“One of my ancestors, Aretot Haukekai, once conducted an experiment. He was a legendary man, blessed with both talent and opportunity—one of the strongest figures in the entire history of the Haukekai Family.”

“But unlike most people, he was not driven to grow stronger because he wanted strength itself, or because he wished to lead the family. The reason he continued becoming stronger was to investigate the double-moon phenomenon.”

“Even as a boy, he was deeply curious about the double moons and obsessed with uncovering their secrets. He absorbed a Spirit Soul and set foot on the path of the Sorcerer-class only because he wanted to live longer.”

“Oh?” Vinny’s interest was piqued. He had not expected Luna’s family to have an ancestor who had devoted himself so completely to researching the double moons. “And then?”

“He was an extremely meticulous man. With his exceptional talent, he quickly became known as a prodigy, but he did not care much about such things. Everything he did was only to make studying the double moons more convenient,” Luna continued.

“Because the intervals between double-moon phenomena were unpredictable—sometimes only a few years, sometimes several decades—no one could say when the next one would appear. Some people might go their entire lives without witnessing it even once. In order to observe as many double-moon phenomena as possible during his lifetime, Ancestor Aretot decided to reach the Master realm and greatly extend his lifespan. In the end, he witnessed the phenomenon seventeen times.”

“Before each of those seventeen events, he made thorough preparations. He gathered like-minded members of the family to conduct numerous tests and experiments, record the data, establish control groups, and compare the results across the board.”

“So what conclusion did he reach? And what sort of experiments did he conduct?” Vinny asked.

“Unfortunately, many of those records were lost when the demon race invaded and our entire family was forced to relocate.” Luna shook her head. “Fortunately, the conclusion itself survived. He believed that when the double-moon phenomenon descended, the Tyrelis Continent would be enveloped by an enormous resonant mana field. That field would alter the auras of all living beings and guide them toward destinies utterly opposed to their original ones.”

“Uh... what?” Fennia had been trying very hard to follow along, but the more intently she listened, the sleepier she became. The question marks on her face only multiplied.

“What does that mean?”

“Let me put it more simply. The double-moon phenomenon may be able to change a person’s luck, temperament, state of mind—even completely alter or reverse the course of their fate,” Luna explained.

“What?” Amisha, who had been quietly listening with rapt attention, parted her lips slightly.

“It sounds difficult to believe, but that was what Ancestor Aretot wrote at the end of the surviving fragment,” Luna said.

“These fragments were left behind during our family’s relocation, and many of them were damaged. At the time, the Tyrelis Empire had collapsed, the demon race was invading, and humanity stood at the brink of extinction. No one cared about records of strange celestial phenomena. The people within the family who had been responsible for organizing and researching the double moons gradually became unnecessary as time passed. Several generations later, the conclusions remained written in those fragments, but no one could explain how they had been reached, or what theories and principles they had been based on.”

“And it did not say how someone was supposed to reverse their fate?” Vinny raised a brow.

“No. But...” Luna hesitated.

“But what?”

“On the final page of the fragment Ancestor Aretot left behind, there was a line written in smaller letters. The same sentence also appeared in the margin notes of several other pages. I do not know whether it was his conclusion, a warning to those who came after him, or simply a thought he wrote down on a whim.”

“What did it say?”

“‘Two moons are two suns. Two suns are two lands. Divine power is conserved; imbalance brings collapse.’”

Vinny repeated the sentence to himself several times.

“What does that mean? If there are two moons, then there must be two suns—and if there are two suns, then there must be two worlds?” he asked uncertainly.

“That may be what it means, but we cannot give a definite answer.”

“Could old Aretot have meant that each moon represents a world?” Vinny rubbed his chin. He seemed to recall seeing a similar claim in the records: when two moons appeared at once, it meant that the gateways to two worlds had connected.

“Gulp, gulp.” Fennia tipped her head right, then left. After wobbling it around for a while, she finally gave up trying to think.

“Ahh, this is too complicated. I’m completely hopeless at stuff like this.” Fennia flopped back against the chair and surrendered.

“Fennia, do strange things grow out of your forehead often?” Vinny asked with amusement, propping his chin on one hand as he watched her.

“Huh? No?” Fennia looked baffled.

“Really? Because it looks to me like a tuft of grass just sprouted there.”

Vinny’s tone made it impossible for Fennia to tell whether he was teasing her.

“No way!” Fennia looked toward Amisha and found her staring back with equal surprise. She immediately began to panic.

She looked around frantically and happened to spot a mirror lying face down on the table. Picking it up, she checked her forehead. Only after confirming that everything was perfectly normal did she let out a sigh of relief.

“What the heck! There’s nothing there at all! Your Eminence, you tricked me again! And you too, Amisha—you’ve learned how to be mean now!”

“Pfft. Well, Fennia, you hardly ever use your brain, so it must be full of nutrients. With soil that fertile, is it not perfectly natural for a few little sprouts to grow?” Vinny chuckled.

“What is that even supposed to mean?! What kind of explanation is that?”

“Miss Fennia, you should put that mirror down as soon as possible.”

While the others were joking around, Luna spoke with complete seriousness.

“Huh? Why? Is something wrong?” Fennia saw that Luna did not seem to be joking and looked confused.

Lady Luna was broad-minded. It was only a mirror. Surely using it for a moment would not make her angry?

“I am not saying you are forbidden from using it. It is simply best not to use one at this particular time,” Luna said calmly.

“Huh? Why not? What is wrong with this particular time? Why can’t I look in a mirror now?”

“Could it be... could it be...” Amisha’s face suddenly went pale, and her voice began to tremble.

