Chapter 13:
VOL. 1: CHAPTER 13 — "LANTERNS, LIES, AND THE SHADOW BEHIND THE MUSIC"
FATEBREAK: The Anomaly Who Holds Two Authorities
Lunaryn’s Festival of Moonblossoms wasn’t just pretty — it was ridiculous. Lanterns floated between the branches like stars stuck in a spiderweb of glowing roots. Spirit-foxes pranced through the courtyards as kids chased them with glowing wooden sticks. Vendors sold moonwine, herb-smoke, illusion-sweets that danced before melting on your tongue.
Aerin dragged me, Lythiriel, and Elorin through the crowd like a tiny festival general.
“Big brother! Princess!! Look! Dancing lights—!!” He pointed at spheres weaving through the sky like fireflies on caffeine.
I smiled.
Lythiriel tried very hard to smile stiffly.
Aerin wasn’t having it.
“Princess,” he scolded, “you’re doing the face again.”
Lythiriel blinked. “What face?”
“The ‘someone is annoying me’ face.” He said.
“I do NOT—!!”
Elorin coughed. “You do.”
“BETRAYAL—!!” she shrieked softly.
I held back a laugh, barely. Aerin confidently took both our hands like we were arguing parents who needed babysitting.
“I’m hungry,” he said.
“Same,” I nodded.
“No,” Lythiriel snapped. “You eat too much—!”
I smirked. “Princess. Are you fat-shaming me?”
Her soul left her body. “W-What?! N-NO!! I—I meant you keep burning mana excessively—!”
“So I need calories. See? Your logic saved me.” She reasoned.
She covered her face. “I hate this.”
I smirked again. “You like me.”
“STOP SAYING THAT—!!” She houted.
— AERIN’S POV (Mini-Interlude) —
Big brother Kai is silly.
He laughs at everything.
He jokes with Princess Lythiriel.
He pats my head when I’m scared.
He always smiles even when adults say scary things.
But I know something.
He’s lonely.
Sometimes when he thinks no one looks, he gets quiet.
His smile looks like the moon: bright but far away.
And today, when that scary shadow-man tried to hurt him, something in his eyes changed.
I want to protect my big brother.
Even though I’m small.
Even though I’m weak.
So I hold his hand tighter as we walk between lanterns.
Princess holds his other hand.
Big brother pretends he doesn’t notice.
But I can feel it.
His hand shakes a little.
— BACK TO KAI (FESTIVAL CONTINUES) —
Aerin dragged us toward a stall selling star-grilled fruit skewers. The vendor — a tall elf with golden eyes — smiled politely.
“For the little one?” he asked.
Aerin nodded vigorously.
“For all of us,” I corrected.
Lythiriel blushed. “I am not hungry—”
Her stomach growled.
She turned red enough to be classified as a hazard beacon.
I ordered five skewers.
Aerin inhaled his.
Elorin ate like a humble monk.
I savored mine.
Lythiriel ate like she was hiding from society.
“…It’s good,” she whispered.
“You can say you like it.” I said.
“No.” She replied.
“You’re adorable.” I smiled.
“SHUT UP—!!” She yelled.
Aerin giggled.
— THE POLITICAL UNDERCURRENT —
As we walked deeper into the festival, nobles whispered behind fans and wine glasses.
“Is that the human anomaly?”
“With the Princess… again?”
“They’re too close.”
“Dangerous.”
"Astryllan spies have already taken interest—”
Aerin pressed closer to me.
Lythiriel’s grip tightened on her sword.
Elorin subtly shifted behind us to watch our backs.
I muttered, “Princess, do your nobles ever shut up?”
“No,” she said darkly. “They breed drama like rabbits.”
I shook my head. “Unfortunate.”
“For you or for me?” She asked.
I grinned. “Yes.”
She glared.
— AMARA INTERRUPTS —
> 『Master. Monitoring: three cloaked individuals following at 32 meters. Mana signatures unfamiliar. Potential threat.』
“And you waited to tell me why?” I whispered.
> 『Assessing danger level. Threat minimal for now. Surveillance only.』
“Princess,” I whispered, “we’ve got spies.
”Lythiriel didn’t flinch. “I know. They’re always here.”
I nodded. “Comforting.”
“It shouldn’t be.” She said.
“…Fair enough." I replied.
She glanced at me sideways. “…Are you scared?”
“No.” I said.
She turned her gaze towards me. “You’re lying.”
“…Yes.” I said honestly.
She stopped walking.
Aerin paused.
Elorin paused.
Lythiriel looked at me — really looked — with an expression that wasn’t anger, or irritation, or embarrassment, just sincerity.
“I will protect you too,” she said quietly.
My breath caught. “…Princess.”
She immediately panicked. “NOT LIKE—!! I-I mean — politically!!! Because you’re under my… custody!! And—Aerin likes you!! So I—so I—!!”
I grinned. “Princess. You care.”
“S-Shut up—!!” She stomped ahead, ears flaming.
Aerin tugged my sleeve. “Big brother… she cares.”
“Yeah,” I smiled softly. “She sure does.”
— THE EVENT (STAGE SHOW) —
We reached the heart of the festival — a stage surrounded by floating runes. A group of spirit artists performed dances that left trails of glowing petals.
A bard sang in Elvish:
“Hale the moon,guard the wood, guide the lost…”
Aerin hummed along.
