Keera

A pair of black metallic scissors was entangled by two pink strands and dangled amid the flickering candle light. Eva pulled her fine hair, strand by strand, until she connected everything that could cause harm. After decorating the room carefully, Eva blew out the candle and crept back to the corner of the room quietly. In the darkness, she hugged her knees with her delicate arms. Draped on her thin back was an oversized worn robe. She let the rough wall cut bloody lines on her back. The pain comforted Eva at this very moment. In this dark cellar, only pain could remind her that she really existed. Embraced in this meager satisfaction, she closed her eyes and fell into a slumber. “Ding Dong!” The crisp chime of a bell disturbed the silence in the cellar. Eva startled as she awakened. Her blood boiled and the tiny iris’ of her eyes glowed with a demonic shade of red. “The old thing is back!” The bell was one of the contraptions Eva set up: The silver bell was connected to strands of rope made of spiderwebs; the durable spiderweb rope passed through a gap in the door and all the way into the passage. Many such contraptions were installed here, making the announcement of any visitor inevitable as long as they entered as these ropes would trigger the bells and alert Eva without the intruder knowing. Sharp scissors dangled above the door of the cellar; mud filled with dozens of rusty nails lay under the door; and a broken cudgel was suspended on the cabinet nearby. These preparations lay in wait of any intruder who opened the door.“5, 4, 3, 2, 1!” The mental countdown only served to excite Eva further. The old thing had been gone for many days, which gave Eva enough time to set up everything and filled her with great anticipation. Eva still remembered that the last time the old thing left, he was gone for less than half a day. During this time, she spiked his wine barrel with her secret stash of poisonous fangs and spider eggs; and when the old thing returned, she served him his wine obediently, only to be seen through by his fierce gaze. To her surprise, the old thing didn’t punish her. In fact, he praised her actions and even let her play at the riverside for half a day. Eva really enjoyed the feeling of lying in the water as it reminded her of her dead mother. She had been with the old thing for so long that she barely remembers her mother’s face. But even so, her most unforgettable memories were still fresh in her mind. Although she didn’t understand why the old thing would reward her, but after that incident, Eva understood one thing: the old thing would let her play by the riverside if she set up another trap. As a result, she put in more time and effort this time to design a fabulous trap to welcome the old thing’s return. Eva believed that she could do even better if not for the limited resources in the cellar. She even believed that she could make the old thing bleed. “This must hurt!” Eva spoke to herself as she drew circles in the air with her fingers. “Maybe he’ll even be hurt so badly that he’ll have to lie down on the bed for several days. If that happens, I’ll be able to do whatever I want…” Upon thinking of this, Eva’s face became red with excitement, making her look like a ripe apple. “Creak…” The old door opened. “Hi.” The gentle voice of a woman filled the dark cellar with a water-blue magical halo. It’s not the old thing! Eva lifted her head in astonishment to see the scissors descending onto the head of the woman. “Is this how you say hi?” The woman waved her hand. The falling scissors were suspended in the air by a floating globe of water. At the same time, Eva noticed that the mud below the woman’s feet had been enveloped in a mass of pale blue and the cudgel swinging at the woman had been stopped by one very thin finger. Eva found herself envious of this woman. “Who are you?” Eva’s childish voice conveyed her undisguised surprise and joy. The flushed look on Eva’s face was perfectly disguised by the shadows in the corner. For some strange reason, the woman made Eva feel calm and peaceful, and reminded her of the happy times she spent playing in the river… In Eva’s eyes, the figure of the woman in front of her overlapped with the shadow of her “mother”. For that reason, her tone was strangely intimate. The woman frowned because she found Eva’s reaction to be inexplicable. “I’m Sephera, a mage from Carano. What should I call you?” “Eva. The old teacher always calls me Eva.” Eva looked at Sephera apprehensively, her expectant gaze filled with an innocence that didn’t seem to be fake. Teacher, huh? This will be slightly troublesome then. Sephera massaged her head gently with her index finger and middle finger. She couldn’t make a decision about the little girl in front of her. After staying silent for some time, Sephera approached Eva who was sitting in the corner and extended her hand. “Your teacher has left this place, but I can take you home. Do you still remember where your home is?” “Home? What is a home?” Seeing that Sephera had approached her, Eva was both afraid and excited. Her pointed ears that lay hidden behind her hair trembled with her pounding heart. However, she continued to hug her legs because she was afraid of offending this woman who she felt so close to. Sephera frowned, “Elven blood runs through your veins?” “What’s elven blood? Eva doesn’t know what that is.” “Come here and let me take a closer look at you.” Sephera reached out once again. Eva didn’t reject her this time. She extended her scar-riddled arm and placed her tiny palm against Sephera’s hand and felt that calming tranquility from point blank. She seemed to remember something like this in the past. “Heavens above! What did Lorion do to you?!” After seeing all the scars on Eva’s arm, Sephera pulled Eva into her embrace and caressed her tiny back compassionately, only to find it also covered in scars. Sephera trembled and recalled her first meeting with D’Arcy”at that time, he was also a stubborn and strong-willed kid and his body was also covered in scars caused by black magic experiments. This little girl called Eva was subjected to the same abuse as D’Arcy and they both called Lorion their teacher. Sephera decided to do something when she recalled D’Arcy’s past. She stroked Eva’s hair and said, “Everything is fine now, child. I’ll bring you back to Carano with me. That place is our home. It is the home of all mages!” Eva pressed her face against Sephera’s and resisted the urge to lick her face. She responded to Sephera in a well-behaved manner. “Home! I’m going home with Sephera!” However, hidden deep in her heart was something else that she didn’t dare to say out loud: “I’m going home, with Mommy!”