The Village

In the darkness, Aise slowly opened his eyes.

His scarlet pupils flickered with a bloody luster under the somewhat dim oil lamp, a wisp of black mist flashing past from time to time.

The sweet scent of blood, the thrill of slaughter, the urge to destroy... all kinds of dark thoughts crashed against his reason like a tidal wave, making his breathing heavy.

Aise clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deeply into the flesh of his palms. The oozing blood spread into dark red stains on the bedsheets.

The desire to kill enveloped him once again.

Ever since merging with his inner self, it had become increasingly difficult to control himself.

An itch like being bitten by insects and ants spread all over his body. Aise curled up tightly on the bed, clenching his jaw fiercely.

But in the room, apart from him, not even a single insect existed. There was absolutely no way to relieve the desires in his heart.

The room had been warded with a magic barrier set by his mother, preventing him from leaving easily.

"Why endure?" Aise muttered to himself. Blood slid down from his bitten lip, carrying a rusty, sweet metallic taste.

"It is so painful... Logically, needs and desires should be satisfied. That is the very meaning of their existence..." The black mist in Aise's eyes churned violently, almost swallowing what little reason remained.

"There is absolutely no need to hold back, right?"

"It's simply baffling..."

"With this kind of power, I can do whatever I want..."

"Why should I be restrained?"

"Only the weak need to follow rules..."

"This is inherently a world where the strong prey on the weak..."

A ferocious smile finally crept onto the corners of his mouth.

Aise walked to the window and slowly reached out, wanting to open it, but he seemed to touch an invisible wall.

"How annoying..." Aise's gaze was cold and sinister.

A wisp of black mist seeped from Aise's fingertips, effortlessly slicing a small exit large enough for him to pass through the barrier left by Aina.

Aise leapt out the window, dropping over ten meters, and landed lightly on the lawn below.

He stretched lazily and took a deep breath. The taste of freedom, accompanied by the fresh scent of grass and trees, permeated his heart and lungs.

Hmm... The bandits in the surrounding area had pretty much all been wiped out.

The night mist was thick, and the scattered lights of the distant village struggled in the darkness.

There is really no other way...

Father seems to be worrying about the construction of the river channel.

Then let me help Father solve his problem.

Aise's figure staggered outward, gradually blending into the impossibly thick darkness.

...

"Mother... is there some noise outside?"

Eni asked her mother, somewhat confused.

"In the middle of the night, who would be outside?" Eni's mother patted Eni's head and smiled. "It's probably a stray cat. Don't worry about it, go to sleep early."

"I'm not a child anymore, stop patting my head," Eni muttered. "I'll read for a little while longer, Mother."

"Alright, don't read too late. I've been tired all day, and I still have to work in the fields tomorrow morning... I'm going to sleep first." Eni's mother yawned and reminded her before leaving, "Call me if anything happens."

"You don't need to be so busy. Our family has money, Mother," Eni couldn't help but say.

"Who told me to be born with a cheap life destined for suffering and toil," Eni's mother shook her head and left Eni's room.

Eni also sighed.

After working in Master Xia Lun's house for so many years... her mother had saved quite a considerable amount of assets.

And her salary wasn't low either... Master Xia Lun and Madam Aina would occasionally casually give her some extra small jewelry and trinkets, which could fetch a good price if sold outside.

In her eyes, her mother didn't need to work so hard at all, especially since she only had one hand... Even if they went to a more prosperous town, their accumulated assets would be enough to buy a nice house.

But whenever Eni brought this up, her mother always had excuses on her lips like "Being idle is just being idle" or "If we don't plant anything, wouldn't the field out front go to waste?"

Perhaps this was just the mindset of the older generation...

Eni continued reading.

It was a magic grimoire brought out from the manor, a birthday gift from Aina and Xia Lun, and also the most precious thing Eni possessed... It recorded many practical mid-tier spells, of which Eni had currently only learned a fraction.

The second most precious thing was the magic staff given to her by Young Master Aise...

Thinking of Aise, Eni's expression became somewhat dazed again. She pursed her lips, one hand unconsciously resting on her lower abdomen.

"Thump—"

Another strange, soft noise came from outside, like the sound of a soft, heavy object hitting the ground.

Eni frowned.

Having adventured outside with Aise for nearly a year, she had also developed keen perception.

Her mother said it was a stray cat... but a stray cat obviously couldn't make such a commotion. It sounded more like some larger creature jumping up and down.

The sound gradually approached, seemingly heading toward their house.

Eni swallowed hard, tightly gripped the magic staff nearby, and went to the window, starting to gather magic power, ready to strike.

A human figure suddenly leapt in through the window like a nimble fish in the water. The night wind that rushed in with it fluttered Eni's long hair.

Once the figure stood still, Eni was slightly taken aback. "Young Master Aise?"

"Ah, Eni, so it's you." Aise revealed an overly brilliant smile, his scarlet pupils exceptionally striking in the darkness. "Long time no see. I didn't expect you to live here."

Eni's cheeks instantly turned deathly pale. She tightly covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out.

She didn't want her mother to worry about her affairs anymore.

"You don't need to be afraid, I don't have that kind of desire for the time being," Aise comforted softly, looking at Eni's nervous state. "I'm very sorry for doing that kind of thing to you before."

Eni slightly relaxed her tense nerves, but still gripped her staff tightly. "Why did you come here? Are you looking for me?"

"Just passing by, that's all... Without you to take care of me, I'm really a bit unaccustomed to it." Aise helplessly spread his hands. "Alright, I won't disturb you anymore... Oh right, return to the manor tomorrow..."

"I don't plan on going back." Eni shook her head.

"Is that so? That's really too bad." Aise's expression seemed a bit disappointed. "Then... take care."

Aise didn't say anything more. He leapt out the window, his figure disappearing into the night.

Eni pursed her lips, standing in place, lost in thought for a long time.

The surroundings quieted down, and Eni could no longer hear any sounds from the village.

Eni went to the window, staring blankly at the night that had returned to silence, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold gemstone on her staff.

The night wind blew in, bringing a faint, almost imperceptible scent of blood in the air. She didn't know if it was real or just her imagination.