“Huh? What?” Fennia still did not understand. “It can’t be that looking into a mirror at a time like this will cause something terrible to happen, right? Like in the middle of the night, a featureless black shadow steps out of the mirror and slowly approaches the person lying in bed, and then...”

“Hey!”

Before Fennia could finish, Vinny slammed his palm onto the table, his smile strained.

“Fennia, you fool. Why do you have such a vivid imagination? You could write horror stories.”

“Seriously. Having you work as an editor for a horror magazine would be such a waste of talent.”

“Really?” Fennia’s eyes instantly lit up with twinkling stars.

Her Eminence had praised her imagination!

“Hehe, it’s nothing special. I tell Amisha ghost stories all the time. If Your Eminence wants to hear one, I can tell you one right now. Actually, my hometown has a horror story about mirrors, and they say it really happened. That night, people could even hear someone scraping at the mirror with sharp claws...”

“Stop talking!” Vinny hurriedly cut her off. “What are you babbling about on your own? Who asked you to tell it? Who told you to say anything? No one asked you, okay?!”

“Uh...” Fennia was startled by Vinny’s sudden intensity. She shrank back and could only stop. “But Your Eminence just said I was good at it. I wanted to show you.”

“Fennia, why can you never understand what people mean or read the room?” Vinny was still smiling, but the twitch of his raised brows gave him away completely.

“Exactly, Miss Fennia. Pay more attention next time. Your ghost stories and urban legends do not have an audience here.” Luna smiled at Vinny’s reaction before turning to Fennia.

“Sorry! I thought everyone would like them!” Fennia pressed her hands together in apology.

“Who would like such creepy things? Only you like them, Fennia. You even scare me with them all the time because you think it’s fun.” Amisha gave Fennia a faintly reproachful look as well.

“Sorry, sorry. I really didn’t know Your Eminence was afraid of ghosts, ghost stories, and urban legends. I’ll remember that.”

At Fennia’s words, Luna and Amisha fell silent again.

Some things were understood without being said. Pointing them out directly was simply rude.

“What did you just say? Who is afraid?” Vinny protested at once.

“Huh?” Fennia tilted her head. “But... Your Eminence, aren’t you scared?”

“Of course I’m not! This young master isn’t afraid of ghosts or anything like that. Are you looking down on me?” Vinny huffed.

“Your Eminence, you should keep your voice down. What if something unspeakable hears you and actually comes to find you tonight?” Fennia said innocently, completely missing the warning in Amisha’s eyes.

“W-What nonsense are you talking about?!” Vinny swallowed and glanced vaguely toward either side of the room, looking more than a little flustered.

“But Your Eminence, you obviously look really scared of things like—”

“I. Said. I’m. Not.” Vinny replied with a tight smile.

“Gulp.”

Fennia was so frightened by the sight that she shrank back like a quail and did not dare make another sound.

“You say this young master is afraid of ghosts, but let me tell you, I’m not afraid of ghosts. Not afraid!” Vinny stressed again and again.

“Pfft. All right, all right, Miss Fennia, stop teasing Your Eminence. Otherwise, Your Eminence may be too scared to go home later. Then you can be the one to walk Your Eminence back.” Luna’s voice was full of mischief.

“Luna, I told you I’m not afraid,” Vinny said, pursing his lips.

“Mhm, mhm. Not afraid at all. No one in the world is less afraid of horror stories than Your Eminence. How could I not know that?” Luna smiled as though she meant every word.

“Then why is it best not to use a mirror at this particular time?” Amisha still did not understand.

“Well, it may not actually mean anything. But my ancestor’s fragment did mention mirrors. Roughly speaking, every mirror is connected to the same world. Those entrances are normally closed, and no one can open them.” Luna considered her words. “Of course, many of Ancestor Aretot’s claims were never verified, so do not treat his words as authoritative. None of this has been proven, and some of it sounds false on its face.”

“Besides that, one of his discarded research notes mentioned a demonic artifact.”

“It was an artifact called Nahidagon’s Original Sin Mirror. It was said to resemble a mirror laced with cracks.”

“Nahidagon?” Amisha’s eyes widened slightly upon hearing the name.

“What? Who is Nahidagon?” Fennia asked.

“Since it is a demonic artifact, Nahidagon must naturally be the name of a Demon Pillar,” Vinny said.

“Yes. Nahidagon is the Demon Pillar that governs divination, displacement, and keys,” Amisha explained. “Legend says it can peer into and discern a person’s fate and future. It possesses an exceptionally mysterious authority.”

“This Demon Pillar is very strange. It is not especially prominent in the historical record, and the few surviving accounts of its actions are entirely unlike the usual behavior of other Demon Pillars.”

“Unlike them? In what way?”

“Generally speaking, most Demon Pillars seek destruction. Even when they appear to help mortals, their ultimate purpose is surely evil. But Nahidagon is different.”

“Historical records say it once had one of its followers assume the guise of an old man to guide a lost hero. In the end, that hero slew a Demon King who had been terrorizing the region,” Amisha said.

“That almost makes it sound like a decent Demon Pillar,” Vinny mused.

At least compared with the alchemy Demon Pillar or the God of Greed and Intrigue, it sounded far more normal.

As far as Vinny was concerned, all Demon Pillars were strange. What he found most difficult to understand was why they kept doing things humans considered utterly vile.

It was almost as though they were consumed by the desire to destroy the Tyrelis Continent.

And yet they were Demon Pillars—higher-dimensional beings. They could not be like the evil villains in fairy tales, committing evil simply for evil’s sake because they were villains.

Why, exactly, were the Demon Pillars always so intent on stirring up trouble across the Tyrelis Continent?

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