Arcadia… Lands protected by ancient spirits. This sentence was taught to children like a lullaby. To make them believe they were safe. Yet, safety did not always bring comfort. A person walks more carefully in a place where they know they are being watched. They make fewer mistakes. They speak less. And over time, they begin to forget which thoughts truly belong to them. Because the Ancients did not merely watch from the outside. Even in a person's quietest moments, they seemed to measure the hesitations stirring within. That is why no one ever truly learned how to be alone. Even loneliness was something shared here. Children, when they made their first mistakes, developed a habit of looking at the sky. Not to be forgiven. But to see if they had been noticed. As years passed, this look turned into a reflex. No one questioned why they looked up anymore. Some habits are born of fear; but over time, they begin to resemble faith. And faith, when unquestioned, becomes the sturdiest of walls. Those who grew up within this wall did not have to memorize rules. Because the rules had already settled into their every movement. When night fell, one did not enter the forest alone. Blue mushrooms became more distinct in the dark; yet there was no written rule saying they had to be gathered in the darkness. Still, no one ever tried gathering them in daylight.
The soil, heavy with the moisture settling upon it and layers of centuries-old decaying leaves, had turned into a pitch-black mire that clung to the soles of boots like gum with every step. The dampness seeping from the rough, cracked trunks of the great trees made the stagnant, cold air in the depths of the forest even denser. The pale, ghostly phosphorescent light emitted by the blue mushrooms could not fully dissipate the ink-black darkness between the tree roots; it only illuminated the features of the three silhouettes at brief, uncertain intervals before retreating. Under this blue glow, the most striking sight was Adeline's hair, white as a swan's feather, and her skin—so clear and nearly translucent that it would make even the moonlight jealous. Johann slowly plunged the sharp tip of his steel dagger into the thin, fibrous roots where the mushroom clung to the earth, careful not to damage its slippery, fleshy body held between his fingertips; the muffled sound of steel meeting damp earth merged with the soft thud of the mushroom landing in Johann's basket. The two young girls beside him knelt with the same silent, heavy rhythm; they continued filling their baskets, heedless of the black mud staining their fingers. Johann straightened up for a moment to ease the ache in his waist, cleaning his dagger by wiping it against his trousers as he spoke: "How are we doing, ladies?" Elora winced at the half-empty space in her basket and replied in a dissatisfied tone, rolling up her sleeves to her elbows: "These never-ending mushrooms are barely filling my basket. I can't go on much longer with this ache in my back; I'm going to stop soon." Johann responded to the girl's quickly fading patience with a slight smirk and looked at Adeline; Adeline's gaze, shadowed by her snow-white lashes, was still locked onto the blue glimmers on the ground. "My basket is almost full," Adeline replied, trying to hide the fatigue in her voice. Johann said, "Good, we'll gather a few more and then head to the hill. From what I gather from Elora's grumbling, her stomach has surrendered long before her patience." To this teasing, Elora responded with a weary sigh and a shrug, hooking her basket over her arm.
When the baskets were full enough to pull their arms down with the weight of the mushrooms, Johann shook off the mud from his hands nonchalantly and stood tall. "Come on, let's go. I'm hungry as a wolf; the emptiness in my stomach is starting to hurt." Elora, trying to keep up with him with quick, hurried steps, whined, "You can't be as hungry as I am, I couldn't eat a single bite at dinner; this exhaustion weighing on me is entirely from hunger." Johann shot a mocking, playful grin and turned his gaze to Adeline: "Are you ready?" Adeline nodded silently and followed Johann, who knew the rugged path through the forest almost by heart. While Elora and Adeline walked ahead, whispering quietly, Johann lingered behind, on alert as if scrutinizing every crackle and shadow. At one point, Adeline's heavy boot tripped over a wet root that had thrust out of the earth like a snake; just as the young girl lost her balance and was about to sprawl on the ground, a faint, not-too-powerful wave of magic from Johann vibrated through the air and held her suspended for a moment. "Why don't you be a bit more careful, eh, Firefly? Look where you're going, not at Elora," Johann said; though his voice was mocking, its tone carried the deep respect and protectiveness he felt for Adeline's innate radiance. When her feet touched solid ground again, Adeline nudged Elora lightly with her elbow, saying, "Anyone listening would think I trip and fall every single time." As they both giggled and reached the top, they paused for a moment at the wide clearing where the forest gave way to open space; the faint, distant lights of the town and the infinite blackness of the forest lay beneath their feet. Johann took a wool blanket from the bottom of the basket and spread it on the ground, letting it catch the wind. Elora placed the lantern in the center of the cloth with a flickering light and pulled out two loaves of bread with hardened crusts and grains of flour still dusting the top; Adeline sat beside her and began taking the other supplies out of the basket.
