The day before, amidst the mansion’s endless theater play, a murderer had sneaked in.
Under the winter full moon, he had crossed the stone path using his light magic, diverting it from his body to render himself invisible.
On his feet, he wore a device that made his steps soundless. With that, he had been lurking around the mansion, finally coming across Lily's bedroom window.
On his feet, he wore an artifact that allowed him to move without disturbing the surrounding mana and without making any noise. With it, he had been roaming within the safety of the mansion, finally coming across Lily's bedroom window.
There he saw her sleeping peacefully, apparently unaware of the danger that was lurking.
After their initial investigation, they had concluded that the seal was still working and that she was the problem.
The murderer drew a sinister-looking dagger and, looking at Lily, used all his strength to break the window and throw the dagger at her heart, which began to bubble, dissolving into a scarlet liquid.
Tssss.
Part of Lily's chest had melted.
At that moment, Derick and Fabio suddenly woke up, feeling one of their mental blocks being destroyed.
Derick's body began to combust, filling him with acute pain.
Taking advantage of that brief moment of clarity, he used his fire magic to break the window of his room, summoning fire wings on his back and flying erratically but quickly outside.
Fabio, on the other hand, had regained much of his consciousness, struggling to evade the influence of the mana in his soul.
‘I have to resist…’
That struggle would continue silently in a cold war that would last for several days.
The assassin himself lay dead in front of the mansion window.
Lily held her chest tightly as she slowly regenerated. The attack had bypassed her defenses and those of the mansion, but the turquoise orb beside her had kept her alive.
...
In the days following the attack, Sophie stopped coming to Fabio's afternoon injections, although they proceeded smoothly.
As Fabio accumulated more mana, he began to see the silhouette in the sky getting closer and closer.
After one of their dinners, he watched in amazement as the silhouette now floated in his room, finally able to see its face.
It was an exact copy of himself.
Fabio touched the copy's face, feeling the touch on his own face.
As he leaned in closer, he could see that the copy seemed to be whispering, so he put his ear to its mouth.
“Wake up…”
Then, a second mental block was broken.
...
In the middle of his room, Fabio lay on the floor, crying.
He remembered everything he had done since the day he had left his village, how he had been under Lily's control until that very moment.
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‘I need to quickly rescue Sophie and get out of here.’
In the tranquility of the night, Fabio devised a simple plan.
When midnight came and everyone was asleep, he would quietly climb the stairs, meet Sophie, and try to leave the mansion through the side entrance next to his room.
This time, instead of slapping her to wake her up, he would try to use his mana, which during his slumber he had learned had anti-magic properties, both from Nolva's recurring comments and from those times his mana neutralized the turquoise orb that was healing him, or when the carriage itself that brought him to the mansion could not fly.
Time was ticking, but not in his favor, so he had to act right away.
The moment to escape had come.
...
When midnight struck, Fabio left his room, closing his door very carefully.
He headed towards the stairs to the first floor, but stopped halfway.
After a brief silence, he retraced his steps, moving to the side entrance leading out of the mansion, the one he had been watching all these days.
The door opened easily.
Fabio took a step outside, and as if he were possessed, he walked among the flowers of the garden, circling the mansion to the back, reaching a marble structure supported by columns arranged in a circular shape.
Amidst those columns, stood a blonde young woman wearing the green dress with which Fabio had first met her.
She was sitting at a round table, drinking from a porcelain cup.
Above her, there was a glass dome refracting the starlight, illuminating her in white hues that blurred into red, green, and blue edges, forming an unrealistically splendid image.
Lily lowered the cup and smiled at Fabio.
“It's a good night, isn't it?”
“…Yes.”
“Would you like a cup too?”
“...”
Fabio didn't respond.
Beneath his resentful gaze, Lily looked at the dome above her and sighed, knowing her dreamlike play had come to an end.
Then, she spoke softly.
“This was a temple built by the first generation of Goldenglow, whose mana is characterized by its starry appearance.”
“…”
“It's one of my favorite places. It is said they built it based on our mana, whose power adapts to the mage's own desires, just like the white light of the stars changes color as it passes through the dome's crystals.”
“…Why are you telling me this?”
“For nothing, I just thought we needed to know each other better.”
“…”
“You should know that I can read the thoughts of those I control mentally.”
Before continuing, Lily took another sip from her cup.
“And, more than that, I consider you my friend… Funny, isn't it?”
“…Do you mentally control your friends?”
“Of course.”
Lily stared at him.
Her starry eyes reflected in Fabio's gaze, shining with a glow beyond her mana.
“…Lily Goldenglow, the serial killer.”
“…What?”
“…”
“Ah, hahaha. Do you mean what Victor told you in your village? Don't worry; it's something I made him say. You can believe whatever you want, but there's no need to experiment on humans to learn mental magic.... and I'd rather you just call me Lily."
“…”
“I'm sorry I lied to you… and also for everything I did in the village, although it's not easy to forgive.”
“…”
Lily's mana advanced slowly, leaving her body and enveloping Fabio, who could barely move.
Fabio's mana core, which had already been completed, tried to resist the incoming magic, but was unsuccessful. His body accepted the familiar purple mana without resistance.
“It's late, you should go back.”
“…”
“By the way, congratulations on becoming a mage… See you later, Fabio.”
“…Yes, see you.”
Fabio slowly walked away from the temple, while Lily watched his back, lost in her own thoughts, occasionally taking sips of the sweet chocolate in her cup.
