Chapter 97: The Cocoon of the Nightmare Butterfly
Ada let go of the old madman and rushed forward.
The man named Jayce turned around, completely unfazed. "Why are you so worked up? I was just checking on Penny for you."
"Penny’s business is none of your concern!"
Ada lunged at him, grabbing his collar and yanking him forward. His other fist hovered in the air, ready to strike at any moment.
Jayce neither dodged nor got angry; instead, he sneered. "You're out working all the time, leaving Penny locked up at home every day. I was just keeping her company so she wouldn't feel lonely."
Ada was now truly about to throw a punch.
But he couldn’t beat Jayce.
Saul, still holding up the old madman, saw the situation clearly.
Jayce was unkempt, his hair and beard tangled together in a mess, but his exposed arms were packed with muscle.
Scars covered his skin—marks of someone who had lived a life dancing on the edge of a blade.
Ada, while fairly strong, looked smaller and weaker in comparison.
That was probably why he only made a show of aggression without actually throwing a punch.
Fortunately, Jayce saw the fire in Ada’s eyes and smirked, brushing off his grip. "Alright, alright, I’m leaving. Happy now?"
He left Ada standing there, fuming, as he lazily straightened his collar and walked past Saul and the old madman.
Jayce glanced at Saul’s ragged clothes and rolled his eyes.
"The great Samaritan brings home another stray."
Saul watched Jayce leave the courtyard before turning back.
Ada was now crouched by a window, speaking softly to someone inside.
After a while, he turned back to see Saul still standing by the entrance with the old madman.
Ada motioned for Saul to drag the old man into the room nearest to the gate while he himself went inside to unlock another door.
Saul entered the dark room.
The old madman’s living space had no furniture—just a chaotic pile of items scattered everywhere.
Saul looked around before setting him down on a rough, straw-filled mattress.
The old madman, now limp, mumbled something about "barbarians" and" and "evil spirits" before rolling over and immediately starting to snore.
Saul stayed put for a moment and asked softly, "Are there barbarians here too?"
The only response was loud snoring.
Saul was now certain the old man wasn't as crazy as he seemed.
And it looked like that Captain Jeff had noticed something too.
If it weren’t for the fact that Nick had mentioned these "barbarians" before, Saul wouldn’t have paid much attention to whether the old man was actually insane or not.
Saul glanced at the gate—Ada had gone inside to deliver some goods.
A thin, black tendril emerged from behind Saul’s neck, gently tapping the old man’s back.
The tendril slowly slithered up the old man’s spine and lightly touched his neck.
The old man seemed to be in deep sleep; his snores continued, his breathing remained steady.
The tendril retracted, giving a slight shake.
That was a signal: Nothing unusual here.
The tendril, Little Algae, was much more sensitive to spirits than Saul.
Saul had to enter a semi-meditative state to see spiritual entities, but Little Algae could sense even the faintest soul fragments with its natural instincts.
It seemed that, for now, the old madman wasn’t possessed.
Saul let Little Algae retreat and stepped out of the room.
He glanced upward and saw a window in Ada’s house, boarded up with wooden planks in a messy fashion.
Through the cracks, he spotted a pair of silver eyes staring at him, unblinking.
Their gaze was as cold and clear as a secluded spring in the forest.
But something about them felt bottomless, as if anyone who reached in would be swallowed whole.
"Saul, come in already! If you stand there too long, people will think you're trying to steal something."
Ada’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Alright," Saul responded.
When he looked back at the window, the silver eyes had disappeared.
He walked toward Ada’s house, feeling a strange sense of anticipation.
The house was simple, similar to the dormitory Saul used to live in—one open space, no separate rooms.
A large wooden bed stood against the wall, its sides completely enclosed.
Nearby, a wooden cabinet stood against the wall. Its doors and sides had several thumb-sized holes drilled into them, as if intentionally made that way.
As Saul looked at it, a silver eye suddenly appeared behind one of the holes.
It swayed slightly, then was replaced by a pair of dry, cracked lips.
Ada spread some dried grass over the room’s only wooden table before shaking out an old piece of clothing and laying it on top.
"It’s getting dark. You can sleep here tonight. Just don’t wander around after dark."
"Oh, and," Ada turned toward the cabinet, calling out, "Penny, come out and meet your new big brother. He used to be our neighbor, you know."
Creak.
A sharp, grating sound rang out as a small girl, like a kitten, crawled out from the cabinet.
She slowly, hesitantly made her way to the edge of the bed and lifted her head toward Ada, revealing her silver eyes—shimmering like nebulae in the night sky.
"This is Penny. You last saw her when she was three. She’s growing up, isn’t she?"
Penny wasn’t exactly pretty.
Her skin was yellowish, her cheeks sunken, and her hair was thin and dry like withered grass.
But her silver eyes were mesmerizing, enough to make one want to drown in them.
As Saul stared into her gaze, his diary suddenly flew open.
New Moon Calendar, Year 316, April 11, Clear Skies
What a beautiful day.
And your luck isn’t bad either.
How did you manage to find a Nightmare Butterfly’s cocoon?
Want to spend the rest of your life haunted by nightmares?
Then I’d suggest you dig out those eyes—right now.
Ada had been smiling dumbly, but when he noticed Saul staring intensely at Penny, his expression turned stern.
"Hey! Saul, don’t you dare get any funny ideas about my sister!"
Saul reluctantly broke eye contact and looked at Ada’s defensive glare.
"What are you talking about? Penny’s only… seven, right? I was just curious about her eyes."
"She lost her sight. When we fled the village, I carried her the whole way. I never noticed when she got hurt. By the time I did, it was too late. The wound healed, but her eyes stayed like this. I think they look pretty, though."
Ada spoke calmly, as if he had explained it many times before. He walked over and tried to hand Penny some food.
But Penny refused.
She pushed his hand away and kept staring at Saul.
"She… really can’t see anything?" Saul waved a hand in front of her face.
Penny didn’t react. She only kept staring at him.
Then, suddenly, she called out in a soft, clear voice.
"Saul big brother!"
"Hello, Penny." Saul bent slightly, meeting her gaze with a gentle smile.
"Saul big brother!" Penny called again.
Ada immediately yanked Saul away, his tone exaggerated. "No way—Penny, you actually remember him?"
Penny blushed, giggled, and retreated back into the cabinet.
Ada, ignoring how strangely she moved, grumbled in frustration.
"She only calls me 'Ada'—never 'big brother.' Why does she say it so sweetly for you?"
Then, as if remembering something, he turned serious again.
"I’m serious—stay away from my sister!"
Poor baby 😞
ReplyDelete