“Ah…” Shion’s eyes snapped open wide under the covers!
Right before her, impossibly close, was Canon’s face! How… how did he get into the room? How did he get under the covers? He…
Shion’s gaze traveled down his face and she saw, horrifyingly… only his head! The severed neck stump was oozing blood onto the sheets!
“Ahhhhhhh—” Shion screamed, throwing off the covers. Daylight streamed in! She scrambled out of bed, rushed to the window, and flung the curtains wide open!
Canon was indeed not in bed. She lifted the covers; nothing underneath or on top. The sheets showed no bloodstains. Nervously, she knelt and peered under the bed! Nothing.
Was… was all of that… just a dream too?
Wait! Where’s Canon?
Shion quickly put on her robe and rushed out of her room.
A young man was curled up conspicuously on the sofa in the downstairs hall. Shion felt slightly relieved. She went downstairs and saw Canon sleeping soundly. He was usually an early riser. Why was he sleeping so deeply here in the bright living room at this hour? He must have done something last night!
So… what I saw last night in father’s room… that wasn’t a dream?
Shion was becoming confused. Too afraid to confront her father, she decided to confront Canon. She yanked the cushion from under his head.
The boy woke with a start, rubbing his eyes, looking bewildered at Shion.
“Where were you last night?”
“Me… last night?” Canon frowned, recalling. Seeing the girl looked very upset, he answered cautiously, “Last night, at 3:24 AM, I was woken by noise in the hallway. I didn’t see you. I thought you’d gone to the bathroom. Afraid you might be scared alone in the dark or trip, I got up and went into the corridor. I saw you standing outside your father’s bedroom, looking towards me. I was about to go to you when I saw you walking back towards me, muttering something. But as soon as you reached me, you collapsed. I quickly carried you back to bed. Since I was awake, I went to the bathroom before coming back to sleep. But when I returned, the door was locked. I knocked softly; you didn’t answer. I had no choice but to sleep on the sofa here.”
“You mean… me? Getting up and going to my father’s door? Did… did I open the door?”
“No. When I saw you, you were just standing there, looking at the floor. Then you noticed me and turned towards me.”
“You said I walked towards you, muttering? What did I say to you?”
“It was like…” Canon avoided her gaze, his voice becoming very faint. “‘Mom’…”
Thud! Shion’s heart skipped a beat at the word! How? That… that was my nightmare! Was that real too? Did I really leave my room, and what I saw wasn’t Canon, but… Mom?
As the young man and woman looked at each other, equally confused and suspicious, Shion’s father happened to walk out of his study. “Both awake? Had breakfast?”
“Ah! Not yet! I’ll make it right away!” Shion answered, hurrying towards the kitchen.
Canon also quickly sat up from the sofa. “Need any help?”
“No, no, I can manage alone,” Shion declined, quickly escaping her father and Canon.
In the afternoon, her father locked himself in his study as usual, while Canon sat on the living room sofa reading newspapers and miscellaneous books. Shion brought out a teapot, refilled Canon’s cup, and then went to her father’s study.
She knocked, heard her father say “Come in,” opened the door, and announced her purpose: “Bringing you more tea.” As she approached his desk, she noticed he was still reading the same black-bound book she’d seen last night. The book didn’t seem very thick; her father could probably finish it in one night if he stayed up. But he seemed to be studying it intensely, pondering every word. What book has him so captivated? Curious, Shion deliberately knocked a small object off the edge of the desk. Pretending to pick it up, she glanced at the book’s cover. It was indeed… utterly black. But in the light, Shion could faintly make out an embossed hexagram and a large circle on the cover, surrounded by intricate decorative patterns. Unable to decipher it, Shion placed the fallen object back on the desk and left with the teapot.
“It’s a black cover, no words, but there’s something like a symbol or array,” Shion described to Canon as soon as she came out. “No idea what father is researching…”
“What kind of array exactly? Can you sketch it? I can try to find out what it is,” Canon offered.
“Hard to say. I just saw a hexagram and a large circle. Lots of intricate patterns around it too; hard to describe. But if I saw it again somewhere else, I’d recognize it.”
“Understood,” Canon nodded slightly. “I’ll keep an eye out for similar patterns and show you for confirmation.”
Brimming with unanswered questions but finding no one to ask, and as her father and Canon seemed normal, Shion could only pray that the chaotic events of the previous night were dreams and continue her routine.
That evening, after saying goodnight to her father and returning to her bedroom, She saw Canon closing the book he was reading, placing it on the bedside table, and looking back at her.
“What were you reading?” Shion asked curiously.
“Witchcraft,” Canon replied, holding up the book to show her the cover.
“You’re interested in that?”
“Not really! But you mentioned an array or something, so I thought I’d look for explanations of similar things.”
“Is that… related to witchcraft? Is my father researching…”
“Not sure. Don’t worry yet. I’m just browsing around, exploring different things.”
“Hmm,” Shion responded, getting into bed. As Canon reached to turn off the light, Shion suddenly remembered the confusing experiences of the previous night and grabbed his arm!
“What’s wrong?” Canon asked.
“I’m scared…”
“So…” Canon looked at her, unsure, “Leave the bedside lamp on?”
