The moon glared down from the night sky, as though a raging red eye. It shrouded everything within eyeshot a cold crimson, mocking those who once reveled in its light. The smell of metal was dense in the air—nauseating. It joined forces with the moon and scorned at Adeline and the headless body within her embrace that even as she shook in pain and anger, her cry was never heard. As if the moon goddess was deaf. As if the moon goddess was ignoring them. As if the moon goddess turned her back.“Lady Adeline!” A crisp sound of something tearing woke her senses, and yet as soon as she looked up, droplets of fresh blood splattered on her face, numbing her mind. Her irises narrowed as she stared blankly at the clouded eyes of the head of who had once baked the cookies she would sneak in her room at night. Her hands shook and her heart trembled, and despite the haywire

"Where are the elixirs?"A tall shadow on the floor crossed Adeline's barely open eyes. The shadow was of a bulky man, his frame strong and sturdy, and on his hand was a whip.When his deep voice reached Adeline's faraway consciousness, the hairs at the back of her neck stood up. She clenched her fist in anger, despite losing every inch of her being."We... don't have... such thing," Adeline replied in a hoarse voice, gritting her teeth. Five slashes of the whip landed on her back, tearing open her already bleeding wounds a lot wider. Her ragged clothes had turned bloody red, as though it was its original color, and yet she couldn't feel the pain anymore. She had gone numb."Do you know what happens to those who lie?"The man's shadow left her narrow periphery, but he later returned with another equipment in hand. Adeline could only vaguely make out what it was, and she knew it ought to be painful, but just as he raised his hand,