimmered faintly, as if responding to the spell.

Soft glowing symbols began to surface—hovering, flickering in and out of sight.

“A secret message spell,” Anna whispered, her voice laced with intrigue. “Only visible to the ones meant to read it.”

Kaziel exhaled sharply, his gaze locked onto the symbols. They had been there the whole time, unseen. Hidden just beneath reality itself.

“This wasn’t just a letter,” he murmured. “They were communicating in a way no one else could read.”

Anna crossed her arms. “Like a cipher?”

He shook his head. “No… more than that. They weren’t just hiding words—they were weaving spells into the very air above the ink.”

His fingers hovered near the glowing script, watching as the letters pulsed softly, waiting to be read.

“It’s not just a message,” he muttered, eyes narrowing as the meaning of the hidden text unraveled.

His expression hardening. “It’s a warning. A plan. And it’s unfinished.”

Anna’s eyes flickered with curiosity. “Then this Maika girl… could she be ‘that girl’?”

Kaziel didn’t respond right away. He stared at the glowing text, his mind piecing together the fragments.

Maika.

He finally said her name aloud, testing the weight of it. “Maika… so that’s her name, huh?”

His fingers tightened slightly over the parchment. How long had she been sending these messages? And why… why was it abandoned?

He reached for another letter, eyes scanning over the intricate strokes. Even without the shimmer dust, he could tell—the handwriting carried the same weight, the same urgency.

They were planning something.

His voice was lower this time, laced with something unreadable. “They were planning to escape this place… but I need more information.”

He flipped through the scattered letters, searching for any clue that might explain what had happened. Some of the messages were incomplete, some burned at the edges, as if someone had tried to destroy them before they could be read.

As Kaziel scanned one of the remaining letters, Anna’s voice cut in.

“Wait.”

He glanced at her shadowed form as she observed the pages from a distance. “I can’t physically reach it, but I can still read something in the normal writing.”

Kaziel furrowed his brows and turned back to the letter in his hand. “This..?” His eyes skimmed over the words, and then—

“Please wish me luck! I’m going to face the same Greed in the underground again.”

A weight settled in his chest.

Anna’s shadow loomed beside him, arms crossed. “The underground probably holds some clues,” she muttered.

Kaziel’s gaze snapped up, meeting hers.

Anna exhaled, her tone laced with reluctance. “Well then. I’ll have to leave that up to you since I can’t be there myself. Let me deal with that Helion freak… see what he knows about this case.”

Kaziel smirked slightly. He knew exactly how she felt.

Of course, Anna never liked dealing with Helion.

Nodding, he watched as the bird fluttered through the open window.

“Helion, huh… I just hope my man is not off gambling again.” He snickered slightly before turning his attention back to the scattered letters.

The casino buzzed with tension, the flickering chandeliers casting golden light over velvet tables. Coins clinked, dice rolled, and the air smelled of smoke, ale, and desperation.

At the center of the room, Helion sat at the gambling table, his black coat blending into the dimly lit surroundings. His sharp golden eyes watched his opponents, fingers effortlessly rolling a golden coin between them. His fox-like ears twitched, catching the faint murmurs of doubt and unease from the gamblers around him.

Across from him, a noblewoman gripped her cards, while a broad-shouldered man wiped sweat from his brow. The dealer shuffled the cards, his hands unusually shaky.

Helion leaned back, his voice smooth. “One last round?”

The man hesitated. “Haven’t you won enough?”

Helion smirked, his fox-like ears flicking slightly. He flicked the coin into the air, the whole table watching as it spun. For a moment, everything slowed.

Then—misfortune struck.

The noblewoman’s cards slipped from her hands, scattering across the table. A loss.

The man’s fingers caught on his rings, sending his stack of coins tumbling.

The dealer, normally precise, dealt Helion the perfect hand.

A silence fell over the table. Helion had won. Again.

His tail flicked slowly as he caught a frustrated curse from a spectator behind him. With a soft sigh, he gathered his winnings. Not a hint of surprise, only quiet amusement.

Flipping a coin to the dealer, he smirked“Luck is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, luck is a beautiful thing,” a voice cut in from behind him. “As if you could escape from your duty as well.”

Helion froze for a second. He wasn’t used to being caught off guard. Slowly, he turned his head, his expression blank but his eyes sharp.

Anna stood there, arms crossed, her hood casting a shadow over her face. The Vampire girl who had a sharp gaze, like a thorn pressing against his patience, unreadable yet persistent. Even without a weapon, she carried an air of certainty, the kind that made it impossible to ignore her.

“Anna?” Helion said, his voice flat.

She didn’t respond right away, only tilting her head slightly.

Helion exhaled, already feeling the annoyance creeping in. He wasn’t one for company. He liked doing things his own way, without interference. Yet, here she was, he knew she had been there all along, watching, waiting.

“I thought you knew already.” she asked, her tone dry.

As they walked through the dimly lit streets, Helion had no choice but to endure Anna’s relentless nagging.

“I can’t believe you’re still gambling after all the times I’ve told you to stop.” Her voice was sharp with frustration.

Helion let out a long, tired sigh. “Kaziel’s away. He literally told us to do our own thing. So why do you feel the need to ruin my fun every single time?”

Anna spun on her heel, glaring up at him. “Fun? You’re literally trying to ruin your life again. I don’t care if you want to test your luck, but using your ability against innocent people—it’s not right. We’ve talked about this before!”

Hands on her hips, she continued lecturing, her frustration spilling over in waves.

Helion groaned softly rolling his eyes. Here we go again.

