TDVIATD 6

Though she had been standing there in a daze, Leah gave a small nod.

“…Yes.”

Paul peered into her eyes.

“Truly?”

“…Truly. I loved you too, Paul. I’ll become your bride.”

Leah had always cared for him.

And now, her heart was so full of happiness it almost felt unreal.

“I’m so happy…! Thank you.”

His face lit up, and he pressed his lips gently to the back of her hand.

Her heart leapt violently in her chest.

“Let’s get married someday. It’s a promise.”

“…Yes. A promise.”

Still smiling, Paul walked her all the way to her house.

Leah stood there, watching his retreating figure until he disappeared from sight.

The moment she stepped inside, the tension drained from her body, and she sank to her knees.

“Welcome home—Leah?”

Her father was the first to notice.

“What’s wrong?”

She couldn’t stand.

Alarmed, her father rushed forward and gathered her into his arms.

“What happened?”

“? What is it?”

Her mother’s voice drifted in from the back, but Leah’s eyelids felt heavy.

“Leah can’t stand.”

“Leah?”

She heard their voices dimly.

Her heart was still buoyant from what had happened with Paul—but ever since the underground chamber, her body had felt unwell and unbearably heavy.

Now that the tension had broken, she could no longer move.

—

When her consciousness returned and she opened her eyes, she was lying in bed.

Her parents stood beside her, looking down at her with deep concern.

“Leah…”

“I think… I just felt a little faint.”

She felt somewhat better than before.

To reassure them, she forced a smile and pushed herself upright, though a faint ache throbbed in her head.

“Leah… your eyes…”

“Hm?”

Her parents’ faces had gone rigid with shock.

“What is it, Father? Mother?”

“Your eyes have turned gold.”

Her father said it quietly, and her mother handed her a mirror.

“Look.”

Leah lifted it—and gasped.

“What—”

Her eyes were truly gold.

“Wh-Why?!”

Panicking, she began to tremble, but her father placed a steadying hand on her shoulder.

“Leah, calm down. Slowly now—release your magic. All of it.”

“O-Okay…”

Confused, she closed her eyes.

She let her magic flow through her entire body.

Why have my eyes turned gold…?

Heat coursed through her.

Though she was not fully recovered, her magic felt stronger—swelling, intensifying.

Puzzled, she suppressed it and opened her eyes.

Both her parents were staring at her wide-eyed.

“Leah… you’ve awakened…!”

“Awakened…?”

As she blinked in confusion, her parents explained.

—Among magic users, those aligned toward Shadow may awaken as true Dark casters.

It was something said to occur only once every several hundred years.

Even across the continent, this knowledge was known only within the Empire.

Other nations had never seen the emergence of a Dark caster.

Beyond the elemental casters of Water, Flame, Earth, and Wind, there were the rarer affinities of Star and Light.

Above even those stood Flower.

And surpassing Flower—

Dark.

Her mother exhaled softly.

“‘Dark’ stands at the pinnacle of magic. It has been passed down only within the Gielz line.”

Her voice clouded.

“If the Empire were to learn of this…”

Her mother’s face turned pale, and her father laid a reassuring hand on her back.

“It will be alright.”

Then he looked closely at Leah.

“Leah, you must not tell anyone about this. And from now on, you must never release all your magic at once. That is a promise.”

From the gravity in their expressions, Leah understood that this was something of great importance.

“Yes. I promise.”

Still… so much happened today. And now there are even more things I must keep secret…

Unease slipped from her lips in a quiet murmur.

“Will my eyes stay gold forever?”

She had always loved the violet they shared with her mother.

If they remained gold from now on… she felt she would understand without being told.

Her mother shook her head.

“No. I believe it will settle with time. Your eyes are gold because you have only just awakened. As long as you do not release all your magic again, they should return to normal.”

“But why did you awaken so suddenly?” her father asked gently. “Leah, what happened today?”

“Well…”

Paul had asked her not to tell anyone about what had happened underground.

She couldn’t reveal that they had used the hidden passage, nor that they had gone below.

And it felt too embarrassing to speak of his proposal.

“I was just playing in the meadow with Paul and Izaac, like always.”

“Awakening is said to happen suddenly…” her mother murmured, troubled.

Her father spoke calmly.

“Until your eye color returns to normal, do not go outside. And you must not use magic for a while. Being a caster is rare enough. If it becomes known that you are a Dark caster, you could be drawn into serious trouble.”

“I understand, Father.”

When she was alone in her room, Leah thought of Paul.

He had asked her to marry him.

She had felt so happy—so warm and giddy inside.

Both Paul and Izaac were aligned toward Light.

Their eye colors had not changed.

Still, they had looked unwell after leaving the underground chamber. She worried about them.

I want to see him soon. I hope my eyes return to normal quickly.

With that thought lingering in her heart, Leah lay back down and drifted into a light sleep.