Chapter Ten: Camille Siffini

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My name is Camille Siphany. I am twenty-two years old and live in the Bremley district of the Misty City. I am unmarried.

I attend Westminster University in the Misty City, where I am a sophomore majoring in psychology. Every day, I have to remain in the university library until eight in the evening before going home, because I need to avoid my jealous cousin and my vicious aunt.

I do not wear makeup, gossip, or date.

I go to bed at eleven every night and sleep a full eight hours. Before turning in, I always do eye exercises, because I have long suspected that something is wrong with my eyes. I am forever seeing inexplicable things.

Once I get into bed, I fall asleep at once. I sleep straight through until morning, never carrying fatigue or stress into the next day.

Friends... I have no friends. I consider myself perfectly normal.

Yeah, right!!!

Camille discovered her extraordinary gift at the age of fourteen. She had always been able to read other people's emotions and thoughts, and her eyes were forever catching sight of bizarre and inexplicable things.

She had never told anyone about any of it. It was her secret.

Camille's parents died in an accident when she was ten, leaving her no choice but to move in with her uncle's family. Her uncle was a rather cold man. He covered only part of Camille's living expenses and tuition, and never paid much attention to his niece.

Her aunt, meanwhile, was a truly venomous woman. She had always believed Camille was freeloading under her roof. She never mentioned the fact that she had taken control of Camille's parents' inheritance, and at home she treated Camille like a servant. Camille's cousin was, unsurprisingly, her mother's own daughter, and had inherited every bit of her mother's sharp tongue and spite.

Even with every possible disadvantage stacked against her, Camille still managed to earn admission to Westminster University through her own efforts—and secured a full scholarship.

University life remained peaceful for Camille, and her aunt and cousin gradually eased off their harassment after she enrolled.

Only one incident during university ever truly caught Camille's attention. It was not a confession of love, but something said to her by a female professor named Phoenix.

“What a pity. You're only a Muggle without any bloodline.”

Professor Phoenix was the first person whose mind Camille had failed to observe. Gathering her courage, Camille had asked the professor whether she knew what was happening to her. The professor had merely sighed and replied:

“You possess a gift called ‘Resonance.’ Unfortunately, you are a Muggle.”

“A Muggle?”

“Never mind. Go to class.”

Even without using Resonance, Camille could sense the rejection radiating from Professor Phoenix, so she did not dare ask anything further. After that, Professor Phoenix never had much to do with her again, as though the two of them had been born into entirely different worlds.

Then came the Red Moon night of February 9, 1589, by the Terra calendar—the second event Camille would never forget, and the one that would change her life forever.

That night, Camille had finished washing up and was preparing to read for a while before going to sleep, as usual.

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That was when she discovered that the window of her home had been opened. An owl stood proudly on the windowsill. Perhaps it was only her imagination, but Camille felt that the owl was looking at her with utter arrogance.

The owl was also holding a letter in its beak, and for a moment Camille had no idea what was going on.

Human and owl stared blankly at each other for a full minute.

At last, the owl wore an expression that seemed to say, “You can't educate a rotten log.” It flung the envelope straight into Camille's face. Still dazed, Camille pulled the letter down.

Curious, she opened the envelope. Written in Terra script was a single sentence:

“Do you yearn for knowledge?”

Just as Camille stood there in confusion, the writing on the letter suddenly began to change on its own.

“Yes, you do!”

What the hell!?

The envelope suddenly burst into flames. Camille recoiled in fright, and the sparks that flew from it formed a circular magic array on the floor. Then an illusory gateway rose from its center. Carved upon the gateway was an inverted Tree of Life composed of ten circles and twenty-two paths.

Camille stared in dumbfounded amazement at the scene unfolding before her, far beyond the bounds of reason.

Before she could decide what to do, the door swung open. At some point, the owl had flown behind her.

Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?

Her premonition was correct. While Camille was still bewildered, the wretched owl slammed its head into the small of her back. She stumbled forward and fell straight through the gateway.

Only after Camille had gone through did the owl flap its wings and scurry after her.

When Camille opened her eyes, she found herself facing a scene straight out of a dream.

A peculiar drizzle fell from the sky, while the streets were filled with strange light pollution and a cacophony of noise.

Where am I?

Am I dreaming?

Camille was stunned by the bizarre sight. As she stood there in a daze, a gateway appeared out of thin air in the square ahead. It was identical to the one she had seen before.

Camille saw someone step out of it and immediately ducked into a nearby patch of grass. At the same time, she reached up, pulled down the owl perched on her head, and clamped both hands over its beak.

The owl, its beak smothered, stared at Camille for a long while as though she were mentally deficient. Meanwhile, Camille furtively watched the person emerging from the gateway and quietly directed her gift toward him. She wanted to learn who he was.

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Camille easily reached deep into the other person's mind. Just as she was preparing to read his thoughts, an ear-splitting roar suddenly rang out. It felt as though a heavy hammer had struck her mind.

A cry of agony escaped her.

Oh no. I've been discovered... He was drawn over by my voice... I'm finished.

“Miss, using mind-probing thaumaturgy on another thaumaturge without permission is a serious taboo, you know.”

It was not at all what Camille had expected. A gentle voice reached her ears, and the other person seemed to notice her embarrassment; there was even a teasing lilt at the end of his words.

Camille lifted her head in a daze. Her loose spectacles had slipped down and rested on either side of her nose. With her lips slightly parted, she stared at the hand extended toward her.

At that very moment, the rain stopped, and brilliant auroras appeared across the sky.

Standing before her was a boy of fifteen or sixteen. He had a pair of radiant yet gentle golden eyes, and he was extraordinarily handsome—the sort of person one remembered after seeing only once.

Camille blankly took the hand he offered. He helped her to her feet. She was 168 centimeters tall, while the boy was a little taller than she was.

Boys his age probably still have some growing left to do, Camille thought.

“Miss? Miss, are you all right?” The concerned voice sounded in her ears again, and for some reason Camille began to panic.

“I—I’m fine. Ha ha, I’m fine.”

“Are you? Your face looks rather flushed.”

“It’s nothing. Really.”

“Is that so? Then could you let go of my hand, miss?”

“Oh! I’m—I’m sorry.”

“Relax, miss.”

“Ah... yes.”

Camille felt terribly embarrassed.