As the bustle of setting the table began, Johann took both loaves between his hands and started heating them using magic, a light heat seeping from his fingertips. When the warm, yeasty, and appetizing steam rising from the bread mixed with the forest air, everyone's appetite increased tenfold. "Enjoy. Careful, the steam inside might burn your hands," he said, slicing the bread into a wooden bowl. As they ate their meal slowly, the cheerful expression on Elora's face was suddenly replaced by a more somber sense of curiosity. "The Night of Exposure is only a week away. Are you ready, Adeline?" This question hit Adeline like a knot in her throat; the piece of hard bread she was trying to swallow got stuck, and the young girl began to cough violently. While Elora laughed and delivered heavy thumps to her back, she said, "Calm down, what's this? I only asked a question." When Adeline drank the water from the wooden cup Johann handed her and regained her breath, her voice was still a bit muffled: "Is that something you just ask out of the blue? Of course I'm ready." While Johann carefully studied Adeline's trembling hands and her averted gaze, Elora continued excitedly: "Great. I heard another girl is joining the ceremony with us this year; I'm happy we won't be the only ones." Then she turned to Johann and looked directly into his eyes: "What about you? What did it feel like when your Side Spirit first appeared?" Johann chewed his bite slowly, thought for a moment, and answered: "It didn't feel much different. I'm still the same me, after all. Orion isn't very talkative anyway, so his presence or absence isn't really noticed." Elora, seemingly unsatisfied with this answer, popped a piece of food into her mouth. This time, Johann leaned toward Adeline with a lower voice: "You're not ready at all, are you?" Adeline was defenseless against Johann's sharp gaze. "I suppose…" was all she could say. But the terrifying question echoing inside her mind was greater than all else: What if I actually have no Side Spirit?
According to the ruthless laws of Arcadia, those without a Side Spirit were considered cursed ones chosen to fall prey to the Soul of Darkness and were immediately executed. That fear, which circulated silently among the people, was reinforced every year by the executioner's cry echoing in the ceremony square. Adeline had been forced to attend many execution ceremonies before, and she could never forget the sharp sound of that ice-cold guillotine blade dropping; the King's deep intolerance toward those without a Side Spirit had settled over the town like a nightmare. After the meal was finished, Adeline stood up to escape the pressure. "I'm going to wander around a bit, you two enjoy yourselves." Johann and Elora continued to tease each other as they watched her walk away. As Adeline entered the thick trees away from the hill, the silvery light filtering from the crescent moon made her white hair shine like a halo. As the wind picked up and her hair whipped against her face, she heard the sound of a dry branch breaking from the bushes to her right. Adeline turned toward the sound, her entire body freezing. "Who's there?" Though she tried to mask the fear in her voice, the cold air filling her lungs left her voice weak. From between the drooping, damp leaves, first a large gloved hand appeared; then, as the imposing silhouette emerged by pushing the branches aside, Adeline was initially frightened, but upon realizing who it was, she gave a deep curtsy: "I offer my respects to Lord Hohenberg."
