Shadowless Night

The taste was a fantastic combination of bitter and fishy to sufficiently to paralyze his tingling tongue. Tears flowed out. 

Calyx wiped his lips with an untidy look and asked them to move slower. He cried a lot these days, and it's mainly because of his sister Rosaline. Rosaline nodded fiercely at Calyx's tears.

Perhaps because of her brother's tears, Rosaline took frequent breaks. She seemed to have noticed the abnormal speed of her travels compared to others. So she has progressed to the point where even when it's not nightfall, Rosaline will stop when she sees a village and find a suitable place to sleep.

By the time they arrived at a town, it had started raining. It was late at night, so all the lights in houses were off, but all the inns welcoming guests were like a torch in the sea guiding the way.

While they moved to a farther inn, Rosaline continued to scan left and right with her hood on while Calyx watched her actions. A quiet night on a street with no narrow alleys and no people around— nothing should be bothering her.

But Calyx was well aware that Rosaline's senses were much broader and deeper than the range of ordinary humans. ‘Is there something that only she can sense?’

Calyx rushed to her.

"Is there something wrong, Sister?"

Rosaline shook her head with a duller expression than usual. In the meantime, her sharp eyes were vigilant through the hazy raindrops. She said there were no problems, but Calyx couldn't shake the strange feeling. He hadn’t thought about it through their arduous march, but from the time it started to rain, the number of words she said started to drop sharply. 

‘Do you hate the rain?’

He felt like they had to go somewhere quickly and give her a rest. Calyx patted the rump of Rosaline’s horse to hasten its steps. Macaron, who flew in the sky, slowly came down to rest.

“Macaron. Come to me.”

The eagle that wanted to enter Rosaline’s pocket threatened Calyx with a sharp cry. Calyx did not give in to her dissatisfaction and urged her once more.

“Sister is tired, so come here.”

Macaron circled Rosaline and looked at her, and then came to Calyx. She tilted her head, ‘Is she really in a bad mood?’ It seemed to say.

Calyx had wondered if her abnormal state was a characteristic of ‘Them', but Macaron’s condition seemed to be the same as usual. He heard the sound of Macaron transforming into a mouse, slipping into Calyx’s pocket, then eating some of the peanuts he had kept as a snack.

Leaving one man and one mouse behind, Rosaline gripped the reins. Her senses were wide open. The sound of rain falling on the ground surrounded her; the sound of the sharp wind blowing through the alleys; she even got nervous at the sound of words and laughter echoing from house to house. Rosaline realized that her condition was strange. The street was dark, with only a few faint lights and the sound of the rain to accompany them.

She felt queasy. She had never experienced it, yet she was somehow familiar with this uneasiness pounding her chest and the dampness that made her whole body soggy. It was strange. Rosaline pulled her hood tighter and hurried her horse.

The party soon arrived at the inn. While Calyx left the horses to a worker, Rosaline headed to the building first. She thought it would be better to go inside quickly and rest. Rosaline grabbed the inn's doorknob. The temperature only got colder as she was drenched in rainwater, and the chill penetrated her skin sharply.

Creeeeak…

The old door opened.

A person's shadow, obscured by the backlight, appeared in the middle of the bright background and shook.

Kwang!

A sound rang out. Just as a man was about to leave the inn, he was thrown into muddy water by Rosaline. The man was stunned by a single blow, and the person who had beaten him merely blinked. The situation seemed perplexing.

Of course, Calyx, who witnessed the scene, was in an even more awkward spot and stood still without saying anything.

‘Is that man an assassin? Doesn’t he look a bit too embarrassing for that?’

At Calyx's questioning eyes, Rosaline gently lowered the fist she was holding.

“Ah, that was a mistake. I'm truly sorry."

Despite Rosaline’s quick apology, the man’s party was furious, as is natural. Calyx repeatedly apologized and promised to give monetary compensation. The party and the person involved thought about how to reap as many benefits as possible with a smile. Rosaline just stood far away during that long negotiation period.

Rosaline's body trembled slightly, and she straightened her form by repeating the sudden memory several times. 

It became clearer. The sound of raindrops echoed in the quiet forest. The dark night. A small space filled with light. A man among those lights. 

The accidentally interlocking circumstances brought up some fragmented memories that had sunk deep inside Rosaline.

