Moonlight slid into Fabio's room, casting a whitish glow.

The wind blew through its window, making a sturdy rope tied to the bed sway back and forth. That rope extended to the outside of the house.

Fabio was descending it down carefully, making sure not to fall.

When he reached the end of the rope, he let go and landed softly on the sand at the back of the house.

Then, he started running.

He circled around the village and, after a while, arrived at a two-story house similar to his own, standing out among the few small houses that populated the village.

Fabio stood in front of the door and began knocking.

"Victor! Victor! Wake up!"

After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing an elderly man wrapped in a brown blanket.

"...What's going on?"

"Let me in, please... I'll explain it to you now."

Victor, still drowsy, noticed the seriousness in Fabio's face and allowed him in.

After closing the door, they both headed to the living room.

Fabio curled up on one of the sofas while Victor retrieved a lamp from the shelf and placed it on the table, illuminating the room with a reddish tone.

From inside the lamp, the crackling of the fire could be heard, a tranquil melody breaking the silence of the night.

After Victor sat down, Fabio began explaining everything that had happened, from Derick and Lily's arrival in the village, through Sophie's pursuit in the desert and her return with the two outsiders, to the strange behavior of Sophie and Hugo, and how he had to escape from home.

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As he spoke, Fabio became more and more nervous, reaching the point of hyperventilation at the end of his explanation.

It was then that Victor got up to pat him on the back.

"Inhale... and exhale."

As Fabio began to calm down, Victor turned to the shelf and took out a book with a worn cover.

He then placed it on the table and quickly flipped through the pages until he reached one with an eye drawn on it.

"According to what you've told me, it must be mental magic."

Fabio looked at the gibberish on the page with interest, even though he couldn't read it.

"It's a forbidden magic, because even if you're born with mana capable of using it, the only way to learn to control it is by experimenting with humans... If I'm not mistaken, the girl must be Lilith Goldenglow, the 'nightbringer'. She's a very unpredictable serial killer."

Fabio's heart sank when he heard Lilith's description.

"...Can we stop her?"

"If she hasn't used her magic on you and hasn't killed anyone yet, she must have something else in mind."

Victor pointed his finger at one of the paragraphs in the book and began to explain.

"The characteristics of mental magic are detailed here: 'you can awaken controlled people with a strong impact to the head'. That magic is not all-powerful, and actively maintaining it requires too much concentration. If we manage to isolate Sophie or Hugo, we should be able to awaken them without Lilith noticing."

"..."

"I think it's best for you to go back home and try to find an opportunity."

Seeing that Fabio remained silent, Victor sighed. He took the book and placed it back on the shelf.

"It's an emergency, so I'll tell you this... There's a way to use magic even without having mana."

"...Really?"

"If you trust me, I'll teach you the first step now. The more mages we have, the easier it will be to stop Lilith."

"...If you're sure, I'll do it."

Seeing that Fabio trusted him so much, Victor smiled, placed his hand on his head, and ruffled his hair completely.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Nothing... It's just reassuring that you still think highly of an old man like me... It wasn't easy to see how you all moved out, you know? When you still lived here, we were together all the time, but now I hardly see your faces."

"Victor..."

Fabio saw his pitiful face, and despite feeling a slight incongruity, he felt overwhelmed by guilt.

"...If we get through this, I promise I'll bring Sophie and Hugo to visit you."

Upon hearing this, Victor smiled with even greater happiness, and his eyes began to cloud.

Amidst the crackling fire, one could hear a single tear fall to the floor.