Damon Household
"We're home!" Cassandra announced cheerfully as she pushed open the front door.
The mansion was as immaculate as ever. Sunlight reflected off the polished marble floors, every piece of furniture sat perfectly in place, and not a single speck of dust could be found.
"Lady Lisanna?" Cassandra called, peeking into the living room before checking the kitchen. "Where are you?"
Phobos glanced around before letting out a weary sigh.
"She hasn't cooked yet? What a pain..." he muttered, stretching lazily. "I'm going to bed."
Without waiting for a response, he headed upstairs and disappeared into his room, the door slamming shut behind him.
Aristo looked toward the kitchen.
"She probably went out to restock " he said. "We were running low on food anyway."
A mischievous grin slowly spread across Cassandra's face.
"Haha... finally. She actually left the house. I was beginning to think she'd never leave."
Aristo narrowed his eyes.
"...Why were you waiting for her to leave?"
Cassandra turned toward him with an innocent smile.
"Oh, no reason."
"...You're planning something reckless, aren't you?"
She stared at him in silence before tilting her head.
"...Did you just call me reckless?"
Aristo immediately stiffened.
"Me?" He pointed at himself and shook his head so violently it nearly came off. "Never! I'd never call you reckless."
A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Hmph." Cassandra nodded in satisfaction. "Good answer."
Aristo quietly released the breath he had been holding.
Cassandra's playful expression gradually disappeared as her gaze drifted down the hallway.
"You know... there's something about that letter."
"The letter?"
She nodded.
"I don't know why, but every time I look at it... I get this strange feeling. Like something about it isn't right."
Her voice softened.
"Dad hasn't come home in a long time. Mom isn't here either. And everyone acts as though that letter doesn't even exist."
She slowly clenched her fist.
"I think our family is hiding something from us... and whatever it is, that letter holds the answer."
Aristo stared at her for several seconds.
...Or maybe she's just looking for an excuse to snoop through someone else's belongings.
"So..." Cassandra smiled sweetly.
"Mind watching the front door for me?"
"I have a really bad feeling about this..."
Ignoring his complaint entirely, Cassandra quietly made her way to Lady Lisanna's room.
The room was spotless.
Every article of clothing had been neatly folded. Every pair of shoes was perfectly aligned. Resting atop a small wooden table sat the mysterious letter.
Cassandra's eyes sparkled.
"Found you."
She walked over and gently picked it up.
"So... what exactly are you hiding?"
Her thumb rested against the crimson wax seal.
Just as she was about to break it—
Creeeak...
The massive front gate of the Damon estate slowly swung open.
Aristo's eyes widened.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"
He sprinted toward Lady Lisanna's room.
"Cassandra! Lady Lisanna's back!"
But he was already too late.
Crack.
The wax seal split apart.
A blinding flash erupted from within the letter.
"W-What?!"
Before either of them could react, an overwhelming force burst from the parchment, twisting the air around them.
"W-Wait!!"
"Aristooo!"
The siblings were violently pulled into the brilliant light.
Then...
Silence.
The letter gently drifted back onto the wooden table.
The broken wax seal slowly mended itself, becoming flawless once more, as though it had never been touched.
The room returned to complete stillness.
It was as if nothing had happened.
A few moments later, Lady Lisanna stepped into the mansion carrying several bags of groceries.
She paused.
"Aristo and Cassandra were just here..."
Closing her eyes, she calmly extended her senses.
"I can still feel their Eno and Dio signatures. Phobos is asleep in his room..."
Her eyes slowly opened.
"...But their signatures end here."
She followed the lingering traces of energy until they led her into her bedroom.
Her gaze settled on the letter resting atop the table.
"...Strange."
She picked it up.
"It's sealed."
Carefully turning it over in her hands, she examined every inch of its surface.
"Cassandra partially broke the seal. It shouldn't have restored itself completely... there should still be a fracture."
Her expression became thoughtful.
"...What do we have here?"
