The Next Day

  The twins woke up early in the morning as the sun cast its soft rays, and the fresh morning breeze filled the air. Just as they were about to leave, they noticed their father was awake. He was about to head out when Novamelle asked him where he was going. Their father told her that he wanted to retrieve a piece of furniture he had left behind at a shop.

  Novamelle asked, "Isn't it too early to go there?"

  Their father replied, "I just remembered that the shop owner told me he would be traveling today, so I want to get there before he leaves."

  The twins waited for their father to leave so they could head to the forest near the Life Line and the cliff. Since their father had forbidden them from going there again, he would probably stop them even if they got close. They waited for half an hour before setting off.

  When they arrived at the forest, Moner prepared himself. Thoughts of his power—the power of the Fire Knight—filled his mind. Could he control it again?

  At that moment, Novamelle watched in amazement as an iron armor emerged from his body, wrapping around him completely, leaving only his eyes visible. A steel sword extended from his right hand, while from his left, he could cast molten lava and fire.

  Moner hurled a small amount of lava at a lone tree, burning it to ashes in an instant. Both of them were shocked. Moner, now excited, wanted to burn more trees.

  Novamelle scolded him, "Don't get carried away, you idiot! You'll burn down the entire forest!"

  She then thought for a moment before saying, "What use is your power to us? It's useless in our daily lives… unless for grilling food. Besides, our parents forbade us from going to the Life Line, so we can't even hunt."

  Moner replied, "Do you think if I applied to be recruited into the government, my power would be useful then?"

  Novamelle told him that instead of accepting him, they would likely find it suspicious and might even detain him upon discovering his ability. After all, they had never heard of anyone possessing such power before.

  Moner wielded the steel sword, cutting through trees effortlessly. However, he found the sword heavy and hard to control. As for his lava ability, he felt he needed more training to master it.

  He trained for several hours until exhaustion. By noon, the sun was scorching, and Novamelle suggested he rest so they could return home. Moner sat under the shade of a tree, enjoying the refreshing breeze. He lay down for a moment and deactivated his ability, returning to his normal form.

  Suddenly, Novamelle spotted someone.

  "Moner, look! There's someone climbing the cliff we always use," she said.

  Moner peered through the dense trees and said, "You have sharp eyes—I barely saw him. That person is wearing a cloak. Why don't we get closer to see who it is?"

  As they approached, they were shocked—it was their father!

  "What is he doing here?" Moner whispered. "Isn't he the one who told us this place is dangerous? We should stay away from him. If he finds out we came here, he might never let us leave the house again."

  They cautiously backed away, watching him from a distance. They noticed that he was heading toward their home.

  Moner, puzzled, said, "Should we go back and see what he's up to? Something seems off."

  Novamelle suggested, "Let's wait ten minutes before returning, so he doesn't see us."

  After ten minutes, they hurried home, only to find that their father wasn't there.

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  They asked their mother if she had seen him.

  She replied, "He went to the furniture shop to buy something."

  The twins instantly realized that he was lying—his direction was toward the house, not the kingdom where the shop was located.

  They considered the possibility that he was at Kyle’s grave, but it wasn’t the usual time he visited, which was at sunset.

  They walked to Kyle's grave and, upon arriving, saw their father sitting there, his face filled with despair and failure. The moment he noticed them, he quickly hid something.

  Moner asked, "Father, did you go to the shop?"

  Their father, flustered, replied, "Yes, Moner, I did. But the owner had already left on his trip, so I came here to visit Kyle’s grave. Is something wrong?"

  The twins realized he was lying. He had been near the Life Line.

  Novamelle asked, "What was that thing you just hid, Father?"

  Their father hesitated before saying, "It's nothing, just some silver coins. Now, why don’t we head home?"

  They returned home, but their father’s face still bore an expression of sorrow.

  At noon, their mother prepared lunch, and the family gathered to eat. The twins noticed their father’s expression of despair growing stronger. They were convinced that he was hiding something.

  After finishing their meal, the twins told their parents they were going to the central park. They put on their cloaks and left.

  Novamelle turned to Moner and said, "Our father is acting strange… I’m excited to see the royal palace now."

  Moner suggested, "Why don’t we go to the market first to check if the furniture shop owner really traveled or if our father was lying?"

  When they arrived at the market, they made their way to the shop—only to find that the furniture dealer was still there.

  Their suspicions were confirmed. Their father was hiding something.

  As they were leaving the market, they saw Sifor talking to the merchant Nero.

  Sifor asked, "So, merchant Nero, you said your son, Sero, failed the recruitment test? Do you know anything about it?"

  Nero replied, "I don’t know anything. Ever since the day I warned my son about it, he went missing. I have no idea what the test involves. My advice to you: don’t go, because you will fail."

  Sifor, furious, said, "I’m not a failure like your son! I will succeed, and I’ll prove it to you!"

  Nero snapped, "Get out of my shop before I show you something you won’t like!"

  Sifor arrogantly stormed out and saw the twins.

  "In a few days, my test is coming up," he sneered. "You’ll see how I pass it." Then he left.

  The twins entered the shop, and Moner told Nero that he also wanted to take the test.

  Nero laughed. "Kid, don’t be crazy. My son died years ago. He looked a lot like me—brown eyes, brown hair—but unlike me, he still had hair, hahaha. He was obsessed with becoming a soldier, just like you two. His eyes had the same ambitious spark as yours… unlike that other boy—his eyes are full of hatred and envy. My advice? Don’t go there. Your fate is in your hands."

  The twins left the market and headed toward the royal palace. By now, it was afternoon, and the sky was cloudy.

  As Moner walked, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. Novamelle, however, felt it even more strongly—an overwhelming déjà vu.

  She began sweating as she looked at the Grand Palace. "I feel like… I’ve been here before," she murmured. "Like I’ve spent my life here… What is this strange feeling?"

  They continued forward, nearing the royal palace and the ministers' mansions.

  As they observed from a distance, citizens were protesting against the kingdom.

  Novamelle’s feelings intensified. She wasn’t just experiencing déjà vu—she had memories of the palace.

  "I can even imagine the inside!" she whispered. "The rooms are painted gold and blue. I remember its beauty. But how do I have these memories?"

  Moner suggested asking John if he had ever seen the inside of the Grand Palace.

  When they reached the central park, the rain had begun to fall lightly.

  They found John about to leave.

  Moner called out, "John!"

  John approached them, looking slightly sad.

  They asked how he was, and he replied that he was fine.

  Then they immediately asked, "What color is the inside of the Grand Palace?"

  John replied, "It’s blue and gold."

  Both of them froze—their suspicions were true.

  Suddenly, John spoke in a sorrowful voice:

  "Your brother Kyle… did not die from illness. He was found murdered near the forest."

  The twins were shocked by what they heard and lost their minds. They quickly said to him, “Don’t say silly jokes, John, what’s wrong with you? Where did you get this from? Answer us quickly.”

  John replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

  The twins were stunned and decided to return home to ask their father, as he had been acting strangely lately. The sun set, and the weather became very cloudy with heavy and violent rain. They walked, wanting to understand what was happening and the reason behind his strange behavior.

  When they arrived home and entered, they didn’t find him, so they began searching for him. They asked their mother where he was, and she told them that he had gone to Kyle's grave. When the rain started, she told him to come back, but he said he would stay a little longer.

  The twins immediately went to Kyle's grave. As the rain intensified, they approached the grave and were shocked when they saw their father, Venis, kneeling on the ground, crying bitterly, striking the earth as if he had lost all hope, holding a jewel in his hand.

  “Oh, jewel, please... bring Kyle back to me!”