Three days have passed since the accident by the lake. Because of his Beast Eye, Reid was healing easily. He spent those three days in an easy loop — resting, eating whatever he pleased, playing with Arttu, then sleeping again.

  On the other hand, Lucius was grounded by Frigg — and she made Lucius’ life a living hell. Every morning, she woke him right before sunrise and set him to work — preparing breakfast, washing the dishes, scrubbing the floor. But that day she made him help her in the alchemy room upstairs. The alchemy room was modest in size. It had a big window looking at the inn. The window was shaped like 3 circles intersecting each other perfectly almost like a Venn diagram etched in glass. The sunrise made the room brighter as Lucius carried his mother’s books. While searching through the shelves, one book caught Lucius’ eye. It was a large, dark red, leathery book. A single word was carved into its cover — in a language Lucius couldn’t understand. But somehow the book caught his eye, somehow... But he didn’t want to anger his mother, so he hid his curiosity and whispered to himself.

  “I don’t want to awaken the monster.”

  Frigg with a little annoyed voice raised her voice with a cruel amusement in her lips,

  “Did you say something Lucius?”

  Lucius instantly replied,

  “No, ma’am.”

  and went back to find the books his mother requested. He found the last book and brought it to the big wooden rounded table that was in the middle of the room where his mom was studying. Frigg looked at the books and nodded her head. She opened one of the books and started reading it to herself,

  “Ammonia, ginger, blackroot, leg of a fiddle, and — “

  She paused, horror flickering across her face — gone in an instant, buried beneath practiced calm.

  But Lucius saw it, and curiosity began to crawl through him like a whisper he couldn’t ignore. Frigg stood up and said:

  “Lucius, I need to go somewhere, don’t get out from the house, okay? You are grounded until the school starts, don’t forget that.”

  Lucius as he is listening to a command replied,

  “Yes ma’am.”

  Frigg, knowing that he was making fun of her, smiled despite herself. She pulled him into a firm hug, the kind that spoke of love and worry all at once.

  When she drew back, her smile stayed, but her eyes didn’t — they were distant, fixed on something far beyond the window.

  Then, without another word, she turned and left the house as if the wind itself was pulling her away.

  When Frigg left the house, Lucius felt an unease settle over him. The way she’d hurried out — silent, purposeful — had left a weight in the air, pressing against his chest.

  He started toward the stairs but stopped.

  Something was behind him.

  A heavy presence — not a sound, not a breath, but an aura — thick and dark. He turned sharply, but the room stood as it always had books, shelves, the morning light creeping through the window.

  He frowned, turned back toward the stairs, and took another step.

  The feeling returned — stronger this time, heavy enough to make the hairs on his neck rise.

  Slowly, he turned again. His gaze fell on the bookshelf.

  With each cautious step he took toward it, the air seemed to tighten, the warmth of the sun dimming as if swallowed by shadow. And then he saw it — the book.

  The dark red, leathery tome.

  It pulsed faintly, as though something inside were breathing.

  Lucius reached out. The moment his fingertips brushed the cover, the book snapped open — pages fluttering on their own until it stopped at the center.

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  The letters began to shift, twisting and reshaping themselves into a language he could suddenly read. Lucius stared, entranced, as the movement slowed and one sentence remained in the middle of the page:

  “Accept your hunger.”

  The book slammed shut with a sharp thud, falling from his hands to the floor.

  Lucius stood frozen. His heart pounded in his ears — fear, confusion, and a strange thrill all tangled together. Slowly, he knelt and opened the book again, frantically searching for the same page.

  But the words were gone.

  The language had returned to the strange symbols from before.

  No trace of the sentence remained — only the echo of those three words repeating in his mind.

  Accept your hunger.

  Lucius stared at the fallen book, the words still whispering in the back of his mind. He didn’t know what it meant — only that the house felt heavier now, as if the walls themselves were listening.

  While Lucius faced the silence of his home, elsewhere in Priscilla, another quiet was trying to be broken.

  In Melan?e’s house, the village healer had come to check on Arttu.

  “Hello, Mr. Benny,” Melan?e said, her voice edged with worry. “I’m afraid something’s wrong with Arttu.”

  Mr. Benny sighed. “What is it this time, Melan?e?”

