“Why are you awake? Shouldn't you be sleeping now?”

His mother looked better now, less pale and worn-out. However, she still sounded tired. That was the thing about living with chronic illness—your body was always struggling with itself. Sometimes you felt good, but then that energy faded fast, and the fatigue set in. It was a dance your body did.

It was rare to feel entirely well. In fact, it wasn't even something you expected. The Divine Creator did not make human beings to be well all the time. He made us to be whole. Being whole meant experiencing the full range of human emotions, including sadness, anger, fear, frustration, and guilt—not just happiness.

“Did you know, that.” She paused for dramatic effect, before continuing, “If you can't sleep at night, it's because you're awake?”

She had a point, Rinaldo thought. But then, his mother was always right. The first rule in the Dordogne household was never to doubt anything she said, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. This lack of questioning allowed him to survive, since he noticed his mother's inhumane nature.

The woman was always right. She never made mistakes, and if you ever doubted her, she would remind you of how foolish it was to do so. She always had the last word, no matter how hard it was to take.

Rinaldo had to remind himself it wasn't possible to insult or annoy her without taking a mental beating. To try to reason with her was impossible.

Rinaldo nodded. “I see.”

“To tell you the truth, it's a beautiful night. I have nothing to do, so I might as well wake up and spend some time here.”

“Here?”

“Yes. It's so peaceful.” His mother walked over to the window and looked outside before changing her mind. “Oh, forget I said that.”

Rinaldo was growing more uncomfortable by the second. Not only because he hadn't wanted her to come here in the first place, but also because he couldn't think of anything to say to what he just witnessed.

Victor and the mysterious woman were fighting by the fountain, and the woman seemed to have the upper hand. She raised her hand, and a lightning bolt shot out of it. Victor jumped out of the way just in time to avoid the attack.

The bolt cracked a tree and knocked Victor off his feet. He rolled over and got his bearings. The woman continued to attack, and Victor soon found himself backed against a wall.

He tried to dodge her, but she hit him in the chest, knocking him to the ground. She reached down and grabbed Victor by his throat. Rinaldo realised she was trying to choke Victor to death.

Ragnell turned away from the window and looked at her son as if saying, “What will you do now?”

He had two choices: save Victor or leave him to his fate. The decision was immediate. Rinaldo disregarded the second option in favour of the first option. He wasn't sure if he could arrive in time to prevent Victor from dying because of being killed, but he had to try, at least.

Windows weren't doors, but he had seen some people using them as one. Rinaldo had to remind himself to thank Ricardo for giving him the inspiration at their next meeting, assuming the masked vigilante knew the difference between windows and doors.

Without Olivia to hold him back from his reckless tendency, Rinaldo was free to leap out of the window and join the fight, yelling, “Release him!”

The woman turned her head towards Rinaldo. “Who are you?”

“I'm Rinaldo, of the Luminous Knights.”

The woman looked surprised. She let go of Victor and took a step back. “You are Evil Eye Rinaldo?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Please, let me go. I'll do anything. Just let me go.”

Rinaldo shook his head. “It's too late for that.”

He grabbed her by the arm and threw her to the ground. She struggled on the ground, trying to get away, but Rinaldo slammed his fist into her face.

The woman rolled over on her back and looked up at Victor, who was on his feet again. He raised his foot and slammed it into her chest, sending her flying backward.

The woman slowly got up from the ground. She looked back over her shoulder and saw Victor standing with a determined look on his face. She raised her arm again, and Victor jumped to the side to avoid the incoming projectile. The bolt of lightning narrowly missed him.

The woman turned and ran away, moving as quickly as she could. Victor chased after her. “Don't let her get away!”

Rinaldo took off running after the woman. He caught up with her in seconds and grabbed her by the arm. After twisting her arm behind her back, he kicked her in the shins.

She fell to the ground, and Victor slammed his foot into her face, knocking her unconscious. “It's over.”

Rinaldo nodded, and the two of them headed toward his mother's house. Victor grabbed the woman's arm, and Rinaldo grabbed the other one. They carried her between them and ran towards the door.

They turned around as soon as they reached the front door and saw Caitlin standing there. “Young master, I see you've caught the creature. Well done.”

Rinaldo and Victor carried the woman into the house and sat her on the couch. Rinaldo looked down at the woman, who was still unconscious. The woman was pale, with long hair of spun gold and skin as white as the moon. She was wearing plain, inconspicuous clothing to cover her prominent figure.

“So, what are you going to do with her?”

“I'm going to interrogate her to find out where she keeps the people she kidnapped.”

Victor explained who, or rather—what the woman was. It turned out the woman was a familiar unwillingly summoned from the outer realms by an apprentice of the Mage's Guild. The first person in the city who went missing.

She belonged to the fairy race and was displeased at the thought of someone abducting her from home, so she started abducting people to make them experience how she felt, starting with her summoner.

Rinaldo didn't know what to think about that, but he was glad he wouldn't be the one doing the interrogation this time. “I'll leave you to it.”

