0 - Prologue

“The witch has bewitched the Hero!”

“Burn the wicked witch at the stake!”

Deafening shouts echoed, sharp enough to tear through my ears.

Countless torches illuminated the dark night.

Beneath the flickering flames, the crowd glared with savage, bulging eyes.

At the very end of their piercing gazes sat the execution pyre.

Firewood stacked impossibly high. Roaring flames.

……And my sister.

Her beautiful violet hair, once like an iris in bloom, was entirely singed and blackened. Her face, once as delicate as if sculpted from marble, was a ruined mess of burns and soot.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

“Kyang!!”

‘No! My sister isn’t wicked!’

I wanted to run to her. I had to save her from that scorching fire somehow.

“Kyang, kyang!”

I bit the iron bars with all my might and clawed at them frantically, struggling like mad, but the cage holding me trapped didn’t budge an inch.

“Will you shut up, you damn cat?!”

Suddenly, my body floated into the air. A man had picked up the cage, shaking it violently while barking at me.

“Myaak!”

As my body bounced around inside, hitting the bars here and there, groans slipped from my mouth. My entire body throbbed as if it were breaking apart.

“Hey, isn’t it fascinating?”

Pressing his face close to the bars, the man spoke with a slimy sneer.

“To think she walked right into a trap with her own two feet, all to save this one tiny, pathetic cat.”

Another human nodded in agreement, chiming in.

“No kidding. They say witches look after their familiars like their own children…… Quite something.”

“Haha, choosing death over a useless cat like this? Witches really are quite stupid, aren’t they?”

The two men burst into loud laughter.

I curled my small body into a ball. Their words pierced me like daggers, hurting so deeply.

‘That’s right. It’s all because of me.’

A few days ago, a horde of humans had surrounded the house where my sister and I lived. Torches and sharp blades were held in their hands, their eyes gleaming with malice. My sister had quickly fled with me, but I was stupid enough to get caught in a trap the humans had set.

“If you want this brat to live, come over here right now!”

“……Alright, just don’t handle Maybel so roughly.”

In the end, my sister meekly obeyed.

If only I had been a little faster, or if only I had the strength to protect her.

‘I wouldn’t have dragged her down.’

She could have left me behind and escaped alone, but she didn’t. Instead, she willingly climbed onto the pyre.

Because of me.

……To protect me.

“If it weren’t for this witch, our Hero would still be alive!”

Someone shouted then in a mournful voice.

I painfully lifted my head inside the cage. That person dressed in pure white priestly robes was……

“Ah, the Saintess!”

“The Saintess has arrived!”

The crowd was desperate just to touch the woman. Not only did they bow their heads, but some even tried to kiss the hem of her white dress.

‘I’m scared.’

They all looked completely out of their minds.

Just as I unconsciously swallowed hard, a sudden gust of hot wind swept through. The woman’s long brown hair fluttered violently, catching the wind.

“Our Holy Temple!”

She turned around, framing herself against the red flames. Her amber eyes flashed with resolve.

“Will absolutely never forgive this shameless witch!!”

“Waaaaah!!!”

“Avenge the Hero!”

“Death to the witch!!”

The roaring shouts of the crowd rang out until my ears ached, and heavy tears clung to my eyes.

‘No. Please don’t do this. It’s all a lie! Vengeance? They were so close!!’’

Adrian, the guy who used to casually take up a spot right next to my sister. Of course, I knew he was the Hero officially recognized by the Grand Temple. I knew he was a righteous and fair man, loved by everyone.

But to me…… he was just kind ‘Adrian’.

My sister would put on a chic, indifferent face, but she always listened closely to even his silliest jokes. If only he were here right now, he would have told everyone that the Saintess’ words were all lies!

I bit the iron bars desperately once more.

But the fire didn’t wait for me. It mercilessly swallowed the wood, growing larger and bolder. Now, my sister’s face was only barely visible.

But right then.

Enveloped by the flames, my sister suddenly looked straight at me.

— My beloved Maybel.

She spoke to me with her eyes. Even though she must have been in so much pain, burning and suffering. Even though she must have wanted to collapse right then and there……

— May, I’m okay. So.

Beyond the violently flickering flames, my sister smiled faintly.

— Our May…… must be happy, no matter what. Promise me?

With that small smile as her last, the raging fire surged and consumed her from head to toe.

“Myaaah!!”

‘I’ll listen to you from now on. I won’t be a picky eater, and I won’t nag you for more treats. I won’t run away because I’m lazy whenever you give me errands, and I’ll study hard. I’ll become a wonderful familiar who helps you. So please……’

Beneath my trembling eyes, hot tears fell in heavy drops.

‘Please give my sister back.’

***

“……May.”

“…….”

“May!”

My eyelids snapped open. My breath was ragged, as if I had been submerged in the deep ocean and suddenly pulled back up.

“Gasp, gasp, haah.”

As I gasped for air, my blurry vision gradually grew clear.

‘Where am I……?’

The surrounding scenery was familiar. A small table and chair made of walnut wood, a chest of drawers, and a bookshelf. White linen curtains fluttering in the gentle breeze, and a fluffy rug spread across the floor.

“Myaa?”

I blinked blankly.

‘This is our house, isn’t it?’

My trembling gaze stopped on a desk calendar sitting on the table.

“The cat drawn on this calendar looks just like you, May. Doesn’t it?”

The calendar my sister had picked out herself, featuring a cat as white as snow.

The date written on the calendar was March 5, 1827.

And the day my sister was engulfed in flames was February 21, 1837.

Roughly ten years after the date on this calendar.

“Kyaung?”

Why was a calendar from ten years ago sitting here?

I tilted my head in utter confusion.

Right then.

“May, what on earth is wrong?”

Someone gently stroked my forehead as I lay there. Reflexively turning toward the owner of the hand, I froze completely.

“……Nyaa?”

‘Sister?’

A groaning voice slipped from my lips.

Long, cascading violet hair. Red eyes shining like rubies. A haughty impression.

The very sister who had been consumed by the fire right before my eyes was now looking down at me with a worried expression.

Completely unharmed, without a single hair out of place.