Chapter 100: Chapter 100

Alvaro felt strange. He was afraid to go in at first, but Amos’s body felt heavy on his back. And again, there were many guards watching them. He didn’t want to attract more attention. Every step toward the door made his heart race, and he couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching him, even when no one was around.

He felt even stranger when he closed the door, and suddenly the room was filled with a web of light. He paused for a moment, deciding whether to run or go in. The glow wasn’t just bright, it seemed alive, weaving through the air like it had a mind of its own. Shadows twisted and stretched across the walls, making the room feel both magical and dangerous.

But he decided to carry Amos’s body onto the bed. He then sat on the edge of the bed, looking around. The webs of light were everywhere. He could feel the strange energy prickling his skin, making his hair stand on end. He looked toward the source of the light. Something was under the black book that was currently open.

On top of the book was his name. And he could see that whoever had written his name harbored such deep hatred that they had scratched it out so fiercely it was barely legible. Alvaro’s stomach sank, and he felt a chill run down his spine. The aggression in the letters seemed almost alive, like they were reaching out to him.

Alvaro fell into deep thought. Amos... did the knight hate him that much? He tried to recall if he had ever wronged the man. As far as he could remember, he hadn’t. They had barely even exchanged greetings, let alone spoken.

Then, why did Amos hate him?

Alvaro remembered Vlad’s warning. Was the vampire’s statement true that Amos really wanted to kill him? But how could that be? He meant, if Amos did it, he’d be the one in trouble.

Alvaro fell into deep thought again, his mind spinning.

Then he remembered that shadow. He looked at the light in the room. He picked up the book, noticing strange symbols drawn on the table, emitting a glow.

He opened the book. On the first page, he saw many spells and terrifying images. The shapes twisted in ways he couldn’t understand, and the energy from the book made his hands shake.

He couldn’t read them. The letters weren’t the ones he had learned. But he was certain the book was related to magic. Whoever had written in this book had knowledge far beyond normal humans.

Amos... does he have a connection to the sorcerer or the murderer in the palace?

Alvaro shook his head. It didn’t seem possible. The knight was so quiet, so controlled. At that moment, Vlad appeared and immediately closed the door.

Alvaro prioritized his maturity over his anger.

"Do you know about all this?" Alvaro asked.

Vlad stared at Alvaro as if he wanted to devour him whole. But then he looked at the book on the table.

"I don’t know. I only saw him chasing you. His aura wasn’t like a wizard’s, but his movements were similar to a wizard’s. Whatever he is, he’s dangerous. His power may be weak, but he’s still stronger than an ordinary human."

Alvaro fell silent. "There have been many strange occurrences at the palace in recent days. Crows have been flying around the roof. Two servants died under suspicious circumstances, and several others have been possessed. But there are no clues, and I don’t know if he’s involved in all this."

"Of course he’s involved. Who in the palace has magical powers? They’ve banned all witches from entering the palace," Vlad said, his voice low and serious.

Alvaro looked at Amos. When he turned away, he was already face to face with Vlad. His face was only an inch away from the vampire’s neck. The closeness made Alvaro shiver.

Alvaro immediately stepped back. "Don’t you dare touch me," Alvaro warned.

Vlad smiled. "I won’t."

Alvaro frowned, feeling uneasy about the vampire’s behavior. Vlad walked toward the bed. Alvaro backed away. But then he froze when Vlad reached into the bed and pulled out a rope.

He tied Amos to the bed. "I won’t stay here until tomorrow. I need to make sure he stays here and doesn’t hurt you or anyone else," Vlad said.

Then the vampire looked at Alvaro. "Go to sleep. Don’t miss me, because I won’t go anywhere. I’ll always come to you no matter what you say to me."

Alvaro furrowed his brow at how confident the vampire sounded. But before he could respond, Vlad had already walked out, disappeared, leaving him behind. The sudden silence was almost heavier than the light from the web.

Kai finished the last stroke of his carving, blowing away the fine dust clinging to the angel’s wooden wings. He smiled to himself, satisfied that at least this one looked neat enough to give away. The bright face of little Noel flashed through his mind, eyes full of excitement, lips puckered when Bram scolded him.

