Chapter 18: The Rumour
As we walked back into town, something caught my attention. The things that had disappeared earlier were reappearing. Lumera’s house stood before us, exactly as it had been.
"Scarlette, look!" I pointed, and we headed toward it.
The same vacant, practiced smiles greeted us, their warmth as shallow as before. We returned the smiles politely before stepping inside Lumera’s old home.
Nothing had changed. Not a single thing was out of place. Even the soup was still simmering on the stove.
Scarlette pulled open a few drawers, inspecting their contents before shutting them with a frown.
"This isn’t an illusion spell, Veravos," she said, her tone matter-of-fact.
I frowned. "Then what’s going on? Since you bound Luxeron’s magic, does that mean his powers don’t work anymore?"
"It appears so," Scarlette replied, pointing to the yellow dust on the floor and the windows left ajar.
Ah. The crime scene.
Even now, I couldn’t make sense of it—how had she died? Which Dark Fairy had attacked her?
I raised my hand, letting the dark energy of the house seep into my skin. A wave of exhaustion hit me, lingering from my encounter with the Light Fairy King. That pompous, corrupt, arrogant prick.
"If the Light Fairy King’s power is gone, wouldn’t that mean everything he erased comes back?" I mused aloud. "Even the ugly parts?"