At 8 PM, Cassandra called out to Iris for dinner, but there was no response. Growing concerned, she decided to check upstairs. The second floor was enveloped in darkness, and Iris was nowhere to be seen.
Cassandra approached Iris's bedroom and knocked on the door several times but received no reply. Worried for her granddaughter's well-being, she mustered the courage to enter the room.
"...Iris, I'm coming in!" Cassandra announced softly as she slowly pushed open the door, relieved to find it unlocked.
The room was shrouded in darkness, with only a faint glow from the crescent moon outside and the light seeping through the window.
Cassandra walked in cautiously and saw her granddaughter sleeping peacefully, tucked comfortably under the covers. She switched on the night light and stood by the bedside, a faint smile gracing her lips.
"It seems you're exhausted from working at the cafe, which is why you're still fast asleep at this hour, huh!?" Cassandra whispered with a tinge of regret.
Not wanting to disturb her, Cassandra ensured Iris was snugly covered before quietly exiting the room.
...
When Cassandra closed the bedroom door, another person suddenly appeared out of thin air in Iris's room, instantly causing the temperature to drop so much it's freezing now.
The tall, pale man stood at the end of the bed, his eyes fixed on the sleeping girl before him. A faint frown creased his forehead as his golden eyes gleamed in the dimly lit room, reflecting curiosity and confusion.
'Who are you? Are you truly Iris Gray?' he muttered under his breath, his gaze locked on Iris's delicate, pale face. This was the second time he had seen her without makeup, and he couldn't help but notice her captivating beauty.
An unfamiliar energy emanated from her, leaving him feeling intrigued. Her aura, which had been strange from this noon, was unlike anything he had encountered before. Moreover, he could not hear her usual innocent thoughts, sparking further curiosity within him.
Slowly, he approached the girl, his head slightly lowered as his hand reached out to touch her forehead. He closed his eyes, attempting to make a psychic connection and read her thoughts.
But the moment their skin made contact, a powerful invisible force pushed him back, causing him to gasp in shock. He was sent flying, narrowly avoiding crashing into the wall behind him thanks to his incredible and inhuman strength.
'What is this!?' His already pale face turned even paler, startled by the immense force that had sent him flying. It could have been fatal if he hadn't possessed superpowers.
'Why is this ancient power present within this girl's body?' he wondered, taken aback by the resurgence of the power he had once encountered. And a millennium has passed since then. 'Has that person come to this small town? In this room?' A shiver ran down his spine.
Quickly regaining his composure, he straightened himself and surveyed the room, only to find no one else present except for Iris.
"Ugh!" A low groan emanated from the bed, catching his attention. His gaze returned to the girl, later he saw her long eyelashes fluttered and her eyes slowly opened.
In an instant, he disappeared from the room, reappearing in a space surrounded by glass walls, with a dark forest enveloping the building. The room emitted a warm glow from several yellow lights.
His sudden appearance startled everyone in the room, causing them to rise from their seats and approach him.
"Milord?"
"Milord, your face? It appears unusually pale..."
"Are you unwell, my lord?"
Raising his hand and assuming a composed expression, Xavier looked at Niles and the others in the room. Without uttering a single word, his silent command was understood. They returned to their seats, resuming their conversations on the couch as if nothing had happened.
Xavier stood by the glass wall, his gaze fixed on the half-moon in the dark sky. His mind reels back to what had happened in Iris' room a few moments earlier.
He hoped that his visit to Iris's house would give him new insight into her changing demeanor. However, what he had encountered had both startled and unsettled him.
It was something he had never expected—an encounter with ancient power. Such power did not belong to mere mortals in this realm.
"Does that power come from within her? Or someone kept that power to protect her?" Xavier pondered, his mind filled with unanswered questions that only deepened his curiosity about the girl.
"Justin!" Xavier called out the name, and suddenly Justin stood beside him, ready to listen.
"Yes, my lord..." Justin responded respectfully, casting a curious glance at Xavier.
"I want you to investigate Iris Gray's background," Xavier commanded, his cold eyes meeting Justin's. "Send the findings to my study as soon as possible."
"Milord, actually, I have already compiled all the available data on Iris Gray since the moment she confessed her love to you," Justin's voice trailed off as he noticed the flicker of anger in Xavier's eyes. "...Yes, my lord, I will conduct further research on her and promptly bring the file to you," he added, lowering his head before walking away from the living room. A faint smile graced Justin's face as he felt happy for Iris.
'Iris, you have finally captured his interest! You owe me lunch for a month, girl!' Justin muttered, quickening his pace as he made his way to his room in the basement.
As for Xavier, he stood there for a while longer before eventually disappearing and reappearing in his study on the top floor of the Darkwood Villa.
****
The next day...
Iris was awakened by the sound of her phone vibrating on the nightstand. Her eyes widened as she recognized the familiar sight of her own room.
"My room!?" she said, a mixture of relief and joy washing over her. She looked around, and memories of this room flooded back, bringing a smile to her face.
"Thank goodness!! My memory has returned, and my memories of my past are intact," she whispered happily.
"But, Gavriel mentioned that I might lose certain memories. Which memories would that be?" She tried to recall what was missing but found nothing amiss. It puzzled her.
While she was trying to remember all her past memories, a sudden pang of guilt struck her as she remembered her recent foolishness, especially how she treated her grandmother.
She had a strong urge to give her own head a powerful slap, reproaching herself for all the foolishness she had displayed towards her grandmother. She couldn't help but scold herself, muttering, "What a thoughtless girl! You're so foolish, Iris!"
Throwing off the covers, she reached for her cell phone, turning off the alarm as she hurried downstairs to find her grandmother and beg for forgiveness.
Iris felt a deep sense of remorse for her grandmother. Her past actions had been truly selfish and shameless. Despite her grandmother's tireless efforts to support her from the time her parents abandoned her, Iris had never done enough to make her proud; instead, she had only made things more difficult for her.
Since childhood, she had been stubborn and had shamelessly relied on her grandmother. As far as she could remember from her memories, her grandmother had never shown anger towards her.
"Oh, Iris, you have truly been shameless," she scolded herself again.
Feeling a strong determination within her, Iris knew she had to set things right. She couldn't let her past mistakes define her future in this body. She had to seek forgiveness from her grandmother and sincerely promise to change to become a much better version of herself.