The evening wind at the Aethelgard estate felt unusually cold.

That hug had long since loosened, but its warmth still lingered on Olivia’s skin like a shadow that refused to leave.

Her hands were still trembling slightly, her fingers still holding her uniform as if afraid that everything just now had only been a dream.

Celine and Ophlia were still standing beside her. Both of them smiled. Olivia, even though her gaze still felt slightly empty, was no longer as stiff as she had been before.

Olivia stared blankly at the biscuit in her hand. Celine who was in front of her immediately looked toward Olivia’s hand.

"Oh!! Where did you get this?"

Celine said excitedly. The last of her tears were wiped slowly while she squinted toward that biscuit.

Olivia hesitated. She tried to speak casually with them but the words simply wouldn’t come out of her throat.

Ophlia who was staring at Olivia rubbed her back slowly. The corners of her brows dropped slightly. Then, Olivia turned toward Ophlia who looked worried.

"The gardener.... gave it to me" Olivia said hesitantly. Celine startled. She tilted her head slightly. Then said..

"The gardener?" Celine asked while pressing her temples. Confused she shook her head.

"Um... Olivia.... there’s no gardener walking around this area in the evening..." Celine said while her eyes fixed toward that biscuit that looked exactly like the biscuit that was Olivia’s favourite. Olivia smiled faintly.

"...just now I saw him.. we bumped into each other... and he kept apologising me..." before she finished talking she stopped for a moment. When she thought back, that gardener just now...

No thread..... impossible...

Every living person must have one...

Except.....

Olivia said in her mind. She was stunned. Her face went pale. Then in one corner of that corridor, a black shadow could be seen, still as if not moving. Olivia slowly lifted her face.

Her chest beat fast... not only because of fear. But because something inside her... recognised that man. Wearing a black hood staring sharply toward her.

Olivia immediately directed her gaze toward that stare. True just as she had felt. She knew and she had seen that man before.

The masked man!!!

Immediately her eyes went wide. Her hands and feet started going weak.

Why after all these years.... only today does he appear...

Olivia whispered in her heart. Her heartbeat felt faster and faster. The hand holding those biscuits slowly went weak. Until finally those biscuits fell and scattered.

Ophlia and Celine noticed the change in Olivia’s face. Her eyes went wide staring at one corner of that corridor. But strangely, Ophlia and Celine couldn’t see anyone that Olivia was looking at.

Ophlia called out to Olivia who had gone pale. Celine started to get uneasy and shook Olivia’s body hard until Olivia snapped back. Her breath was coming in and out. Her hand was pointing toward the corner of that space.

"Olivia there’s nobody there.." said Ophlia. She furrowed her brow. Olivia was stunned. Her face creased.

"You can’t see the man wearing a mask there?" asked Olivia with a hint of fear. Ophlia shook her head. Then Olivia turned her face toward Celine. But the same...

Nothing.

Olivia let her hand fall to her side. Her chest felt tighter and tighter. Her breathing became more and more unsteady as if something was pressing on her chest from inside.

"Impossible..." she whispered quietly. She was very certain about what she had seen.

But the answer she received stayed the same.

Nothing.

Her chest felt tighter.

Her hands slowly fell to her sides.

Her breathing was still unsteady, as if something was pressing on her chest from inside.

Without realising, her head turned back toward that corner of the corridor. How shocked she was when that corridor was empty. Absolutely nobody was there. Only cold stone walls and shadows that didn’t move.

For a few moments, Olivia just stood stiff staring at that empty corridor.

Suddenly, a voice was heard. Very quietly but that voice felt close. Too close until it made Olivia’s whole body freeze.

She looked toward Celine.

That’s not Celine’s voice, and not Ophlia’s either...

She whispered quietly in her mind. Then,

Olivia~.

That voice was heard again. This time no longer quiet but that sound seemed to be right behind Olivia. Slowly Olivia’s eyes went wide.

Slowly, she turned her head toward where that voice was coming from... but when her head had already turned toward that voice, the masked man she had seen before was standing right behind her.

That mask covered half of his face. His eyes were the same as before. Sharp and empty staring toward Olivia....

Too close... until she could feel the sound of his breathing.

Without realising it, her feet slowly stepped back one step. That man didn’t move at all. Only standing stiff in the same position.

"Long time no see... Olivia" his voice was very quiet and low. Almost like a whisper. But strangely, she heard that greeting clearly. Olivia’s heartbeat felt stronger and stronger.

"You.... your eyes.... haven’t changed at all" he said again. Immediately very clear memories.... and old shadows.... mixed together in her head. That man slightly lowered his head, as if studying Olivia’s face.

"....turns out what he said was true.." he said again. Olivia startled.

What does he mean?

She whispered in her heart. Olivia pressed her lips together hard. Confused about what to do. She looked toward both her friends but.....

Celine and Ophlia were standing stiff... as if the time around them had been stopped. Olivia could feel something wasn’t right. But the masked man spoke again.

"Seven years... and finally." He went quiet for a moment. A small smile formed behind his mask.

