"What did Claire mean when she said I'm the new star at the center of your works?"
"Oh?!" Lily replied, pointing to the paintings in the center.
She adjusted her glasses, then grabbed his arm excitedly and led him straight to the central pieces.
"Claire told me you spoke with my mother. I hope she didn't bother you too much? But then again, if you managed to handle it, you already know what I'm about to show you. I'm sure she guided you toward an answer."
"Bother me? I wouldn't say that. Rather, she opened my mind to certain aspects of the world."
"Good. Then look," Lily said, more serious and focused.
On the canvas, Shauwn clearly saw himself, wielding a longsword, clashing against someone he didn't know, who held a kind of forked weapon. A red aura surrounded him, and the scene was set in an arena, with spectators visibly excited.
"Wait, you mean that's me? I'm fighting a guy with a bident?" As he pictured it in his mind, a small laugh escaped him. "That's insane."
Lily burst out laughing at the mention of the word "bident," dramatically exclaiming:
"Thank you!! Finally, someone educated who knows what they're talking about—not some CRAZY person just yelling 'FORK!!!'" She emphasized the words clearly enough for Claire to hear.
"Everyone knows it's a bident. Who exactly are you talking about?" Shauwn asked.
"Common sense isn't given to everyone!! That crazy one you were with, who else?"
"That's your manager, Lily…"
"So? Does that give her the right to speak about what she doesn't know?"
Though she could be a kind and lovable girl, Lily could become irritable very quickly when people misrepresented knowledge or made errors she considered basic.
Shauwn moved behind her and massaged her shoulders, helping her relax and release tension.
"You're the only one who gets me, Shauwn. Ah yes… keep it up."
The tension in her body dissipated, and she now seemed calm, ready to continue the conversation. At that moment, Claire appeared, eyeing them suspiciously. She had heard Lily moaning and hoped it wasn't what she thought. Of course, she was wrong.
Noticing Claire, Lily grabbed Shauwn's arm again, holding him close to her chest. Claire bit her lip but controlled herself, heading to the nearest workbench. She began packing the pieces for the exhibition, keeping an eye on the two of them.
"Anyway, let's continue our discussion."
"I wonder where you got the inspiration for this painting," Shauwn said, intrigued.
"It depends. Sometimes it comes from visions or dreams I've had, other times from my imagination."
Claire began feeling left out of the conversation but soon joined in.
Yes, as an artist, that's how she found inspiration. It wasn't surprising, considering her mother was a fortune teller.
"Hey, you should take that seriously. Though, I guess what am I expecting from an uneducated ignoramus," Lily retorted.
"Just so you know, this uneducated ignoramus has a degree in art history."
"And yet, she can't tell the difference between a bident and a fork? Considering it's a symbolic object from one of the Old World's art periods, hello diploma!! And don't forget to take the pieces at the back of the room," Lily added sarcastically.
"Girls, please, stop."
Shauwn's command halted them, but Claire was on the verge of exploding. The fact that Shauwn didn't take her side personally irritated her even more.
Of course, since she's his friend, he'll defend her, she thought angrily.
After this little quarrel, Lily moved the first painting aside, revealing two more behind it. His eyes widened in astonishment. It was overwhelming and fascinating.
"How…?!"
Lily showed him two paintings. The first, which surprised him the most, depicted the man with the rune. She hadn't drawn his face, only his torso and arms, showing exactly the tattoo that earned him the nickname "the man with the rune."
"Has this man ever been here? When did you make this one?"
Lily was bombarded with questions and took a moment before answering.
"To tell you the truth, no one like him has been here. I painted this yesterday—I dreamed it…"
He'd never been here?
Shauwn couldn't understand what was happening; it was getting weirder and weirder. Finally, he looked at the second painting.
It was him again, but this time inside a tower shrouded in darkness, with golden runes glittering. Five massive shadows with red eyes, pierced by daylight, loomed above him. And still surrounded by the same red aura.
"And this one? What is it supposed to represent? And the shadows?"
"Oh yes, that one's from two days ago. I have no idea at all. What I can tell you is that these five shadows are not human, that's my feeling."
"Not human? Then what are they, in your opinion?"
Lily didn't give him a concrete answer. She readjusted her glasses and shrugged.
Questions without answers kept piling up in his mind. Shauwn wondered if he should believe what they were telling him. He was hesitant, but the facts were there: first, Astrid's supposed vision, which coincided with Lily's paintings.
Had she seen her daughter's works and acted accordingly? No, that was impossible, as Lily never let anyone near her things. She was used to locking her studio, even her mother could only enter if Lily allowed it.
"You don't have to believe us, you know? Most people think th—"
He didn't let her finish before asking more questions, remembering something Astrid had told him: to doubt. From there, everything became clearer.
"What about the red aura surrounding me in each of your paintings?"
Surprised that he interrupted her, she paused before answering.
"That's the aura you radiate. For spiritually sensitive people who can sense and see auras, that's how they see you."
"Even now?"
"No, right now it's just a reddish spark nestled deep in your chest," she said, pointing to his heart with her fingers.