  “He never cries,” she said quickly. “When I had Reid, he would cry all day.”

  The healer leaned forward, placing a gentle hand on Arttu’s forehead. For a moment, the air shimmered faintly as he whispered a spell. A soft blue light flickered across the child’s skin before fading away.

  Mr. Benny’s face darkened — his eyes shadowed with something unreadable.

  “There’s nothing wrong with Arttu, Melan?e.”

  Relief mixed with irritation in her tone as she snapped, “Then why look at me like that? You scared me!” and continued, “Then why doesn’t he cry?”

  He paused, then spoke softly. “Because,” he said after a long silence, “some souls are born already listening.”

  Melan?e exhaled, tension leaving her shoulders. “Thank you, Mr. Benny,” she said quietly.

  As he turned to leave, the door burst open with a loud thud.

  “Mom, the sch—” Reid stopped mid-sentence when he saw Mr. Benny standing there.

  The healer frowned, disappointment creasing his face. “Reid, you shouldn’t be running like that after your injuries.”

  “But you said I was healed,” Reid protested.

  “You still need to rest,” Mr. Benny muttered, sighing. Then, more gently, “Well, I shouldn’t stay — I’ve another appointment today. Have a good day, all three of you.”

  The door closed behind him. The house fell quiet again.

  Reid spoke first. “Mom, they said school’s starting the day after tomorrow!”

  “Oh, really?” Melan?e smiled faintly. “Have you chosen your weapon, then?”

  Reid grinned, his eyes lighting up. “Yes! I want to use a nunchaku.”

  Melan?e blinked in surprise but kept her tone warm. “A nunchaku? And where did you see one of those?”

  “There was this man,” Reid said eagerly. “He was huge and strong — had a chain-like weapon. I asked him what it was, and he said it was a nunchaku!”

  Melan?e’s smile faded. “Reid,” she said firmly, “don’t you remember what I told you? Never talk to strangers like that.”

  “But… he was too cool,” Reid mumbled, eyes downcast.

  “Well, don’t do it again, mister,” Melan?e said with a soft smile. The afternoon light lingered on her face as she ruffled Reid’s hair, and for a brief moment, the world felt still — as if the sun itself refused to set.

  But the sun always sets.

  As dusk bled into night, Priscilla fell silent once more. Shadows lengthened across the hills, and the wind began to whisper through the trees.

  In another house, a single candle flickered behind the Venn-shaped window. The alchemy room smelled faintly of ash and dust.

  Lucius sat on the floor, the red book before him. He hadn’t opened it again — yet somehow, it felt as though the book was waiting for him.

  Then he heard a noise — the front door opening. Frigg had returned.

  Panic surged through him. In a rush, he snatched up the book and slid it back onto the shelf just as her footsteps echoed up the stairs. Not a sound escaped him.

  Composing himself, he went downstairs to greet his mother. She looked exhausted, her shoulders heavy, though nothing seemed out of the ordinary — except for the long thick twig she carried in her hand.

  “Hello, Mom. Are you okay?” Lucius asked.

  “Just tired,” Frigg replied while putting the twig like object on her bag. “I’m going to bed now, Lucius.” She paused, then her eyes lit up with sudden remembrance. “Oh, silly me! I almost forgot — your school is starting early this year.”

  Lucius blinked in surprise. “When?”

  “The day after tomorrow,” she said, smiling faintly. “So, make sure you sleep early, alright? You’ll need your strength.”

  She hesitated, curiosity flickering across her face. “Have you decided on your weapon yet? You’re starting middle school, after all.”

  Lucius straightened with confidence. “I want to fight with a staff.”

  “Like me, then,” Frigg said with a small laugh. “Very well — we’ll go to town tomorrow and get you your own staff.”

  “Really?!” Lucius’s eyes widened with excitement.

  “Of course,” Frigg said, smiling gently. “Now get some rest.”

  “Okaaay,” he murmured, dragging the word playfully.

  They went upstairs to their rooms, and soon the house fell silent again. Lucius lay on his bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Sleep refused to come — his mind raced with excitement about the staff, and yet another thought, darker and deeper, clung to him still.

  Those words — carved into the heart of his memory.

  Accept your hunger.