Chapter 63: Starting From Today

The cast iron grate in the fireplace showed traces of smoke from years of use, and the coal blocks cracked into dark red coral in the embers.

The charcoal made soft crackling sounds in the silence, sparks flickering on and off behind the wrought iron guard like dying fireflies.

Veronica pulled the shawl tighter around her shoulders; the chill seeped through the cracks of the decaying oak floorboards in the apartment.

Even the white mist she exhaled condensed into tiny ice crystals in the air.

“It’s so cold.... But it should get warmer after spring starts—ah.”

The last syllable got stuck in her throat.

Veronica watched the white mist she exhaled dissipate under the gas lamp, belatedly realizing she seemed to have said the wrong thing.

That word was like a sharp blade, piercing the fragile balance in the room.

Her younger sister was extremely.... sensitive to “spring starts”.

She turned her head in a panic to look at the young woman curled up in the chair.

As expected, after hearing Veronica's words, Mel subconsciously murmured that word.

“Spring starts....”

The young woman's voice sounded as if it had drifted out of an old gramophone, carrying a metallic tremor.

That word lingered on her lips, like a curse that couldn't be escaped.

The start of spring meant separation, it meant loneliness, it meant her deepest fears were about to come true.

After spring starts, Veronica would be leaving.

She was going to a distant university, leaving her here all alone.

But she didn't want Veronica to go.

She wanted Veronica to stay by her side forever.

But, after spring starts, Veronica would be leaving.

She was going to university.

She was going to leave her.

The cold air was filled with a sense of unease.

Mel slowly raised her head, her amber eyes shimmering with a strange luster in the firelight.

“Sorry, Mel, I said the wrong thing....”

Veronica walked over and hugged Mel, her face full of apology.

She gently patted Mel's back, just like when she comforted her after a nightmare when she was little.

Little did she know this would be her last warmth.

“Hummm—”

Just then, that familiar whisper sounded in Mel's ear.

But this time, there was only one person's voice.

Her own voice.

That voice, like a scorching branding iron, seared a cruel command onto her soul.

It said:

【Kill her】

Mel's pupils contracted abruptly, a barely perceptible glint of red flashing through her amber eyes.

Her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on Veronica's clothes, as if she had caught her prey.

Mel's vision blurred, and everything around her began to spin again.

The night scene painting on the wall danced in distortion, the blood-red moon expanding continuously, as if to devour the entire world.

The dark red moonlight spilled in through the window, laying a red carpet for the tragedy about to unfold.

“Mel, Mel?”

Veronica noticed her sister's abnormality.

She quickly broke free from the embrace, placed her hands on Mel's shoulders, and looked at her with concern.

Mel's gaze focused on Veronica's face.

Even as the world spun, Veronica's face remained pure.

She saw Veronica's lips moving, but all she could hear was her own voice endlessly repeating:

【Kill her】

【Kill her】

【Kill her】

Mel's right hand rose unconsciously, slowly reaching for Veronica's neck, slowly resting upon it.

Veronica's skin was warm and soft.

The tips of Mel's fingers trembled slightly, her fingers unconsciously applying a little force.

Her nails gently sank into Veronica's soft skin, leaving several faint red marks.

Veronica's neck was so fragile, like a flower waiting to be picked.

Mel's fingers tightened slightly, feeling the throb of life beneath her fingertips.

“Thump—thump—”

Veronica's heartbeat transmitted through her fingertips, so fragile, so alluring.

Driven by the whispers, Mel's fingers tightened more and more.

“I’m sorry, sister.”

Mel's tears fell silently.

She watched her own thumb press on the Adam's apple that bobbed with every swallow, her index and middle fingers sinking into the pale blue veins on the side of the neck.

A trace of panic flashed in Veronica's eyes, yet they still held trust for her sister.

Until the pain of suffocation gradually assailed her brain.

The moment her nails pierced the skin, Veronica's sharp intake of cold air sprayed onto the back of Mel's hand.

Much like when they fed pigeons by the river as children, the fluttering wings brushing against their palms.

“This way.... sister won't leave....”

Mel looked up, watching the light gradually fade from Veronica's eyes.

Her voice carried a morbid tenderness as she watched that charming face contort from suffocation.

In the dim room, the dark red moonlight spilled through the window, seemingly laying a red carpet for this murder.

In the night scene painting on the wall, the blood moon grew more enchanting, as if cheering for this hunt.

Fear finally appeared in Veronica's eyes.

Her pupils began to dilate, and the lack of oxygen made her fingers clutch at the messy folds of her sister's clothes.

But when her struggling fingers accidentally scratched a bloody mark on Mel's thin arm, Veronica suddenly lost all her strength.

Her blood-stained fingertips gently caressed her sister's face, drawing a winding red mark on the pale skin.

“Lis... listen to me.... Mel.”

Veronica raised her hand, gently stroking her sister's cheek.

Her eyes were filled with confusion and sorrow, but not a hint of anger.

In her broken gasps, was a honey-like tenderness.

“Starting from today.... you have to.... you have to learn to be alone....”

Even with her vocal cords crushed and broken, Veronica's voice was as gentle as a midsummer night's evening.

“You have to start living alone, going to school, working.... traveling. After today, you will... you will embark on a path without me, embracing your own destiny and future.”

Veronica paused, the feeling of suffocation making it almost impossible for her to speak.

Her breathing grew weaker, but every word was unbelievably clear.

“You will... you will make many new friends, and perhaps meet many new enemies.... Perhaps many storms will be waiting for you in the future, and even, in the end, you may die alone and unknown. But you must not be afraid, and you must not run away.”

Veronica gently stroked her sister's hair, gazing at her tear-filled eyes.

“Because I will always be watching you, so you are never alone.”

Her body leaned forward slightly, and she lightly touched Mel's forehead, as if using up all her strength.

“Goodbye, Mel.”

Veronica said her farewell softly.

“Goodbye, my dear sister, thank you.”

Thank you for being my sister.

After the last glimmer of light faded, the room fell into a deathly silence.

The radiance of the blood moon enveloped the two sisters, witnessing this twisted farewell.

Veronica's hand slid from Mel's face, taking with it the last trace of warmth.

Our journey has ended.

But your journey, has only just begun.

She smiled, closed her eyes, and leaned into Mel's embrace.