***

The memories of ‘Rosaline' began to return to the point when she fell down the cliff. Feeling fear as her legs wore out, she ran through the dark woods. She fell. 

.

.

.

Then Rosaline stood in front of the barracks, holding her breath.

Someone could be seen through the cracks in the tent as light leaked out. Rosaline's eyes quivered. The beast's hands were covered with white fur, and its sharp claws shone sharply. ‘Rosaline’ gasped and took a deep breath to steady herself. At that moment, that person’s huge hand wiggled and moved unexpectedly.

.

.

.

Memories began to flow in order again. ‘Rosaline' took a hasty step back. The tent flapped and rustled in the wind. The attack from her pursuer caused her to fall forward and roll several times, causing a gash on her back in the process. She suffered major injuries, but her legs did not stop. As she stepped on branches, she heard the sound of her pursuer getting closer. 

.

.

.

‘I then ran and fell off the cliff. Then everything goes dark.’

After becoming a human, Rosaline had felt many emotions, but this was the first time she had ever felt so frightened. It was only a fleeting moment, but it was very intense.

But as she clenched her fist, her fear shattered. The man splendidly flew away, and at the same time, her fear broke down. Rosaline's hood fell off with that rough movement, and rain poured down her head.

The chaotic mess in her head broke, and the cold stream of water reminded her of reality.

Rosaline stared into the distance with sharp eyes.

The Imperial family has an ‘It'. The ‘It' that tried to kill Rosaline.

***

Calyx sat on the bed with his arms crossed and a terrifying expression resting on his face. As soon as Rosaline came out of the shower and saw Calyx, she wanted to go back in and wash up again. Macaron read the air in the gloomy room and quietly climbed onto Calyx's shoulder.

Rosaline sat across from Calyx with a sullen expression. She was well aware of Calyx's look. It was the same expression as when Rosaline broke something in Radwiell Mansion and became injured by a sharp piece. Or when she came out without drying her hair from a bath.

“What will happen if you hit someone recklessly?”

Rosaline glanced at Calyx with a glumly. She had her circumstances, but Calyx asked again, not wanting to let it slide.

“What did I say will happen if you hit someone recklessly, Sister?”

“I will go to a scary place…”

“Yes, that’s right. Then you must go to a scary place now.”

Calyx jumped up and grabbed Rosaline's wrist. As he pretended to drag her somewhere, Rosaline used her strength and pulled away. She didn't move, steady like a boulder.

“I’ll tell scary people to come and take Sister away. Oi, scary man! Here she is!”

When Calyx screamed, Rosaline was startled. Macaron also jumped and slapped Calyx on the back of his neck. It felt like she was trying to stop him.

“People will think you were the bad guy!"

Calyx's eyebrows twitched.

"I’m the bad guy…?”

Rosaline agreed quickly after feeling that Clayx's voice had eased a bit.

“Yeah, I was afraid. I didn't do that on purpose. It was a real mistake. I sincerely apologized…”

Calyx was taken aback by her words, for he had never imagined that Rosaline could feel fear. He groaned and released her wrist.

“Why were you scared?”

Calyx knelt on the floor so he could look up at Rosaline sitting on the bed. Rosaline's hands were cold, so Calyx rubbed them to warm her hands to his own body temperature.

Rosaline thought for a long time at Calyx's question. Memories of the past. Fragments of emotions carried in ‘Rosaline’s’ memory. Many parts were difficult to explain in words. She lifted her eyes, seeing several candles floating in Calyx’s eyes.

"I know the one who killed me.”

Calyx's eyes devoured the candle's light and became sharper. Rosaline felt the power of Calyx's grip become stronger in an instant. His body shook so briefly that she thought she had seen it wrong. Calyx’s voice fell a little lower.

“… Sister was killed by someone?”

Despite his caring expression, Rosaline got goosebumps behind her neck. Rather than being afraid, it was just her body’s reaction to survive.

“Oh, so, he didn’t kill me. But on the day of the hunting competition… It happened to rain.”

“Yes.”

Rosaline stuttered through her broken memories. Calyx listened to her calmly. ‘Yes, it did. So, what happened?’ His hoarse voice was trembling. His eyes were burning, and sometimes they were covered with some cold emotion.

Rosaline told him everything she remembered. ‘She saw another ‘It’, noticed the existence, ran through the dark rain forest, fell, and met me.’