Midnight was almost here.
Elric and Mia stood in front of the church doors, their eyes locked on them. A mix of feelings stirred inside—excitement, anxiety, and a tension they hadn't noticed building up.
"Come to think of it, isn't midnight supposed to be completely dark? If so, can we really make it to the forest?"
Elric paused, frowning as he thought about her words, then shook his head gently.
"If I'm right, it won't be that dark. We'll manage."
Mia's eyes opened a little wider in surprise, but her worry didn't go away.
Tick… tick… The clock ticked closer to twelve. Neither spoke again. They shared a quick look and stepped out of the church.
They left early, hoping to have enough time to reach the forest.
The night here wasn't pitch black. Instead, faint starlight lit up the path ahead.
They looked up. The sky was full of countless stars, shining down like they were offering a quiet warmth to the still world.
"So that's why it's called Starlight Village?"
Elric nodded slowly. It was just how he expected.
"Be careful. No shadows show up during the day, so they'll definitely be out at night."
Mia understood this and nodded seriously.
The village rule was clear: If they spotted a moving shadow in a narrow alley, they must not follow it.
But so far, they hadn't seen one—not even once.
If it didn't come out during the day, it had to show up at night.
The problem was… in this level of darkness, how would they even spot such a shadow?
The only explanation was that there had to be some light at night.
That's why Elric was sure they could make it to the forest. The starlight would guide them.
They walked quietly, eyes sharp for anything unusual. Every sense stayed alert.
Suddenly, Elric stopped.
He noticed something—a shadow, faint like black mist, hiding in a narrow alley. It seemed to be watching them, still, waiting.
They knew the rule well, so chose to ignore it and walked past without looking back.
"..."
A soft sound came from the shadow—something hard to describe, but enough to create a bad feeling.
Soon after, they met a villager.
The man looked strange. His eyes were empty, his face blank, like he wasn't really alive.
"Sir, what's your number?" Mia asked at the same time as Elric.
The man hesitated, then answered hoarsely, "Num… ber… 390…"
They shared a glance but said nothing more.
As they kept walking, more shadows appeared.
"Elric… that's the eighth one now."
Mia's body trembled a bit.
The path they knew well by day felt endlessly long at night.
Soon, they got close to the village exit.
"Looks like we—"
Mia stopped, eyes wide, spotting something ahead.
"What is it?"
Elric followed her gaze. Not far stood another shadow.
The ninth one…
He was starting to get used to them. But as he tried to pass like before, a thought struck him.
Weren't all the earlier ones in narrow alleys?
But this one stood right in the open street. And before, they hadn't moved; yet the rule described something different.
He swallowed, feeling a chill in his legs.
If this was a clue and he missed it, there might be no second chance.
He had only two bullets. Another night like this, he wouldn't survive. He had to be careful.
"Mia, go ahead."
Without hesitation, he turned and ran toward the shadow.
"Wait! Don't leave me!"
Mia hurried to catch up, unwilling to be left behind.
When they reached it, Elric moved closer slowly.
Mia's eyes grew bigger with fear.
Elric felt heavy inside.
If the rules were true—
The shadow stayed still, but when Elric stepped closer, it began to drift away, pointing somewhere.
Was it leading him? But it was moving… and it wasn't in an alley. That meant this shadow was a clue.
He decided to follow, with Mia trailing behind carefully.
The shadow led them to the village chief's house.
"This is…" Elric murmured.
The shadow floated near him, circling as if trying to say something.
"What do you want me to do?"
It stopped at a part of the fence with a hole just big enough to crawl through.
"You want me to go through there?"
He hesitated, feeling uneasy, but then made up his mind and followed the shadow's lead. Luckily, he was still young. The hole wasn't too tight—he squeezed inside.
Inside the chief's yard, he looked over the neat, wide lawn—quiet and big enough for children to play.
The shadow moved silently and stopped under a large tree. That wasn't surprising—there were lots of trees here.