"...you’re starting to wake up too."

"Hmm... what should I do to this friend of yours?" he said quietly while walking around Celine. Olivia without realising, spread both her hands out as if blocking that masked man from coming near the two of them.

"Don’t you dare touch my friends.." she said with sharp eyes staring at him. As if giving that man a warning. But that man just laughed. And kept laughing.

I thought she had completely lost her mind....

He said inside his heart, then his pupils narrowed.

Haaaa.....

Then,

".. interesting" the masked man continued quietly. While tilting his head slightly before his smile disappeared.

Boring.....

He said in his heart. He wanted to try something more extreme. Then,

"Hmm... where is that Javien you love so much?...." he said quietly while stepping closer toward Olivia. Olivia went stiff, it was the first time she had heard that name being called. But without her realising, that voice made her whole legs go weak. But she held it back.

Not in front of this psycho man!!!

She whispered in her heart. Before she can talk, suddenly she felt someone shaking her shoulder.

"Olivia?" Celine’s voice was heard panicking.

Celine’s hand touched her shoulder. Olivia startled. As if she had just snapped back from reality.

Her breathing was still going up and down. Then her eyes darted looking around. Back to normal.

"Olivia, what did you see that made you go this pale" said Celine while holding Olivia’s forehead. Olivia went quiet, not answering. She turned her head behind her. But empty.....

Was that real or not?

She whispered in her heart. Starting to doubt what she was actually seeing. Looking at Ophlia’s and Celine’s behaviour it was as if nothing had happened around them. But the back of her neck still felt cold... as if someone was still standing behind her.

"What happened?" asked Ophlia who looked worried watching Olivia’s behaviour. Olivia’s face started breaking out in a cold sweat. Her legs trembled quietly.

"You didn’t see?.." Olivia asked again while trembling. Celine and Ophlia looked at each other. Then nodded slowly.

Am I really going crazy?

She said while shaking her head. But she was certain.... the man she had seen was real. The question about Javien made her wonder even more about the real meaning behind that question.

Ja...vien...

Her mouth whispered slowly. Her lips felt heavy saying that name. After all this time, only today did she hear that name again. Whether it was sadness or disappointment she wasn’t sure, but her heart felt heavy hearing that name.

But Ophlia gently rubbed Olivia’s back. That action made Olivia feel touched. But at the same time she wanted to push away everyone who had ever been close to her. But her heart seemed to say no.

But why did that man have a thread on his wrist?....

And why.... am I the only one who could see that man...

Those questions kept circling inside Olivia’s mind. Feeling strange. She bit her lip. Wanting to wake herself up whether that had been a dream or reality.

Ow!

This is real.

She whispered quietly. Then without her realising the thread tied on her wrist trembled. All the fine lines connected to every person in this estate lit up. Olivia stared.

Until now.... I still don’t know the meaning of all these threads...

But at least, it can help me a little...

She said. For a moment, she forgot about the incident with the masked man.

Wouldn’t it be good if I slowly learned about these threads.... who knows?

Without realising it, words came out of her mouth without meaning to. She was stunned.

That’s actually true....

Olivia said... slowly she began to change her perspective about the thread tied on her wrist. Then,

"Olivia! Olivia!.." Ophlia called quietly toward Olivia while she gently waved her hand in front of her eyes. As if waking Olivia up. Olivia only then snapped out of her daydream. Then smiled as usual.

"Yeah.." Olivia asked while turning to look toward Ophlia and Celine who were facing her.

"...let’s go inside. "

Night is coming let’s continue... inside." Celine said while looking around. As she afraid to stand long in that area. Then Olivia nodded. Then both of Olivia’s hands were held tight by Celine and Ophlia who were trying to calm Olivia’s heart.

All three of them stepped inside the Aethelgard estate. Throughout the journey. All three of them were quiet. Silent as if full of questions inside each of their heads.

Until they arrived, in front of that grand wooden door.... which was Ophlia’s room. That large door opened slowly, and the air inside the estate felt like it immediately changed.

For some reason at that time, the air was heavier and colder. Olivia’s steps stopped for a moment at the doorway, her fingers without realising gripped her uniform tightly. She knew something wasn’t right behind that door. All three of them froze.

Not something clear, but enough to make her instincts give a warning. Without thinking long, she lifted her gaze slightly forward and there, a man was already standing waiting.

His body was upright, calm, while looking out the window. His hand was tapping slowly on Ophlia’s wooden table.

That sound echoed, quiet but piercing. Three of them immediately bowed respectfully, but Olivia felt her heart beating slightly harder when her eyes caught that figure.

Duke Herold. For a moment, something inside her trembled... not just because of fear, but because of a feeling that was hard to explain. As if... she was standing in front of something that shouldn’t exist so normally.

Olivia drew in a slow breath before finally daring to lift her gaze slightly higher.

And at that moment

her eyes fell toward something around Duke Herold. Her breath stopped. As if her heart stopped for a moment...

..that’s not...

... an ordinary thread...