She inspected the back of the letter more closely.
A faint magical inscription shimmered into existence beneath the light.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I don't remember seeing this spell engraved here before."
She studied the intricate runes in silence.
"...I see."
A faint smile crossed her lips.
"The inscription only reveals itself after someone has been trapped."
She gently traced the engraved symbols with her finger.
"This isn't merely a letter..."
"It's a trap."
"The letter itself serves as a gate to a separate dimension."
Her eyes continued scanning the spell.
"...More precisely, it's a trial."
"If the letter is destroyed from the outside, everyone trapped within it dies instantly."
She let out a quiet sigh.
"They'll have to overcome it on their own."
"A trial that demands both intellect and strength."
She paused before softly speaking the name of the forbidden spell.
"Epistle of Illusions."
Lady Lisanna carefully placed the letter into her bag.
Without another word, she walked into the kitchen, unpacked the groceries, and began preparing dinner.
The rhythmic sound of chopping vegetables soon echoed through the quiet mansion, as though nothing unusual had happened.
Yet somewhere not here, aristo and Cassandra are stuck within a letter facing a trial.
DEAD TRIAL DIMENSION
"Where... are we?"
Aristo slowly turned in a circle, his eyes scanning the endless horizon. Sand stretched as far as he could see, rolling in golden waves beneath a blazing sun. Heat radiated from every direction, pressing against his skin until every breath felt dry and heavy.
"This has to be another dimension," Cassandra said calmly, narrowing her eyes as she observed the landscape. "I knew it. My instincts were right from the beginning. This was a trap."
"Great!" Aristo threw his hands into the air. "How are we supposed to get out of here? I had absolutely nothing to do with this, yet somehow I still got dragged into it!"
"It's only sand." Cassandra shrugged as she casually walked forward. "Besides, you're not alone. I'm here, aren't I?"
She crouched down and scooped a handful of sand into her palm. Letting the grains slip through her fingers, she frowned.
"...This doesn't feel real."
Aristo bent down and grabbed some himself.
"Looks like normal sand to me. I don't see anything strange."
Cassandra suddenly burst into laughter.
Aristo stared at her.
Why is she laughing?
Nothing good ever happens when she starts laughing like that... She's actually excited.
Cassandra brushed the remaining sand from her hand before standing.
"This dimension is small," she said. "Much smaller than the Capital, My detection spread through the entire area almost instantly."
She closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"It stopped expanding. That means I've already reached the boundary. If I can perceive the entire space at once, then this dimension isn't very large."
"That... actually sounds like good news." Aristo wiped sweat from his forehead. "But could we focus on escaping first? I'm starving, it's unbelievably hot, and I honestly hate deserts."
Without saying another word, Cassandra raised one hand toward the sky.
The air shifted.
Dark clouds gathered overhead from nowhere, swallowing the sunlight. Moments later, rain poured across the desert, cooling the burning air almost instantly.
"There," Cassandra said. "No more complaining about the sun."
Aristo sighed in relief as the cool rain washed over him.
"Much better... Wait. You said we have bigger problems. Bigger than being trapped in a desert?"
"We're not trapped in a desert."
"What?"
"We are trapped in a letter, and also the dimension itself is attacking our senses."
Aristo frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"It's interfering with everything your brain uses to understand reality. Your sight... your hearing... your sense of smell... taste... even touch."
She picked up another handful of sand.
"That's why this sand felt strange to me. My senses detected something your brain accepted without question."
Aristo looked around uneasily.
"So... none of this is real?"
"It exists," Cassandra corrected, "but not the way you're experiencing it."
She looked directly at him.
"You haven't unlocked Dio yet, so you can't use Mental Isolation."
"...What's Mental Isolation?"
"Every living creature with a brain constantly sends signals throughout its nervous system. Those signals carry instructions from the brain to every part of the body, and back to the brain."
She tapped the side of her head.