He held the small angel statue in his hands and looked toward the door, hoping to see Noel. But the child was nowhere to be seen. And he realized that everyone seemed to be leaving. Only a few men remained. And Bram. The lively atmosphere had vanished, leaving only quiet and empty corridors.

Kai stood up and walked toward the corridor. The children seemed to have gone home. He passed several rooms where laughter had once filled the air, now only echoes remained.

He asked a man who was still painting a statue, "Excuse me... where is Noel?" he asked softly and carefully.

"He’s gone home," replied the man. "It’s past midnight. You should go back too."

Kai’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. He sighed, looking back at the angel carving in his hands. He had wanted so badly to give it to Noel, to see the child’s joy. But his efforts had been in vain.

But as he reached out to hold the small statue, he decided he could give it to him tomorrow if he saw the child again. Then he decided to return to the dormitory. But before he left, he noticed many blocks still lying in the corner of the room, left by the children earlier.

He looked at the man who was currently talking to Bram.

"Excuse me, can I take one block and borrow a chisel? I’ll return it tomorrow," said Kai.

"Take it, there’s plenty of wood in the back if you need more. But it seems like that’s enough for now. You can take the rest," said the man.

Kai almost cheered with joy; he had been worried that he wouldn’t be allowed. He immediately ran to the pile of blocks and took a block and a small chisel. He quickly said goodbye to Bram and the others and hurried back to the dormitory, his limp slowing him only slightly.

He couldn’t wait to make a carving for Sylas.

When he arrived in his room, he immediately lit a candle and sat on the floor. For an hour, despite his sleepiness and fatigue, he carved the block into a small statue wearing a cloak. Fortunately, the block was large enough that it wasn’t too difficult to carve the details. He hummed quietly to himself, thinking about how Sylas would react.

Night grew late, and dawn arrived. The silence felt oppressive. Only the sound of the knife scraping against the wood filled the room. The low-burning candle beside him cast long shadows on the wall, stretching and bending as if alive. Follow current novᴇls on NoveI[F]ire.net

Time passed unnoticed. His hands moved carefully, sometimes too quickly when excitement overtook him. He scratched his finger once, sucked the sting, then continued. He wanted this carving to be different; Sylas’s shadow made him want to finish quickly and make it special.

Sylas’s face appeared again in his mind—friendly, sharp eyes softening every time he smiled. Kai carved with trembling hands but focused determination, determined to capture that expression.

Hours passed. Finally, the shape began to take form. It wasn’t perfect—far from perfect—but Kai could see Sylas in the lines of wood, standing tall, with a cloak that seemed to flow even though it was carved from rough pine.

When morning came, Kai was exhausted. He rubbed his sore eyes, looking at his work with pride. The piece felt alive, as if it carried a part of his heart. But it wasn’t finished. He wanted to add more small details, maybe a little emblem on the cloak, but his body was trembling with fatigue.

The sound of a rooster crowing echoed in the distance. Kai startled.

Was it morning already?

Suddenly, a terrifying thought struck him like lightning.

His eyes widened. He had promised Mrs. Manu to memorize numbers up to one hundred. And he hadn’t done it. In fact, it seemed he had forgotten his lesson from yesterday. Panic surged through him like ice water.

"Ah, no, no, no..." He pressed his palms against his face, groaning. He had spent all his time carving, completely forgetting about his lesson. The thought of being scolded made his stomach twist painfully.

He set aside his carving, carefully placing it under a pile of clothes, and took out the small book Mrs. Manu had given him. Flipping through the pages, he stared at the endless rows of numbers. The numbers swam before his eyes, refusing to stay in place. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to focus, but his mind was still partly on the carving.

"One... two... three..." he muttered, slapping his cheeks to stay awake.

But the numbers wouldn’t stick. They jumped out of his head, teasing him.

The thought of the punishment awaiting him if he still couldn’t memorize them made Kai’s body tremble with fear. He swallowed several times. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might burst.

Sleep overtook him, making his body feel light and disconnected. Unconsciously, instead of remembering, he fell asleep for a few seconds.

Then he woke up, startled.

The candle beside him had burned out. Still, he sat hunched over the book, reciting the numbers like a possessed person.

"Seventy... seventy-one... seventy-two..." He stopped, groaning. "Seventy... what else is there to count?"

Kai was desperate. It seemed he had to prepare for punishment tomorrow.