“She probably can’t talk yet. She just woke up.”

“But you recognise me, don’t you?”

Zane asked again, his voice full of nervousness.

Vienny, who had been watching him in silence, blinked slowly, as if acknowledging his words. Zane’s eyes filled with tears, overwhelmed by emotion.

As he leaned forward, seemingly on the verge of clinging to the bed and continuing to speak, Moiria slapped him several times on the arm and pulled him away.

“She still needs to rest, you know!”

“Um, didn’t you say you needed more firewood?”

Corinne interjected, hoping to defuse the situation.

Unable to hold back, Hans interjected gently, and Moiria perked up at his words and nodded in agreement.

“To keep the room warm, we need more…”

“Don’t worry, En! I’ll chop down all the trees nearby if I have to!” Zane declared.

Moiria gave him an annoyed look, but Zane’s eyes remained fixed on Vienny. Though he spoke of going to chop firewood, he seemed unable to leave, obviously too concerned for her.

Moiria was equally concerned. Although she had encouraged Vienny to lie down and rest, she stubbornly insisted on remaining seated.

Despite looking visibly uncomfortable, Vienny continued to look slowly around the room, her movements stiff. Eventually her gaze settled on Corinne.

The crimson eyes that met Corinne’s were even redder than she had imagined. Corinne had never seen such a vivid red before and just making eye contact with the woman made her feel enchanted, almost drawn in.

“Ah, that’s Corinne over there. She does the housework.”

Moiria introduced, noticing the interaction.

“She’s one of the staff here.”

Corinne, who had been staring at the woman in a daze, spoke quickly at Moiria’s introduction.

“Oh, um, hello.”

“And this gentleman here is Hans, who helps out around the house.”

“Pleased to meet you, miss.”

Hans said, bowing awkwardly.

Both Moiria and Zane exchanged strange looks at Hans’ attempt at formality, but chose not to comment further.

“Anyway, as you all know, this is the patient who’s been unconscious for over half a year, and her name is…”

“En.”

Zane interrupted, finishing the sentence for Moiria.

“She’s En.”

Corinne silently rolled the name around in her mouth.

En. It didn’t feel very natural to say it, but she didn’t think it mattered. She wasn’t going to call her by her name very often anyway. It was more likely that Corinne would address En as “Miss” most of the time. After all, when Hans had called her “Miss”, Moiria and Zane had reacted strangely, but they hadn’t corrected him. So it must have been all right.

With bright eyes, Corinne looked over at En, who was still sitting there, her face unreadable and her expression distant, as if lost in thought.

Corinne wondered when those tightly sealed lips would finally produce a voice. She was eager to hear En speak, imagining her voice to be as soft and delicate as her appearance.

* * *

Getting used to using her body again after so long hasn’t been easy. There were challenges at every turn. Still, considering her rapid progress, Moiria often remarked that it was beyond what any normal person could achieve.

Next to her, Gentian would praise En for her resilience, calling it even greater than that of a demon, which usually resulted in a scolding from Moiria. The bickering between the two seemed to show how accustomed they were to each other.

She wanted to ask how they had ended up together, but even though her lips moved, it was hard to get the words out.

They said it was because she had been unconscious for so long. Moiria’s words, that her external wounds had healed but she had been unconscious for over six months, seemed hard to believe. But the passage of time was probably the only explanation for why Moiria and Gentian seemed so close.

With the help of Gentian and Moiria, Vienny slowly began to exercise and practise speaking again, all the while observing her surroundings intently.

Her last memory was of the burning lakeshore, the freezing cold water and the overwhelming blue that filled her vision.

But now, when she awoke, she found herself being called ‘Miss’ by people who seemed unaware of her true identity. She was quietly cared for while she recovered. Outside the window she could see a vast ocean, and everything around her seemed calm.

What on earth had happened?

Hoping to remember something more, Vienny took her time and tried to sort through her memories.

As her speech improved enough to carry on a conversation, and her body recovered enough to get her out of the wheelchair, her confusion began to ease. The once foggy fragments of her memory began to fall into place.

Moiria and Gentian spoke to her often, but mostly about her recovery.

Sometimes they would talk about how peaceful and safe the village they were in was, or how the surrounding countryside was some of the most beautiful in the region.

Their words were no lies, and soon Vienny found herself growing fond of the scenery outside her window.

