The rain had stopped this morning...
And the beams of sunlight began piercing through the clouds.
He sighed...
Despite lounging on the rooftop of this house,
the air felt dry…
yet cold, huh…
How long until the warmth of the sun returns?
I had grown tired of watching the same cloud, so I simply turned away.
I closed my eyes quietly,
enjoying the cold breeze carrying a damp, refreshing scent, while the wind played with the strands of my hair.
The image of that piece flashed in my mind, increasing my curiosity.
I opened my eyes and slipped my right hand into my pocket.
I pulled out the bronze piece with its five-pointed spikes, feeling its weight as if it carried a secret…
I raised my hand high, examining its form and the engravings on it, instead of that silly cloud.
Hmm…
That man… the gray-haired one… Orvin.
How much does he know about vampires?
I knew Sophie possessed a unique talent, yet I never doubted for a moment what he said.
What a strange matter.
I think I need to reconsider what I've done and what I've realized so far.
I believe he said…
—
Yesterday,
between morning and noon,
inside the living room of the village elder's house:
"Regarding a child of the vampire lineage…" Orvin spoke in a serious tone.
Toki's eyes widened sharply,
and his breath caught… like a lightning strike.
Orvin continued:
"…she is not one of the ordinary vampires like her fellow citizens, she is…"
Toki stared at him, trembling slightly.
After a brief silence, Orvin said:
"Extremely rare, and also dangerously so."
Toki froze in place, whispering sarcastically:
"Huh?!
What do you mean? I've heard enough things whose meaning I do not know."
Orvin added, with a mixture of surprise and meaning:
"Uh… most of this society never leaves their homes, and few are seen outside their countries, yet you'll find them among the common people."
Toki responded curiously after taking a breath:
"And what's unusual about that? Isn't changing location a natural thing?"
"For most other races, probably yes.
But for the residents of the Night Kingdom, they are reserved and closed off."
Orvin walked around the table,
stopped after a firm step,
then turned to Toki and asked:
"In your opinion, someone from a royal lineage—wandering outside their lands, is that normal? Let alone reasonable?"
Toki replied in his usual cold tone:
"No, it's not normal, but what does this have to do with Sophie?"
Orvin nodded with a cheerful smile,
while Toki placed his hand on the table in a way unusual for his nature.
Toki continued:
"Wait! Sophie— I mean, do you mean that?"
His heart raced,
and his fingers gradually clenched into an uneven fist.
Orvin nodded his head side to side, understanding what Toki wanted to convey, and said:
"Not exactly, but my wife has a friend, also a vampire, and from the noble class.
She had the same eyes as Sophie's child that night."
"That night? You were present two days ago?" Toki asked calmly and confidently.
Orvin answered, walking with his hands behind his back:
"You may assume so, but…
didn't you notice the cracked eyes?
Weren't they suspicious, raising doubt even for a moment?"
Toki hesitated internally, beginning to recall the moments he had spent with Sophie.
Finally…
he truly remembered what Sophie really looked like, not just how he had perceived her.
He lowered his head among his composed features, after learning what he had ignored or tried to overlook.
'How did I not notice this?! What selfishness…'
He thought to himself, amidst the silence of the room and the soft patter of rain:
'If what this man says is true…
that means Sophie isn't safe.
Is this what he was trying to guide me to?
But why now?!'
Orvin spoke in his usual tone:
"Don't think too much about it, or you might stab yourself with it.
The truth can be painful, but it's better than being on its edge.
For the edge… is always threatened with collapse."
Orvin placed his hand gently on Toki's shoulder,
halting his trembling, the tension that would have been invisible to an ordinary observer.
Toki swallowed quietly,
gave him a half-glance,
and then blinked.
The village leader Orvin spoke with warmth and friendliness:
"As long as you trust your companions' choices… you have succeeded in turning responsibility into a bond."
He glanced toward the entrance of an adjoining room and asked Toki:
"Would you like some tea now? It's delightful!"
Toki tilted his head down, his expression uncertain after the recent confusion.
He bowed his head,
laughing without realizing it.
He laughed… and laughed…
as tears began to sneak into his eyes.
Orvin laughed along with him.
The glow of the candles shimmered unusually, as if insisting on not extinguishing until the very end.
Amid the swaying shadows,
Toki responded, his right hand on his face:
"No, thank you. Not now."
Orvin smiled, but his reply seemed cracked, like a statue whose pieces silently scattered.
—
"Toki… hey! Toki!! Can you hear me?! Toki!"
What brought the procrastinator here?
Shawn's face overshadowed that piece.
His annoying voice came again:
"What's with you yelling like that? You almost pierced my eardrum!"
"Ah! You're alive. I thought you were pessimistic,
though I'm used to you being pessimistic."
Shawn replied with loudness,
while I returned the somewhat heavy piece to my pocket.
I took a breath,
bent my arms behind my head,
brought my feet together,
and quickly aimed them toward his superficial face.
"Have you seen the undead do this?"
He leaned his torso slightly, saying sarcastically:
"Woah! Are you suddenly energetic, or am I imagining this?"
I stood firmly on the solid rooftop,
and turned slightly toward him, the words I spoke lighter than the fear pressing on my chest:
"It's just your imagination.
So, what brought you here, you expert procrastinator?"
—
Author's Note: The decision is being made, and the echo of the journey draws near.