“Not that… I had nightmares last night, many nightmares…”
“Then… shall I tell you a fairy tale to help you sleep?” Canon smiled helplessly.
“Could you… not leave the bedroom until dawn?” Shion requested.
“Not even to use the bathroom?”
“Who needs to go that much! Go now if you need to!” Shion snapped impatiently.
Canon frowned slightly. “Alright, I promise I won’t get up, won’t leave the bedroom or this bed until dawn. Can we sleep now?”
“You haven’t told the story yet!” Shion grumbled, lying down, pulling the covers over her, and turning her back to Canon, pretending to sleep.
“Alright…” Canon gently stroked Shion’s red hair and began softly, “Long, long ago, there was an old king. He had only one son and planned to leave his kingdom and wealth entirely to this sole heir. He hoped his son would start a family and shoulder the responsibilities of kingship. But this pampered prince spent his days carousing and squandering money, showing no sign of a future king. On his deathbed, with no one else to entrust, the desperate king sought help from a witch, begging her to protect his descendants and ensure his kingdom’s eternal prosperity. The witch said, ‘I can help you, but achieving this requires a price. The price is the life of any child bearing your bloodline.’ Seeing the prince surrounded by noble ladies but showing no interest, unsure when he’d even produce a grandson, the king, for the sake of stability, agreed. The witch took the king’s gold. That night, she performed her craft and then sought out the prince, searching for the child needed to complete the ritual. But she soon realized the prince flitted between many noble ladies, refusing to marry or father children. This meant she couldn’t complete the ritual and fulfill the king’s wish. Worse, a half-completed ritual had strong uncertainties; who knew what consequences it might bring? Acting swiftly, the witch began approaching the prince herself. She made him fall in love with her, planning to bear him a child herself to complete the ritual. However, the witch, not inherently evil, genuinely fell in love with the prince, and he fell hopelessly in love with her. More critically, after bearing the prince a daughter, the witch developed feelings for the child. Utterly conflicted, she confessed the truth to the prince. The prince began worrying for the witch, for their daughter, and for his kingdom. The witch told him the only solutions were to have another child to use in the ritual, or wait for their daughter to grow up and bear a grandchild. Fearing his daughter wouldn’t consent and that it would traumatize her, the prince decided he and the witch should have another child, one specifically meant for sacrifice… However… soon after the witch became pregnant again… disaster struck… The witch died suddenly, taking the unborn child with her… The prince panicked. He feared for his daughter, feared disaster for his kingdom, and feared the unstable, half-completed ritual’s unpredictable consequences… So he desperately sought the ritual’s activation site, searching for a way to stop it…”
Unbeknownst to Shion, she had drifted off to sleep. But Canon’s strange story, entering her ears, stirred her subconscious, weaving bizarre images – some based on her own memories, while others pure imagination…
Shion floated within this dreamscape…
In her dream, she walked down the stairs. She glanced back up the dark corridor. Is Canon sleeping well? She continued down to the main hall. The piano room to the left suddenly lit up. Her father sat at the piano, beginning his light playing; her mother, dressed in white, sang beautifully beside him, her voice echoing through the house…
But… wasn’t it supposed to be the middle of the night?
Though puzzled, Shion silently repeated: It’s a dream, it’s a dream, it’s a dream! Anything is possible in dreams!
Light-footed, she approached the piano room, careful not to disturb her parents’ harmony. However, as she entered, her elbow accidentally bumped the doorframe, making a noise! The piano stopped abruptly. Her father looked up at her, smiling gently. “Shion, be careful. Don’t hurt yourself.”
“o…ok I will!” Shion nodded repeatedly, then looked at her mother. But her mother remained with her back turned, refusing to face her.
“Well…” Shion gave a slight bow to her parents. “It’s late. I’ll go back to rest.”
“In such a hurry?” Her mother suddenly asked, still facing away. “Afraid this boy will wait too long?” Her mother slowly turned around…
Her white gown was covered in blood, and her long hair wet and plastered to her cheeks! Her eyes stared wide with terror at the ceiling, and her mouth gaping open!
And in her arms… just like last night… she was holding… Canon’s head!
“Ahhh—” Shion screamed, turning and fleeing the piano room, dashing upstairs! She ran and ran, but the stairs seemed impossibly high! She couldn’t reach the second floor! Behind her came rustling sounds! Shion looked back and saw her mother crawling on all fours after her, eyes rolled back, mouth agape!
“Canon—” Shion screamed. “Quick! Wake me up! Please, please! Canon!”
“Ah!” Shion finally broke free from the dream, gasping wildly. She looked beside her. Canon was indeed gone again!
What is with this guy? Shion felt annoyed. She went to the bedroom door and checked the lock. It was unlocked. She distinctly remembered locking it from the inside before telling Canon not to leave before dawn!
Shion walked back to the bed, picked up the book Canon had been reading before sleep, complaining internally. Did he read too much witchcraft? Is that why he told me such a creepy bedtime story? Is the story from this book? Then she noticed a page corner was folded. She flipped to it and gasped. There, unmistakably, was the same pattern she’d seen on her father’s black book cover!
So… Canon found the array but didn’t tell me?