“Would you like to go outside for some fresh air?”

Gentian asked one day.

Vienny nodded without hesitation.

Moiria called Corinne and she quickly packed some snacks for them. Although Moiria made a fuss and warned that too much fresh air could be bad for her health, Gentian just covered his ears and concentrated on preparing for the trip.

Watching Gentian, who was visibly excited, Vienny silently looked down at her own thin and pale hands and clenched them into fists.

“The sun is warm, but just in case, let’s take a shawl.”

Gentian said, mentioning that the wind could be strong and cold near the sea.

And indeed, despite the bright sunlight, the air that touched her skin was cool.

Still, as she stepped outside, Vienny noticed how clearly she could hear the sound of the waves. She listened for a long time to the sound of the water rolling in from the distance before speaking slowly.

“Have you lost your magic?”

The hands pushing her wheelchair suddenly lost strength and she heard a sharp intake of breath behind her.

After a moment’s hesitation, Gentian spoke, his voice lower than before.

“Is it that obvious?”

“A little.”

“I haven’t lost everything… but I am losing it.”

Vienny remembered what Nuere had told her.

If they did not bow to the High Priest, they would gradually lose their power. Still, it seemed to happen much faster than she had expected.

“It’s just… there’s a crack in the vessel. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Gentian said, trying to be casual. Gentian seemed to think that Vienny wouldn’t understand, so he gave her a vague explanation. However, having already heard about the ‘vessel’ from Nuere, Vienny quickly understood that Gentian was referring to the High Priest.

The idea that the ‘vessel’ was cracked could only mean that there was a problem with the High Priest.

“Besides, it’s not only demons who are experiencing this. Things have become, well, noisy all over the land. People are saying that God has abandoned the people, or something like that.”

Gentian spoke in a light tone, deliberately trying to make it seem less serious.

Though he hesitated to say how bad it was or what exactly was happening, it wasn’t new. He’d been withholding details ever since she’d woken up.

Vienny, quietly running her fingers along the shawl draped over her lap, opened her mouth.

“My strength seems intact.”

“Of course. If you’d lost your powers before you woke up – do you know what would have happened to you without the Great Witch’s healing powers?”

Gentian replied, his voice slightly strained.

Gentian smiled in relief, saying she was lucky to have woken up before her powers were gone. But when Vienny heard that relieved laugh, she bit her lip instead.

“Gentian, leave me alone for a while.”

“Huh?”

“Just for a while. Don’t worry, I’m not trying to kill myself.”

Gentian hesitated, taken aback by her request.

Moments ago he’d been bragging about how safe the area around the mansion was. Now he began to explain how dangerous it would be to leave her alone.

But Vienny was determined. Finally, unable to break her stubbornness, Gentian reluctantly stopped the wheelchair at a spot where the sea was clearly visible.

He promised to return in half an hour and begged her not to do anything reckless. He walked away slowly, turning back several times to make sure she was all right.

It was likely that Gentian was still watching her from a short distance, even if he wasn’t right next to her. Still, it was better to be alone, if only a little, and Vienny decided to settle for that.

Alone, she leaned forward and scooped up a handful of sand. As the grains trickled through her fingers, she began to feel the reality of it all.

For those six months, she thought she was having a very long dream.

“You asked if I prayed for forgiveness, didn’t you?”

The man rarely appeared,

“That’s right.”

In fact, he didn’t even show his face.

“As time passed, I found myself doubting his divinity more and more.”

It was always the deep, low voice that lingered in her ears.

“It’s because of you.”

That was why Vienny thought it was a ridiculous dream.

“I’m not asking you to take responsibility, but I want you to understand.”

It seemed absurd – especially to her – that the man would tell her he no longer believed in his God.

“You want nothing from me, so at least let me do something for you.”

He was not someone who would speak to her with such gentleness, with such tenderness.

“If you don’t want me to forsake God in death, I’ll forsake Him in life instead.”

And yet it seemed that this wasn’t a dream after all.

Vienny stared at the last grains of sand left in her palm, then dusted her hand. The rest of the sand flew away.

It hadn’t been often, but she guessed he’d come every month or two. The villa, Moiria, the staff, even Gentian – there was no one else who would arrange it all and leave her by her side but this man.

You have truly forsaken your god.

“How can I make you want to live?”

The image of him asking that question came back to her as vividly as if it had just happened.