BRIGHT~ BRIGHT~ BRIGHT~
The skies above the academy were splashed in soft purples and fading blues, the final hues of twilight clinging onto the world before night claimed its throne.
Down a narrow alleyway, nestled between two towering buildings of polished stone and enchanted brick, a figure skipped—barefoot and unbothered—its silhouette jagged and unpredictable under the flickering light of mana-lamps that buzzed overhead.
"Hehehe~ Hmm~ Hehehe~ Hmm~"
The voice was fractured, teetering between lullaby and nightmare, bouncing with delight yet cracking like glass dragged across steel. With every skip of its step, the air itself seemed to tense.
Then, it stopped.
A slow creak of joints—unnatural, puppet-like.
Its neck twisted, its chin tilted high as it stared directly at the moon.
A swollen, yellow crescent leered back.
"PAPA~ SAID~ SAID~ HIDE~"
"BUT~ HOW~ LONG~???"
It sang, a question to no one.
A plea smeared in amusement.