Lythiriel relaxed for the first time all evening.
“It’s nostalgic,” she murmured.
“You used to come here with your family?” I asked.
She nodded. “…With my mother. Before she became Queen. Before…”
she swallowed softly, “…before my brother died.”
Silence.
Aerin held her sleeve gently. “…Princess…”
She smiled gently. “Thank you, Aerin.”
I didn’t know what to say.
So I didn’t say anything.
Sometimes silence is enough.
— THE SUSPICIOUS STUDENT —
The performance ended.
The crowd clapped.
But among the clapping hands…one student wasn’t clapping.
A boy with gray hair.
Soft eyes.
A book clutched to his chest.
He stood alone.
Too quiet.
Watching me.
When our eyes met—he smiled.
Not warmly.
Not coldly.
Just… knowingly.
Lythiriel noticed. “Who is that…?”
The boy bowed slightly.
Then disappeared into the crowd.
Amara whispered:
> 『Unknown student. Record not found in Academy registry. Mana signature minimal. Danger level: uncertain.』
“…Princess,” I said, “did you see—”
“Yes. Someone is probing us.” She nodded.
“Great.” I said.
“We will find him,” she said.
But her voice trembled.
— FESTIVAL TURNING POINT —
We walked toward the lantern river.
Aerin ran ahead to put a lantern on the water.
“Big brother, Princess! Make a wish!”
Lythiriel knelt beside him.
Her voice was soft. “…I wish for peace.”
Aerin whispered:
“I wish big brother never leaves.”
My chest tightened.
I whispered silently:
“…I wish I could stay.”
Amara whispered:
> 『Wish recorded. Likelihood of fulfillment: fluctuating.』
“Amara, that’s depressing.”
> 『Accuracy improves—』
“DON’T SAY IT—!!”
> 『—survival rate.』
I groaned loudly enough to scare a passing sprite.
Lythiriel sighed. “…You are hopeless.”
“You like me.” I smiled.
“STOP!!!!” She yelled.
— BUT THEN IT HAPPENED —
As Aerin stepped forward to place his lantern—
A flicker of movement.
A ripple.
A distortion in the air behind him.
My body moved on instinct. “AERIN—!!”
Lythiriel’s sword flashed.
Elorin shouted a ward.
A dark needle made of shadow shot toward the boy.
Amara screamed:
> 『VOID-INFUSED PROJECTILE. HIGH LETHALITY.』
I grabbed Aerin and spun, shielding him with my body—
CRACK—!!
The needle hit my shoulder.
A shock tore through me.
Lythiriel screamed. “KAI—!!!”
Aerin cried. “BIG BROTHER—!!”
I fell to one knee. Pain lanced through my arm.
Mana surged violently—wild—broken—barely contained.
Lythiriel knelt beside me, eyes wide with terror.
“Kai—Kai—Kai—!! Are you—?!”
I forced a breath. “…I’m alive.”
“You’re bleeding—!!” She said.
“It’s… red. Good sign.” I joked.
“THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR JOKES—!!” She yelled.
But she wasn’t angry.
She was shaking.
Sick with fear.
Aerin hugged me tightly, crying into my chest.
“Don’t die… don’t die… don’t die…”
I stroked his hair. “I won’t.”
Lythiriel grabbed my face.
Her eyes were wet.
Terrified.
“…If anything happened to you—If I lost you—If Aerin lost you—I…” Her voice broke.
I gently touched her hand. “Princess.”
She snapped.
Her shoulders shook. “…Don’t ever do that again.”
I blinked. “Protect a kid?"
She shook her head. “NO—!! Jump in front of attacks—!!”
“I will protect you—both of you—every time.” I said it sincerely.
She stiffened, then quietly whispered:
“…Idiot.”
Yeah.
Probably.
— THE KILLER ESCAPES —
Elorin shouted:
“Princess — he fled into the upper trees!”
Lythiriel stood instantly.
Face hard.
Eyes burning.
“After him!” Lythiriel ordered.
But Aerin clung to me, sobbing. “Princess—don’t leave big brother!”
Lythiriel froze.
Looked at me.
At Aerin.
Then she made a decision.
A quiet one.
But important.
“…Elorin,” she said, “track him. Do not engage.”
“Yes, Princess!” Elorin replied.
Lythiriel knelt beside Aerin and me.
“I’m not leaving him,” she whispered.
Aerin hugged her.
I exhaled slowly. “…Thank you.”
She looked at me.
Expression soft.
Rare.
“…We protect each other.” She said.“Yeah.” I nodded.
“…Like a team.” She said.
“Exactly.” I replied.
She blushed.
Then stood.
“Come on. We must get you treated.”
“I’m fine.” I said.
“You’re bleeding.” She retorted.
“Barely.” I whispered.
“You can’t feel your arm.” She reasoned.
“Can too.” i said.
“…Kai.” She called out.
“Yes, Princess?” I replied.
“Don’t make me carry you.” She warned.
I smirked. “You couldn’t.”
“What—??!” She was taken back.
“I’m heavy.” I said.
“I WILL DRAG YOU BY THE HAIR—!!” She shouted top of her lungs.
Aerin giggled.
Elorin sighed in the distance.
And above the festival lights, a shadow watched.
And smiled.
“Soon,” the Abyssal agent whispered.
“Very soon.”
Please sign in to leave a comment.