It was when Laviel was ten years old that he was first dragged into the family's forbidden sanctuary. It was a night with a red moon, just like tonight. He was thrown onto the cold stone floor, covered in blood, and writhed in agony for a long time. But he was still young then. He didn't know what his pain meant, and he didn't understand what end it was leading to. He only believed that, as the adults said, the curse would weaken over time.

Twelve years have passed since then. Tonight, he is being dragged there again.

The fire burning in the fireplace of the drawing-room, the sound of thick pages turning in the study with old books, the wide corridors where servants carefully moved. All these familiar spaces were gradually moving away from Laviel. The rough hands of the servants held his arm, and stiff gloves twisted his wrist. He took a deep breath. He could resist. He wasn't completely weakened yet.

"Please." His voice was steady, but the servants didn't listen.

"The Duke has ordered it."

The servant's voice was reverent and calm, but there was a faint pity within it. They knew how much Laviel suffered from the curse, but they didn't have the power to release him.

"It's okay." Laviel said softly. "It's not severe."

The servants seemed hesitant, but the grip that bound him did not loosen. Laviel finally tried to twist his wrist free, but a pain, as if his heart was twisting, surged through him for a moment.

Something was wriggling in his blood vessels.

At first, it was a sensation like a thin needle pricking. But soon it dug into his flesh, tearing it apart, as if thorny bushes were growing inside his body. When he inhaled, a pain like his ribs were being torn surged through him. He instinctively gritted his teeth. Revealing pain with a sound was the thing he hated the most.

Laviel hurriedly turned his head to look at the mirror hanging on the wall. Pale face, gray eyes, and blood covering his wrist. The blood seeped in and stained his black sleeve.

"We must hurry."

He didn't resist anymore. He couldn't even wipe the blood. With his hands bound, the servants dragged him down the hallway.

It was chilly outside. The night wind blew over the door and across the long corridor. Somewhere, a bell rang. It sounded like the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, but it gradually faded away. And suddenly, he realized.

Tonight was a lunar eclipse.

It was time for the red moon to rise.

---

The road to the sanctuary was long and dark. Old stone lanterns lined both sides of the road, and candles flickered in each one. The floor was covered with smooth black stones, and grass grew between the small cracks.

As a child, he called this place hell.

Once he entered here, no one would find him. Not the servants, not the doctors, not the family. Only time would pass, and he had to be left alone in pain until that time was over.

But this time was different.

The servants opened a huge iron door.

The sanctuary was dark and vast. No light entered the ceiling, and old pillars stood on the walls as if they were about to collapse. Old stones were laid on the floor, and there were traces of dry blood everywhere.

Laviel slowly stepped inside. And the moment the door closed, he instinctively realized.

This time, it was different from before.

---

The pain started right after the door closed.

The blood boiled again. This time slowly, but surely. He clenched his fingers.

But the pain deepened further.

The blood vessels swelled as if they were about to burst. The heart beat rapidly, and the blood began to flow under the skin like hot ironware. His fingertips tingled. His toes felt frozen. But the most terrible thing was the knife-like pain that started from inside his chest.

He slowly knelt down.

When he closed his eyes, red light flickered. The heartbeat hit his ears.

He tried to inhale, but a pain like his lungs were being torn covered him.

This time is different.

In the past, there was a moment when the pain ended. But not this time.

This pain didn't seem to stop.

---

How much time has passed?

Laviel was lying on the floor, gasping for breath. His body was damp. It was his blood.

The moonlight shone faintly. The red moon was rising.

Laviel reached out his blood-soaked hand.

Someone was coming in here.

> Taylor has an ability they are not aware of. It is the ability to absorb memories and pain that only works between Taylor and Laviel. The absorbed memories are not lost, and half of Laviel's pain is transferred to Taylor's body. Like water in a vase that changes the color of flower petals depending on the color, with white roses.