"Detection Frequency technique doesn't simply observe movement. It reads those neural signals before your body responds to them, detection techniques is used to see and read your surroundings, but detection frequency are use to read not just your surroundings, but intent"
Aristo blinked.
"So..."
"I know what your brain is telling your body before your muscles even begin to move."
His eyes widened.
"So... you can predict everything I do?"
" Exactly."
She nodded.
"As long as you're within my detection range, your intentions reach me before your actions happen."
Aristo stared at her in disbelief.
"...That's terrifying."
"It has its uses."
She continued walking.
"Mental Isolation works by disrupting those outgoing signals. Instead of allowing your brain's information to leave in a readable pattern, it encrypts it"
"Encrypts?"
"Imagine trying to read a message that's been scrambled into random symbols. The information still exists, but without the key, it's meaningless."
She glanced toward the empty horizon.
"My Detection Frequency can't read encrypted signals. More importantly..."
She paused.
"Illusions manipulate perception by feeding false information into your sensory neurons."
Aristo listened carefully.
"When Mental Isolation is active," Cassandra continued, "those false signals are rejected before your brain accepts them as reality. The illusion loses its influence because your mind refuses to process the fake sensory input."
She slowly closed her eyes.
"Mental Isolation."
An invisible pulse spread through her body.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to crack.
The bright sunlight vanished.
The scorching heat disappeared.
The endless sea of sand crumbled away like shattered glass.
When Cassandra opened her eyes again...
It was night.
A pale moon hung high above a dark, lifeless wasteland.
Broken earth stretched in every direction, littered with dead trees and decaying ruins. A foul odor filled the air, thick enough to make breathing unpleasant.
The desert had never existed.
Without turning around, Cassandra spoke.
"Aristo... is the sun still shining?"
"Yeah," he answered immediately. "It's still blazing. Though... I think your rain clouds are disappearing."
Cassandra looked up at the moon glowing silently above her.
"The sun isn't real," she murmured.
"The moon is already out."
"So... what am I supposed to do?" Aristo asked. "I know none of this is real, but I can still feel the heat."
"Keep creating rain clouds," Cassandra replied. "As long as the illusion believes you're experiencing the sun, cooling your body will make it easier to endure. Now... take my hand."
She reached out.
"I'll guide you. Let's find a way out of here."
Aristo nodded and grabbed her hand.
With Cassandra leading the way, the two continued walking .
...
Hours passed.
The scenery never changed.
Only endless sand... and silence.
"Cassandra."
"Hm?"
"I see something up ahead."
"Ignore it. It's another illusion."
"I know," Aristo said, detecting movement,
"But... it looks like a village. There are buildings... trees... and I think I see three kids playing."
He hesitated.
"What if it's the exit? We won't know unless we check."
Cassandra remained silent for a moment before letting out a small sigh.
"...Fine."
She nodded.
"Let's go."
The closer they walked, the clearer everything became.
The burning desert gradually disappeared, replaced by green trees swaying gently in the wind. Small wooden houses stood neatly together, and children's laughter echoed through the quiet village.
Cassandra slowly deactivated Mental Isolation.
The illusion immediately reshaped itself around her.
Now, she saw exactly what Aristo saw.
A peaceful village.
At the center stood three children playing beneath a large tree, two boys who looked almost identical and a young girl happily laughing beside them.
Cassandra froze.
Her breathing stopped.
"...No..."
Her eyes widened.
"Hold on..."
She took an unsteady step forward.
"That's..."
Her voice trembled.
"Mom..."
" What do you mean, Mom?" Aristo asked.
She looked at one of the boys.
"...And that's Dad."
Unable to believe what she was seeing, Cassandra rushed forward and reached out.
Her hand passed straight through them.
She stared at her own hand in silence.
"...We can't touch them."
Aristo slowly walked beside her.
"They can't see us either."
"They can't hear us..."
He waved his hand in front of the children.
"...It's like we're watching a memory."
His gaze shifted toward the second boy.
