The Night Before

I remember that night with a clarity I was never meant to have. Memories, the elders say, fade like the mountain mist… but not that one. Never that one. 🌙

I was eighteen, and at dawn I would finally fulfill the dream many in Sha’ul chase their entire lives: to stand before the town council and choose my role within the kingdom. My family had belonged to the Momouchi clan for generations—masters of maps and horizons—and I was meant to follow the path they had carved. 🗺️

I was about to extinguish my lamp when I heard three soft knocks, like fingernails tapping wood. It wasn’t the usual way people called; it was slower, more deliberate. When I opened the door, I found Aldiano, my neighbor. A calm, gentle man… but that night his face was dim, and his eyes were sunken with a worry I had never seen.

“Come with me, young one,” he whispered, not quite looking at me. “There is something you must hear.”

I didn’t ask anything. Something in his tone chilled my blood. ❄️

I followed him in silence. The night was too still—no crickets, no wind, none of the usual murmurs from the chimneys. The full moon shone pale, as if watching the village from very far away. 🌕

Inside his home, Aldiano closed the door gently, but locked every bolt as though he feared something might follow us in. He pointed to a chair.

“The rumors have returned,” he said at last. “And this time… they come from the Artemis Forest.”

A knot rose in my throat. The forest was a name children whispered quietly, and adults whispered even quieter.

“Rumors of witches,” he continued. “Not old tales… but presence. Movement. They say they’re gathering, that they’ve chosen a leader. That this spring will not be like the others.” 🍃

The room seemed to shrink with every word. I had heard stories, of course—we all had. But they were just that: stories. Something to scare children or justify superstitions.

“What… what kind of rumors?” I asked, with more courage than I felt.

Aldiano’s eyes narrowed.

“No one knows for certain. Only that tomorrow’s ceremony may not be safe. That something, or someone, will move among the crowd.”

A heavy silence fell between us. I could feel my heartbeat pounding like a drum in my chest. 🥁

“And what should I do?” I managed to ask.

Aldiano leaned closer. His voice became a thin thread, almost a whisper.

“Trust no one. Not until you understand what’s happening. Go to the ceremony, yes… but keep your eyes open. If you see something that doesn’t fit, something that shouldn’t exist… don’t stay. Leave. Don’t look back.”

I nodded, though an invisible cold seemed to grip my shoulders. Suddenly, the night was no longer just night—it was a warning.

I returned home under a pale blue sky watching me from above. I lay down without turning off the light.

And as sleep pulled me away like a slow river, Aldiano’s words echoed in my mind:

Could it be true that the era of witches is about to begin? 🔮

You —a young member of the Momouchi clan— will wake with that doubt. And when the day arrives, you will walk toward the council hall to choose your role.

Day 1. The story begins. 📖✨