It shifted again, as if signaling.
"Sit? Lie down? Or dig?" he wondered aloud, watching it spin around him.
"So… you want me to dig."
He knelt down, put his hand on the ground, and started digging. Soon, his fingers touched something buried in the soil.
An old, worn notebook and some ripped pieces of newspaper.
As soon as he picked up the notebook, the shadow disappeared, like it had never been there.
He stared at what he held.
"What is this…?"
He opened the notebook.
[Diary of the Starlight Prince]
Then he looked at the torn newspaper.
[News: Sun Village attacked by wolves, suspected unusual wildlife aggression]
…
After sneaking into the chief's house and finding what they needed, Elric and Mia kept moving toward the forest in silence.
They backed away carefully, barely daring to breathe. Every step felt heavy with pressure.
At the forest edge, Elric finally managed a faint smile.
"We don't have to stay quiet now."
Mia looked at him. "We can talk?"
Elric nodded. "That rule only applies on the way to the forest."
Rules controlled everything. Like the one about shadows in alleys. But the last shadow wasn't there—it stood in the open. That meant the rule had a loophole. Or maybe it was meant that way.
Elric looked ahead. The thick mist was just like before—dark, dense, and cold.
"Elric…"
A voice whispered near his ear.
It sent a chill through him, but he knew better than to turn. He knew the rule.
"Walk beside me."
His voice was low. If it was Mia, she would come. If not… it shouldn't be able to.
He held his breath, gripped his gun, stayed still, just walking forward.
If he turned… he'd die.
Silence.
His footsteps rang in his ears.
The memory of the person who exploded in the church flashed through his mind. He clenched his teeth. He wouldn't die like that.
It should be over. They made it. But something felt wrong.
Elric stopped suddenly.
Mia… was gone.
The mist closed in, colder and heavier.
"Damn it…"
He moved faster, trying to stay calm. Maybe she was nearby, hidden in the fog.
Then—
Something grabbed his ankle. Cold, wet, like a hand.
He yanked his leg back and ran without looking, heading straight for one place—the golden-leaf tree.
Even in the mist, he remembered the way.
And then—
There it was.
He climbed quickly, holding tight to the branches. The solid bark kept him steady.
He went higher… and waited.
After a while, the mist below quieted. He climbed down.
The moment his feet touched the ground—
Footsteps.
A wolf.
"Again? Is this forest only wolves?" he muttered, lifting his gun.
Starlight shone off the golden leaves, letting him see clearly.
One shot.
The wolf dropped instantly.
But Mia…
He didn't stop. He pushed forward until something blocked him.
An invisible boundary.
Maybe… the edge of the narrative.
He understood now.
Every narrative has a Setup, Confrontation, and Resolution. Nothing exists beyond it. Everything stays within its limits.
"So… this is the edge of the narrative."
…
The bell rang three times, then went silent.
Elric survived.
Mia…
She was gone....maybe dead.
She didn't know about the golden tree. That must have been when she died.
His heart sank, but he showed no expression.
No time to grieve.
No bullets left. Tomorrow at noon, he couldn't hunt.
That meant… he would break the rules.
And die.
He returned to the village around one a.m. The starlight made the sky brighter, and faint moonlight cast shadows along the road. Shadows were still there, along with villagers—mostly farmers like Wesley.
He chose not to disturb them.
He now understood—rules had to be read carefully.
The church was the only safe place at midnight… in the village.
Outside the village, things were different.
"Looks like I was right…"
Back home, he collapsed onto his bed, but loud knocking woke him up.
Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.
It sounded like a beast pounding on the door.
He frowned, then remembered—never open it.
The knocking stopped.
I can't die.
He opened the notebook.
[Diary of the Starlight Prince]
He read carefully.
When he finished, he closed the book slowly.
A smirk curled on his lips, one that had never been there before.
"HAHAHAHA!!!"
So this is how… to clear the narrative.