The next morning, Fabio didn't go for breakfast.

He lay on his bed, in a state where he didn't know if he was awake or asleep.

The previous night had left him sleepless, and now he didn't have the strength to get up, or rather, he didn't want to get up.

He had a lot to think about.

It seemed like his mind was still intact, despite the mana that had entered his eyes yesterday.

He wondered where Hugo and Victor would be now that the village no longer had its barrier; what Lily was planning now that she knew he had partially escaped her control; and above all, if they would ever leave this mansion...

Fabio glanced at the mirror in front of his bed. Nolva had disappeared, as she sometimes did, moving to other crystals in the mansion. Perhaps she didn't want to deal with all of Fabio's questions.

After lunchtime, Sophie entered his room, carrying a sandwich.

"Are you okay? You haven't come for breakfast or lunch, so I brought you something."

Fabio looked at Sophie. Like everyone else, deep within her eyes dwelled that purple liquid similar to stars.

That cursed mana.

Still, he had to try.

He mobilized his own mana to surround Sophie's body, making sure it entered deep into her eyes.

Both starry manas merged into one.

"...Sophie, do you know that Lily is mentally controlling us?"

“..."

Sophie acted as if Fabio hadn't spoken, making his heart sink once again.

After a second failed attempt, he finally gave up.

"...Nothing, I'm fine, just a little dizzy."

"Really?"

Fabio got up and ate the sandwich in silence, while Sophie watched him with a worried expression.

Perhaps if he used a different approach...

"...Sophie, what have you been doing these last afternoons?"

"Me? I've been patrolling the outskirts of the mansion."

"...What?"

"Yes, Lily told me there are bad people lurking nearby. There was even someone who sneaked into her room."

“..."

"Wind spirits are very useful for monitoring large areas."

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Fabio stared at her.

"...Can I join you?"

"Sure!"

They both left the room, passing by several servants whose eyes were slightly purple, including those Lily had assigned them. They put on winter clothes and went to the main entrance, which Sophie opened without any problems.

Just like that, he had left the mansion again.

As they walked back the stone path from the first day, Fabio felt his connection with Lily weakening.

'Maybe now...'

When they reached the fence, Fabio took Sophie's hand and started running.

"I'll explain later, Sophie! You have to follow me!"

The two quickly moved away from the mansion, entering a busy street, where Fabio could see inside the eyes of the others.

"How... is this possible..."

Lily's starry mana extended not only inside the mansion but also outside.

The inhabitants examined the strange duo, whose clothes seemed luxurious.

Fabio felt their purple eyes piercing his body.

'...How the hell did Derick escape.'

The night the assassin had attacked Lily, Fabio had heard the explosion in Derick's room. Combined with the fact that the fire mage couldn't be found anywhere, he had concluded that Derick had indeed managed to escape.

Fabio looked at the rooftops of the houses ahead of him and saw how the roofs showed huge openings, with a trail of burned marks stretching to the horizon.

'...Fair enough.'

Sophie, who had been running alongside him, stopped abruptly. No matter how much Fabio pulled her arm, she didn't move at all.

"We shouldn't stray too far."

"..."

While she kept talking, Fabio pulled her arm once again, to no avail.

"Why don't we patrol around here?"

"...Okay."

Noticing the resignation in Fabio's voice, Sophie decided to grab the sleeve of his coat and lead him to a nearby square, where the new year's celebrations were already set up.

The leafless trees sparkled among the crowd, decorated with small lights that wound around their trunks, culminating in the paper lanterns adorning their tops, their surfaces displaying different handwritten messages.

The inhabitants celebrated vehemently, even though it wasn't yet a holiday.

Sophie stepped forward, and some people recognized her.

"Look, it's Sophie! Let her through!"

An elderly man forcefully dropped his wooden staff on the ground, dividing the sea of people in two.

"Thank you!"

Sophie crossed the path that had formed, reaching the center of the square.

There she climbed onto a platform and raised her hands in the air.

A gust filled with butterfly-like spirits roamed the sky, covering Sophie's body entirely, as if they were an eerily beautiful dress.

Her colorless mana filled with an ethereal green wind.

Then, she recited a spell.

The butterflies flew in all directions, momentarily filling the atmosphere with a turquoise color that spread outward in a lively, irregular but mesmerizing pattern.

Sophie looked at Fabio, knowing he would be the only one who would see the entire process, and smiled at the illusion shining in his eyes.

The inhabitants applauded at the sight of the spectacle of wind.

Sophie stepped down from her platform and offered her hand to Fabio with a genuine smile.

"Shall we go for a walk now?"

Cheers filled the air.

Despite everyone being under Lily's control, Fabio felt alive.