I couldn't stop replaying the vision in my mind. Had it truly been real, or just an illusion conjured by the old woman's magic? Mira and I saw nearly the same thing. But if it wasn't an illusion, then things were looking grim. I wanted to ask Mira more about her vision, but the way she reacted earlier made me hold back.
I glanced at her. She was clearly troubled, her hand gripping mine tightly as if afraid I might vanish at any moment. Her face was drawn, showing the storm of doubt swirling in her mind.
'That vision was fake,' she was telling herself.
'There's no way Eddie would go to a place like that… And Eddie said he saw a happy family, with our kids running around…'
She stopped for a moment, her thoughts catching up. Our kids? The realization brought a brief, shy smile to her lips, but it quickly faded as her doubts resurfaced.
'What if what I saw happens after Eddie's vision? Does that mean he'll really die?'
The more she dwelled on it, the darker her expression became. Her grip tightened further until I stopped walking, causing her to jolt slightly. She looked up at me in confusion.
"You're still thinking about that vision, aren't you?" I asked.
"N-no, I wasn't…" she stammered.
"Then why that face?"
"What face?"
"Like you just lost someone important."
She bit her lip, unsure how to respond.
"Stop overthinking it," I said, pulling her into an embrace. "If you keep worrying, I'll have to distract you."
"Distract me how?" she asked, confused.
"Like this," I said, and before she could react, I planted a quick kiss on her lips. Her eyes widened in shock, her cheeks instantly flushing red.
Leaning in close, I whispered in her ear, "Want a proper one?"
Embarrassed, she lowered her head and nodded.
I gently cupped her cheeks, and as soon as I did, she closed her eyes in anticipation—so innocent, so cute. I leaned in and kissed her deeply. The kiss lingered longer than I expected, and when we pulled apart, her breathing was shallow, her face glowing red.
'Maybe I went a little overboard for her first kiss…'
Giving her a moment to recover, I teased with a grin, "Want more?"
She quickly shook her head, "No…"
"Are you sure?"
"Y-yeah."
"But I want more."
Without waiting for her to protest, I kissed her again. She didn't resist, and before long, she was kissing me back.
All the while, a pair of blue eyes watched us from the shadows, filled with awe and jealousy.
---
Later, when we returned home, Mira darted straight to her room without saying a word. Rebecca, who had been sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you two have a fight?"
"Nah," I replied.
"Then why did she rush off like that?"
"Who knows," I shrugged, keeping a straight face as I went to my room.
---
Inside Mira's room, she flopped face-first onto her bed, burying her bright red face in her pillow.
"He kissed me…" she mumbled into the fabric, her legs kicking in excitement. "He kissed me…"
"I had my first kiss!"
She couldn't help but flip around restlessly, the memory of the kiss replaying in her mind.
---
Meanwhile, in my room, I sat at my desk, staring at the 10 aroma candles I had bought. I took out the coin the old lady had given me, turning it over in my hand. One side had a sword engraved on it, and the other side was inscribed with text in a language I didn't recognize.
'A good luck charm,'
I thought back to what the old lady had said,
'Try to leave your past habits behind.'
Was she hinting that if I continued living like I did in my previous life, I'd end up dead? Could she really see a person's past like that?
I pondered her words for a few minutes before making up my mind.
"Whatever she meant doesn't matter. What matters is that I need to change. I need to break away from my old habits."
Unknowingly, I was already beginning to change, slowly opening my heart and accepting the warmth of the people around me. I couldn't live as I had before—not here.
With a deep breath, I turned my attention back to the candles.
"Time to test these."
I took three candles and went downstairs. I placed one in the main hall and lit it. As expected, it burned like any normal candle, releasing a pleasant aroma into the air.
Rebecca emerged from her room, sniffing the air. "So, this is what you went to buy?"
"Yeah. Want one for your room?"
"Sure."
I lit another candle in her room, but nothing unusual happened. Then, I headed to Mira's room and knocked on her door.
She opened it after a few seconds, her face still flushed from earlier. "What do you want?"
"Just wanted to light this in your room," I said, holding up the candle.
She hesitated for a moment, then let me in. I lit the candle and, like the others, it burned with a soft, warm glow.
"All done,"
Back in my room, I lit the candle and waited. Once again, nothing out of the ordinary happened. I sighed and flopped onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling.
"So much for that."
It seemed the candles weren't what I needed, or maybe the mana levels in my house weren't high enough. According to the book, mana candles should burn with a bright blue flame in areas rich with mana. The more mana in the air, the more vibrant the flame. But all I got was the usual yellow-orange glow, meaning the mana in my surroundings was normal.
"Guess I'll need to find a different place,"
Then a thought struck me, and I sat up suddenly.
The library!
Without wasting any time, I stuffed the candles into my pocket and hurried out of the house.
"I'm heading to the library!" I called out, not waiting for Rebecca's reply as I rushed out the door.