The glasses of the windows are broken. The walls are being slowly burned by the magical cold silver fire. There's no smoke, but the damage is already visible. Alexandra Krauss watches her home burn with an expressionless face.
A long time ago, she saw something similar done. Back then, it happened because of her second son. He was only seven-year-old at the time when he magic went out of control. Her husband was able to stop it before that cold silver fire could burn them all.
There's no one to stop this fire now.
Her husband died fifteen years ago. As she tries to hold back her tears, she feels a lump in her throat. For a long time, she believed that her second son was also dead.
She inhales the cold air. She won't become weak. She has seen so much and still, she has managed to bring this family to this point. Even after her husband died, she didn't break.
"Mother, they are here, " Valentin tells her. "The ghoul is with her."
They have taken their time. She looks at the car approaching them. It stops ten feet away from her. A tall young man steps out of the car. She has to admit that this ghoul is a fine man.
The ghoul opens the door and a woman gets out of the car. Alexandra scrutinizes her for any familiarity to her second son and she's not disappointed. It's the same stubborn and wild look in that woman's eyes that she saw in her second son. Her son, Zachary, is someone who wouldn't come back home for nearly thirty years as if he had disowned the Krauss family because he didn't want to follow his father's wishes.
However, her second son is not a heartless man. If he knew that he had a daughter, he wouldn't have left his daughter behind. He wouldn't have stayed silent when Nell Solomon was a victim of the Fae's atrocity. He wouldn't have let his daughter stay with a ghoul.
This is a good opportunity to bring him out of his hiding place. Alexandra smiles. He will come out for his daughter.
Nathanial Krauss comes to his mother and whispers, "Mother, the spirit is also here."
Alexandra gives him a nod. She looks at the woman with hazel eyes. "Come here."
Instead of going to Alexandra, Nell glances at the fire. "So, this is the wrath of the moon. It is such a slow fire. A normal fire would have burned everything to the ground by now."
Is that all she has to say? Alexandra purses her lips. This woman is too similar to Zachary. The ghoul puts his arm around her granddaughter's waist and says, "It's the goddess' protection. The night is trying to soothe the moon, but the moon is not calming down."
The ghoul has knowledge about the goddess of night. Alexandra frowns deeply. She doesn't know much about this ghoul. She should look into his background. He doesn't seem like an ordinary one.
"I don't want to stay here for long." Nell turns her head toward Alexandra. "Your son told me that I only have to say a few words."
It is common to find humans with spiritual energy. There's rarely any human who doesn't have any spiritual energy, though cultivating spiritual energy is quite difficult at the beginning. However, it's rare to find humans with the ability to wield magic.
The Krauss family is one of the oldest family with both magic and the blessing of the goddess of the night. The night magic is quite common, falling under the category of darkness. However, it's the weakest form of darkness.
It's often mentioned in the ancient books that the sun and the moon are the eyes of the universe. Moon, the child of the night, has two sides. One side of the moon is quiet and peaceful while the other one is wild and cunning.
It may seem like the night rules the moon, but it's only an illusion The night is also changing when the moon is changing. Unlike the fiery sun that leaves nothing to the imagination, the wily moon reveals little and leaves everything else to the mystery.
Only a sliver of her emotion managed to transpired in the strand of her hair. That was strong enough to cause the wrath of the moon. Alexandra could see that Nell Solomon's magic is in the awakening state. "You have to say the word of forgiveness."
"Word of forgiveness?" Nell wrinkles her nose. "Why should I ask someone's forgiveness?"
"Not you." Alexandra takes a breath. "You have to say that you forgive the person who made you angry. After you say the word, the fire will go away."
***
Strange! I wonder how firemen would feel after hearing this old lady's words. If words are enough, then I should do it. I don't believe her though.
But I won't do it because I haven't forgiven the person who made me angry. "Lady Krauss, you are asking me to lie."
"Lie?" The old lady furrows her greyish brows. Her face is round, but she has this resting bitch face that can easily scare people away. She asks me with a calm voice, "Did Nathanial not ask for your forgiveness?"
"The person who should be apologizing on his knees is him." I point at Valentin. That man hasn't learned his lesson. "Unless he apologizes to me and my husband for everything that he said and done, I am not doing it at all."
Valentin eyes me darkly. "I will never apologize to a lowly creature like that."
"Then, this conversation is over." I grasp Eli's hand. "Let's leave. We have a lot to do today."
A loud blast sound startles me. Eli pulls me in his arms and covers me with his body. I peek at the manor and see a huge cloud of dark smoke coming out of the windows. The silver fire is violent, but I don't know why I feel a sense of connection as if it's calling me to come to it.
I could taste the moonlight on the tip of my tongue.
What does moonlight taste like? It leaves my mind the moment I try to rationalize. I feel like the silver fire is laughing at me. I can't hear the sound of laughter, but I can feel it coming from it. Am I crazy? Why did I think that I tasted moonlight a moment ago? Did I really taste it?
"What are you waiting for?" The old lady yells at Valentin. "Go down on your knees and ask for forgiveness?"
"But that's a ghoul, Mother." Valentin resists. "We shouldn't lose our pride even if the manor gets burned to the ashes."
"Your father's ashes are in the manor." The old lady flicks her finger. I hear a crunching noise. Valentin falls on his knees. His face contorts in pain. What did this old woman do to him? I don't think that I want to know.
Valentin pinches his lips together and looks at me with rage. He doesn't want to ask for forgiveness for sure. The old lady exhales. She places her hand on Valentin's head. "Did your rebellious phase return, Valentin?"
He shudders. Valentin looks up at me. With resentment and pain in his eyes, he utters the words, "I am sorry."
I don't want a forced apology. It's worse than a fake apology. Nathanial shrugs and looks away as if it got nothing to do with him. I glance at Eli. He is unmoved by the scene.
Damn! Am I the only one feeling bad for Valentin?
"Is this enough?" The old lady stares at me. "If it's enough, can you say the words?"
This Krauss family is abnormal.