The man standing before her, with his piercing amber eyes, hair as dark as night, and the nobility he carried, was none other than Lord Erhard Hohenberg. The man's gaze scrutinized the snow-white girl before him like a predator examining its prey; even Adeline's "sacred" popularity among the people of Arcadia was not enough to soften the icy seriousness in Erhard's expression. "What are you doing here at this hour of the night? Are you a witch?" Adeline felt for a moment that she couldn't breathe against this direct accusation. "N-no, my Lord… I was here with my friends to gather blue mushrooms. When we were done, we just had a picnic," she said, pointing toward Johann and Elora in the distance. Erhard looked there for a brief moment and then fixed his eyes back on Adeline's pale face. "I see. Be careful around here nonetheless; the forest easily swallows those with weak spirits," he said. Adeline bowed respectfully once more and looked down. Without a word of farewell, the man vanished into the shadows of the trees as silently and imposingly as he had arrived. When Adeline returned to her friends, Johann was excitedly telling Elora something: "All of Arcadia will witness it, Elora Ward! When I become the Grand Enchanter, no one will be able to pass without saying my name!" Elora looked at Johann, laughing until tears came to her eyes: "Johann, I'm sorry, but you can't do much else besides a few minor heating spells. Lifting Adeline just now doesn't mean your mana has increased."
Johann, growing even more ambitious at this comment, filled his palm with a bit of salt and took the remaining half-loaf in his other hand; he began to mutter some ancient words in a whisper. As the grains of salt and the bread slowly began to levitate, beads of sweat appeared on Johann's forehead. When he shouted, "Viyore!", just as the salt and bread were about to merge, they flew in the opposite direction with a great burst of energy, straight toward Adeline, who had just reached them. "OW! Johann!" The young girl was stunned as her white hair and shoulders were covered in grains of salt. Johann jumped in place, raising his hands like a guilty child. "Alright, alright! I admit, this one... scattered a bit." Elora was laughing hysterically while brushing the salt off Adeline's shoulders. "Johann, your 'minor' spells always end in either an explosion or someone being humiliated. Be grateful we got off with just salt," she said, starting to pack the baskets. While Elora gave Johann's ear a light tug, Adeline intervened: "I just saw Lord Hohenberg." Elora raised an eyebrow. "Which Hohenberg? There are three Hohenbergs…" Johann looked at the girl packing the food with a thoughtful expression and said, "She means Lord Erhard. From what I know, he likes walking alone at night; since this is the safest hill in Arcadia, he's probably just out for a stroll again." Johann winced, lightly rubbing his rescued ear as he looked at Elora. "It was as if his eyes were searching for something or he was waiting for someone…" Adeline said. Johann replied with a smile. "The ways of the nobility are beyond us, Firefly. Maybe he's just like us, escaping the hustle and seeking silence." He smiled mischievously. "Though finding silence wherever we are is impossible."
"Shut up, Johann," Elora said, laughing. Then she looked at the view. "Come on, pack up. We'd better get home before the guards go on patrol." They shouldered their baskets and glided down the hill toward the damp forest path. The ground had grown even heavier with the light drizzle that had just fallen. The faint light of the blue mushrooms seeping through the gaps in the baskets merged with the dim light of the lantern in their hands, vaguely illuminating the road ahead. Arcadia's famous sensation of "being watched" settled over them again along with the darkness between the trees. Walking at the very back, Adeline listened to Johann and Elora's bickering. Her friends' cheerfulness would normally comfort her, but tonight, the cold lump inside her wouldn't dissolve.
The Night of Exposure... Only seven days remained. As they approached the faint, distant lights of the town, Adeline involuntarily placed her hand over her heart. If the sky did not offer her a reflection that night, she would never walk these paths again. When they reached the heavy gates of the village, Johann stopped and put on his reassuring smile: "Hey, don't drift off again, Firefly. I'm sure you have a Side Spirit. Someone like you couldn't be linked to the darkness anyway." Though she didn't feel relieved, Adeline smiled at the consolation. As she said goodbye to Johann and entered their home with Elora, only the watching eyes of the Ancients remained in the silent streets of Arcadia.