Chapter 6: A summer beneath the sky
I watched alongside my family as the Nightbane carriage slowly departed from our territory. The black carriage gradually disappeared beyond the horizon until it was completely out of sight.
The moment it vanished, my mother quickly bent down and pulled me into a tight hug.
"Leon, are you alright?" she asked softly.
I looked between her, my father, and Alex before replying,
"Yes... why wouldn’t I be?"
My mother gently caressed my face before speaking in a worried tone.
"That girl is dangerous, you know."
Before I could respond, my father immediately interrupted.
"Elena, I already told you it’s only a rumor," he said with a sigh. "The two of them got along perfectly fine, and if anything, this visit has brought our family closer to the duke."
I tilted my head in confusion and looked back toward my mother.
"Why is she dangerous?"
My mother hesitated for a moment before answering.
"She’s rumored to be a cursed child."
"A child who brings death to those around her."
I quietly listened as her expression darkened.
"Her mother died while giving birth to her. And when she was four years old, she supposedly tore apart a maid and servant of the Nightbane family using some kind of mysterious magic."
I froze upon hearing those words.
First, she had supposedly murdered two people.
Second—
She had somehow used magic before even awakening her mana capacity.
If the rumors were true...
Then it completely confirmed what I already feared.
Lilith Nightbane truly was destined to become the future calamity of the continent.
The Void Witch.
————
Several months passed, and summer eventually arrived.
I had turned seven years old by then.
As usual, the manor remained quiet and peaceful.
Father and Alex still spent most of their time stationed at the border, only returning occasionally. Sometimes I wondered what their lives were actually like out there.
Still, I was content with my calm routine.
Most of my days were spent wandering around the manor, reading books on magic theory, or receiving lessons from my mother so that once my mana awakened at thirteen, I would already possess a strong foundation.
After running around outside for most of the afternoon, I returned to the manor to prepare for a certain guest’s second visit.
A few days after Lilith had left during winter, we received another letter from Duke Rosthwall explaining that he would return during the summer to continue strengthening border security.
But honestly...
I could immediately tell whose idea the visit really was.
————
In the distance, I spotted a familiar black carriage approaching the manor.
An escort of knights in black armor surrounded it, each bearing the crest of the black wolf beneath a crimson moon.
The Nightbanes had arrived once again.
The carriage door slowly opened.
Duke Rosthwall stepped out first, his overwhelming presence no less intimidating than before.
Then Lilith followed behind him.
The moment her boots touched the ground, her deep purple eyes immediately began searching the area.
A second later—
She found me.
Just like during our first meeting, our eyes locked onto each other.
But unlike before, Lilith suddenly smiled brightly before happily running toward me.
I stared at her in complete astonishment.
She had changed so much compared to the silent, emotionless girl I first met.
Her long black hair swayed behind her as she skipped across the courtyard, and her once-empty eyes now gleamed with excitement.
When she finally stopped in front of me, a faint smile rested on her face.
"It’s good to see you again, Leon," she said happily.
Even her voice sounded completely different now.
Duke Rosthwall glanced between the two of us before letting out an amused chuckle.
"Well, it seems you’ve become comfortable with each other rather quickly, Lilith. I’ll go speak with Leon’s father for now. The two of you may do as you please."
The duke walked off toward the manor entrance, leaving the two of us alone.
Lilith immediately grabbed the edge of my sleeve.
I looked down at her, still slightly stunned by the dramatic difference from before.
Her deep purple eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked up at me.
"Hey, Leon, what do you want to do today?" she asked cheerfully.
The sudden energy in her voice completely caught me off guard.
The last time we met, she had barely spoken more than a few words.
After thinking for a moment, I pointed toward the forest near the edge of the territory.
"We could go play in the forest," I suggested.
Lilith’s eyes lit up instantly.
"The forest?" she repeated excitedly.
Before I could even respond, she grabbed my hand and started pulling me forward.
"Hurry!"
I let out a helpless sigh as she dragged me toward the trees.
Watching her now, it was almost impossible to imagine that this energetic little girl would someday become the terrifying Void Witch feared across the continent.
...Almost.
———-
A couple of years had passed, and my relationship with Lilith had grown surprisingly well.
I was now twelve years old, while Lilith was only a few weeks away from turning thirteen.
Over the years, Lilith had begun visiting the Aldric Territory far more frequently. At first, I assumed it was simply because she enjoyed spending time here, but as I grew older, I realized there was another reason behind the Nightbane family’s continued involvement with our territory.
The borders were becoming increasingly unstable.
For years, the northern regions had suffered constant attacks from barbarian tribes, but that alone was not enough to draw the personal attention of Duke Rosthwall Nightbane.
The real issue lay elsewhere.
Tensions between the Kingdom of Valenore and the neighboring Kingdom of Magento had been steadily rising.
Trade disputes.
Border conflicts.
Disappearing patrols.
Everything pointed toward the same inevitable conclusion.
War.
I remembered this being a major plot point in the original story, though I could no longer remember exactly when it began.
As I sat beneath a tree lost in thought, something suddenly crashed into my back and sent me face-first into the grass.
"Ow—!"
A familiar laugh echoed above me.
"Hey! What was that for?" I complained.
Lilith looked down at me with a smug smile.
"You were ignoring me."
"I’m sorry," I muttered while pushing myself up. "I was thinking about something."
Over the years, Lilith and I had become extremely close.
Honestly, far closer than I ever expected.
The lonely girl who once struggled to say more than a few words had transformed into someone who practically dragged me around the territory every time she visited.
After managing to get her off my back, I repositioned myself and sat down in the grass.
Lilith quietly plopped down beside me.
For a while, the two of us simply stared out toward the distant forest swaying gently beneath the summer breeze.
Then, out of nowhere—
"Hey, Leo," Lilith suddenly said, "have you ever thought about marriage?"
The question caught me completely off guard.
"Marriage?" I repeated.
"Yeah."
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly before answering honestly.
"Not really. I don’t plan on getting married anytime soon."
For the briefest moment, Lilith’s expression darkened slightly.
It happened so quickly that I barely noticed it.
Personally, I had thought about settling down eventually. Maybe far in the future I would have a family of my own.
But for now?
My only goal was to awaken my mana capacity and become strong enough to survive the future.
After that, I wanted to travel the world freely and experience everything it had to offer.
And honestly...
Seeing how much Lilith had changed over the years gave me hope.
She laughed now.
Smiled.
Got jealous when I ignored her.
More importantly, she had people that she cared about now, even if they only seemed to be me and her father.
If things continued this way, then maybe the future really could change.
Maybe my family truly would be safe.
I leaned back against the grass and stretched lazily.
"I want to travel the world someday," I said while staring up at the sky. "There’s still so much I want to see. If I get married too early, I’d probably end up tied down in one place."
Silence followed my words.
I glanced over toward Lilith.
Her expression had gone strangely blank.
For a moment, she looked exactly like the quiet, emotionless girl I first met all those years ago.
A faint uneasiness crept into my chest.
"Lilith?" I asked carefully. "Is everything alright?"
The moment she noticed my concern, her usual cheerful expression immediately returned.
"Yeah," she replied with a soft smile as she stood up. "I’m fine, thanks, Leo."
Even so...
Something about that smile felt slightly forced.
Before I could think any further about it, Lilith suddenly extended her hand toward me.
"Come on," she said brightly. "Let’s go to the lake before it gets dark."
I stared at her for a moment before eventually taking her hand.
Maybe I was just overthinking things.
After all—
There was no way someone like this, would ever become that terrifying and tyrannical figure that I first saw behind Lillith when I met her.
...Right?