“I’d rather take Kaziel’s advice than listen to a vampire lecturing me,” Helion muttered, glancing away in irritation.

Anna’s eyes narrowed, her voice carrying an edge. “Are you calling me out because I actually take good habits seriously?”

Despite the bite in her words, she was clearly trying to keep her temper in check.

Helion let out a weary sigh, his frustration fading into something closer to resignation. “…What do you want?”

He rested his arms on the nearby railing, his gaze drifting to the distant lights where people laughed and drank, their world so far removed from his own.

Anna sighed, mirroring his stance as she leaned her back against the railing,

“It’s about the girl I was talking about,” she said, her voice steady but thoughtful.

His tail twitched slightly. “And what of it this time?”

“We found out she might be related to the Sapphire Heart’s protectors. Do you think you could do something about it?” She shifted her gaze toward him.

Helion exhaled through his nose, staring at the glowing lights of the city below. “What do you expect me to do? Read her fate and confirm her bloodline?” He scoffed, flicking the coin in his palm. “That’s not how it works, Anna.”

Anna narrowed her eyes. “Then tell me what you can do.”

He rolled the coin across his knuckles lazily. “Fate doesn’t care about bloodlines. It only cares about what will be.” He shrugged. “If she’s meant for something, then her thread will be strong, unyielding.”

His expression hardened, but for the briefest moment, his tail flicked in irritation. “But… there is something strange.”

Anna arched a brow. “Strange?”

“A knot.” Helion’s gaze darkened slightly as he toyed with the coin. “A tangle in fate. It pulls in different directions. Too many variables. Too many possibilities.” His voice turned quieter, unreadable. “And Kaziel is in the center of it.”

Anna’s expression hardened. “You’re saying she’ll harm him?”

He snickered, though there was no amusement in it. “I’m saying I don’t know.” He finally tucked the coin away, leaning back with a sigh. “And that’s what bothers me.”

“So you won’t warn him?”

“What am I supposed to say?” Helion shrugged. “‘Hey, your thread might be tangled with someone who could ruin your life—or save it. Who knows?’” He smirked. “That’d go well.”

Anna scoffed, crossing her arms. “You are so insufferable.”

“And yet, here you are. Still bothering me.” He grinned, flicking his tail.

The scene shifted to where Maika was searching for Kaziel. She had checked the dormitory, the corridors, even the garden—until finally, she found him.

He was in the Observation Chamber.

“Oh, there you are…!” Maika peered through the open door, her voice light, though her brows furrowed slightly.

Kaziel stiffened, turning sharply as if he had been caught. His shoulders tensed, his hands subtly shifting—as if he was trying to hide something.

The room was old, dimly lit, and scarred by destruction from the past. Though Maika had restored parts of it, cracks still lined the walls, shattered glass glistened from the ruined panels, and remnants of past experiments lingered. The air felt heavy, the weight of forgotten horrors pressing against her skin.

Her eyes sharpened.

Something wasn’t right.

“I was looking for you in the dormitory,” she said, stepping inside cautiously. “Why are you here?”

Kaziel let out a nervous chuckle, a little too forced as he flashed an awkward smile.

“Huh? Oh? Well, I was just… doing my stuff.”

Maika’s gaze narrowed. He was a terrible liar.

“Just tell me what you’re actually doing in here,” she pressed, watching him carefully.

There was a pause. A brief flicker of hesitation.

Then, Kaziel exhaled, running a hand through his hair. “I have a question, though.”

Maika tilted her head slightly. “What is it?”

Kaziel’s expression shifted. The forced ease in his posture vanished. He turned fully toward her, his blue eyes sharp and certain.

“Ever heard of someone called Maika?”

Maika’s breath caught.

The way he said it—the weight behind his words—he already knew. He wasn’t asking out of curiosity. He was confirming.

He was certain of who he was speaking to.

Kaziel’s gaze didn’t waver. If there was anyone who could wield this kind of power, anyone who could decode hidden spells woven into the very air—it had to be her,

Maika.

It had been so long since she had heard her name spoken with such weight—such certainty.

Her fingers clenched slightly. “What… about it?”

Kaziel didn’t blink. His voice remained steady, deliberate.

“Are you aware that she was planning to escape this place—before the commemoration began? A few days after the ceremony, rumors of mysterious disappearances started spreading.”

His voice was steady, but there was something unreadable in his gaze. Was he testing her? Prodding for answers? Even so, the words struck her like a dagger.

That night—the night of the commemoration—whispers of broken promises, hurried footsteps, a desperate plan that never reached its end. It all came rushing back.

Her stomach twisted. The air around her felt thick—heavy. Was this… an interrogation?

Her thoughts raced. Did he know everything? Had he uncovered what she had tried to bury?

And more importantly—

Was he after her life?

A ringing filled her ears, drowning out everything else. The walls seemed to blur, her surroundings warping as if the weight of the past had begun to crush her.

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. No, stop thinking about it—don’t go back to that night—

"You're afraid, aren't you?"

The voice wasn't Kaziel’s.

Maika’s breath caught as an unnatural chill spread down her spine.

A heavy presence loomed behind her.

The flickering light above twisted, casting grotesque shadows along the cracked walls. The glass panels rattled softly, as if responding to something unseen.

Slowly, hesitantly, Maika turned her head.

A figure stood behind her.

At first glance, she thought it was human. But then—

The skin along its arms twisted and pulsed, dark tendrils writhing beneath its surface. One eye was bright with life, the other sunken and void-like. Jagged claws flexed at its sides, trembling as if resisting its own existence.

"...Etsuko?"