"Wait..."
She frowned.
"If that's your dad..then who's he?"
"The two of them look exactly alike."
Nearby, the woman smiled warmly.
"Damon," Maria said gently, "I'd like you to meet Hirosuke."
She laughed softly.
"I told you two already, you look so much alike. You could pass as brothers."
Hirosuke blinked in surprise as he studied Damon's face.
"...She's right."
He smiled faintly.
"You really do look like me."
His eyes drifted toward the scars covering Damon's body.
"...Except for the scars, how did you get those"
Damon leapt gracefully from the tree, landing effortlessly on the ground.
" I was born with these scars on me"
Curiosity filled his eyes as he slowly circled Hirosuke, examining him from every angle.
The resemblance was astonishing.
Their faces...
Their eyes...
Even the shape of their jaw.
The only noticeable difference was that Damon was slightly taller.
"How do you look exactly like me?" Damon finally asked.
Hirosuke chuckled before looking toward Maria.
"...Are you really friends with this guy?"
Maria crossed her arms with a smile.
"Yes."
"I am."
The moment those words left her lips...
The entire village dissolved.
The houses faded.
The trees disappeared.
The children vanished like smoke.
Only the empty wasteland remained.
Aristo broke the silence.
"It's night , those eno signature, ain't mom or dad's "
Cassandra slowly nodded.
"I know, somewhere the illusion have been cancelled out"
She lowered her gaze, deep in thought.
"The scars..."
She closed her eyes.
"I'd recognize them anywhere."
"And that girl ..."
"That was Mom."
She fell silent for several moments.
"Which means..."
Her eyes slowly opened.
"Dad has a friend that looks exactly like him, the whole reason mom have constantly been searching through old records "
She paused.
The entire dimension began to collapse.
Cracks spread across the sky like shattered glass, while the wasteland slowly dissolved into countless fragments of light. The ground beneath their feet faded away, and the air itself seemed to unravel.
Cassandra watched in silence.
"I think..." she murmured, "...it was never meant to trap us."
Aristo looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"I think it was just a message."
She looked toward the place where the village had disappeared.
"And what we witnessed... was that message."
Before Aristo could respond, the remaining fragments of the dimension vanished.
Darkness swallowed them both.
DAMON HOUSEHOLD
The next moment, they found themselves standing inside the dining room of the house.
The familiar scent of freshly prepared food filled the air.
The dining table stood before them, covered with steaming dishes.
Cassandra blinked several times before a bright smile spread across her face.
"Lady Lisanna!! , you're back "
Lisanna turned from the kitchen, smiling warmly.
"So you're finally back from the trial."
She placed another dish onto the table before dusting off her hands.
"How did it go?"
Without waiting for an answer, she laughed softly.
"Well, you can tell me while we eat."
"The food's ready, so everyone should sit down before it gets cold."
Phobos was already seated, calmly helping himself.
Aristo glanced around the room before quietly pulling out a chair.
"...I'm not even going to question how we got back, I'm starving"
He sat down as if the entire ordeal had never happened.
Cassandra smiled to herself before taking the seat beside him.
Lisanna smiled sweetly as she looked at Cassandra.
"Cassandra... I have a lot of work for you to do."
Cassandra immediately sat up straight.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"For disobeying my order..."
Cassandra froze.
"...going into my room..."
Her smile disappeared.
"...and reading a message that was meant for your father."
Silence.
"Yes, ma'am!" Cassandra answered , her voice louder than necessary.
Inside her mind ....
"I've seen the light... and it's not heaven.
A drop of sweat rolled down her face.
Aristo slowly looked over at her.
"...Should I start digging?"
"Digging what?" Cassandra whispered through gritted teeth.
"A grave."
Phobos calmly continued eating.
"I'll bring flowers."
"I'M STILL ALIVE!" Cassandra snapped.
Lisanna blinked.
"I haven't even told you what the punishment is yet."
"I'm dead"