Caitlin joined the conversation. “Do you think Lord Oberos will be angry with her?”

“The Fairy King?” Victor turned to face the maid. “I believe he will find the whole thing hilarious instead.”

“If I may ask, sir. Why are you having so much trouble fighting her? She is just a fairy.”

Caitlin was right. Fairies were the weakest spirits in existence. They had the same weakness as humans and used to live side-by-side with them until they committed a grave sin and were banished to the outer realms.

Rinaldo also wanted to know why Victor needed his help to subdue one, so he listened intently to the conversation.

“I needed her alive. Fighting to disable is harder than fighting to kill.”

“Ah yes, I get it now.” A look of understanding dawned on her face. “Because you can't interrogate a corpse.”

“Precisely.”

A week hadn't passed since the first disappearances. The human body could survive without food and water for 8 to 21 days, so they should be fine if someone could find them before the worst happened. People who went missing for too long usually died of starvation or became possessed by dark spirits.

It wasn't a good idea to think about dark spirits now. Rinaldo was exhausted, and he needed to sleep. He wouldn't be able to close his eyes and let the darkness take him if he kept thinking about them. They were the things that went bump in the night.

“What are you going to do with the creature after the missing person is rescued?”

“Send her back to the outer realms. What else?”

Caitlin looked disappointed. Or maybe it was his imagination. Rinaldo's worn-out mind must have been playing tricks on his eyes.

“Is something wrong, young master?”

“No. Not at all. I'm just feeling tired.”

Rinaldo went to his bedroom and changed into his comfortable cotton pyjamas. After brushing his teeth, he climbed into bed, pulled up the covers, and prepared to sleep. He closed his eyes and fell into slumber.

A while later, it was morning. The morning dawned clear and crisp. He woke up, and he got out of bed. He went to the window to look outside, gazing at the sky and letting his thoughts drift. The morning sun was shining through his window, burning his eyes with sudden brightness.

He squinted at the light, shielding it with his free hand. Rinaldo stretched and yawned. He felt like he had slept for days, but he had only been asleep for hours. Rinaldo moved the blankets off his body, then got up and started his morning routine.

After putting on his slippers, Rinaldo went out into the hall. He glanced in his sister's room to check on Olivia, who was still sleeping, and then went down the stairs to the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the brewer.

Rinaldo hadn't slept for long, but he felt refreshed. He didn't even feel tired. He sat up, humming a tune under his breath. However, he didn't seem to be the only one awake.

“Good morning, young master,” a voice came from behind. “I trust you slept well.”

He turned his head and saw Caitlin standing in the doorway. “Yes, I did.”

She noticed he had got a drink. “Would you like some breakfast?”

“I'd love some.”.

“Please, sit. I'm making waffles.”

Rinaldo saw Caitlin pouring the batter into the waffle iron. “Thanks, I like waffles.”

After a few minutes, the waffles were ready. The batter was thick, but they cooked fine. They came out fluffy. The dough was moist with raisins and chocolate chips. They had a great texture that stayed together well.

“I hope you're hungry.”

“Very much so.”

She put the waffles on a plate, then put some syrup on it, and then laid a big plate of bacon and eggs next to the waffles. He sat down at the table and started eating. Caitlin sat down next to him and poured some syrup on her waffles.

The maid pushed her plate over and started eating with Rinaldo. Servants usually ate at separate tables from their masters, but there was a difference in the Dordogne household. Rinaldo's family treated their servants like equals. They could eat with him and talk with him, and enjoy each other's company.

Speaking of servants, what happened to the other servants after his mother ended their employment? Rinaldo wondered what they were doing now. He hoped their new masters treated them well.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, before Caitlin broke it. “So, are you planning on doing anything today?”

“Has the missing person been rescued yet?”

Caitlin nodded. “They were rescued when you were asleep.”

Rinaldo didn't know if he should feel relieved or disappointed everything was over and he missed the chance to help. It sounded so anticlimactic. He tried not to dwell on it. It would be best if he spent this day relaxing, letting the events of the last day wash over him.

“And how are they?”

“They're all right.”

“That's good to hear.”

Rinaldo ate his waffles. They were crispy around the edges, but the centre was soft. He drizzled a thick creamy layer of maple syrup over the waffles, and Rinaldo took it all in with great gusto.

It was still early in the morning, and there wasn't any rush to get ready to go anywhere. He finished his waffles, and then took a few sips of coffee. It was a little weaker than he liked, but it would have to do. He drained the last drop and then got up to leave.

When they had finished their breakfast, Caitlin cleared the table. “You have a busy day ahead of you. I wish you luck.”

“I don't know, Caitlin. I don't feel like doing anything today.”

In the meantime, he went and visited Olivia, who was still asleep in bed, with a cup of tea. When she woke up, and while she took a sip of tea, Rinaldo explained to her what had happened.

Olivia listened attentively, without interrupting. By the end of the explanation, she looked surprised. “A fairy, really?”

“Surprising, isn't it? I was expecting something more sinister, like a cult.”