In the portrait, Carlos looked much younger than he did now, his face beaming with a brilliant smile, showing no signs of fatigue or sleep deprivation. He was warmly embracing the people on either side of him, as if sharing an endless joy with them.
Starlight’s pupils trembled slightly. Even without looking at the small signature on the edge of the frame, he had already guessed the identities of the other two people.
The gray-haired man, slightly shorter than Carlos, was his father, Arthur. The gentle and beautiful woman on the other side was, needless to say, his mother, Moen.
In the painting, Moen had deep blue hair that looked like the deep sea and black eyes that were exactly like his own. His facial features and temperament, however, seemed to have inherited more from his father, Arthur.
At this moment, Starlight gripped the small portrait tightly, his hands shaking with emotion. He had never imagined that he would see the faces of the parents he had never met in such an unexpected way.
However, this sudden joy was quickly overwhelmed by a profound sorrow. These three people, the most important in his life, were now all gone from this world...
He gently stroked the paper, holding back the tears that were about to burst forth. He carefully wrapped the frame in a cloth and placed it treasured in his pocket.
“Thud!”
Just then, a dull sound suddenly came from a corner of the research room, startling the young boy who was immersed in his grief. He subconsciously took two steps back, looking around alertly as a sense of unease rose in his heart.
“Did something fall? Could there be something in this room that I can’t see?” Thinking of this, Starlight couldn’t help but feel his skin crawl.
As his thoughts raced, another clear sound echoed. This time, he heard it distinctly; the noise originated from a dust-covered old box in the corner.
He had noticed the old box sitting in the corner when he first entered the research room, but since it was covered in a thick layer of dust and clearly hadn't been touched for years, he hadn't bothered to check it immediately.
But now, that unremarkable old box was actually making strange noises, which made him feel cautious.
Could something be sealed inside? But what kind of creature could stay inside a sealed box for so many years and still have the energy to move?
While his mind was filled with doubt, another dull thud came from the box, louder than before, as if it sensed the boy’s gaze and was responding to him in a bizarre way.
Seeing this, Starlight took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and carefully walked toward the long-sealed box.
He whispered to himself, “Master, oh Master, please don't tell me you hid some strange undead creature or something in your room.”
But when he cautiously opened the dust-covered box, he found only an old book inside. There was nothing else strange, which made him let out a sigh of relief.
Starlight then reached out and took the old book, which was about as thick as a dictionary, out of the box.
The book was dusty, with a pink gemstone he had never seen before embedded in the cover. Written in crooked handwriting were the words 《The Great Adventures of Carlos》.
“This... is Master's handwriting... When did he ever write a novel? Or is it an autobiography? And those sounds just now, were they caused by this book?”
Looking at the unappealing yet personality-filled title, Starlight recognized Carlos's handwriting at a glance. However, a series of questions left him utterly bewildered.
Just as he intended to flip through the pages to investigate, the book in his hand suddenly seemed to come to life. It leaped from his grasp and landed steadily on a nearby cabinet.
Immediately after, with a rustling sound, the book actually began to flip its own pages.
Starlight watched in wide-eyed amazement as the book continuously flipped through its pages. At the same time, he was surprised to find that the paper inside was entirely blank, without a single word written on it.
“Ah!!!! I'm finally out! Carlos! You brat, you better remember this!”
While Starlight was hesitating, a somewhat familiar shout came from the book. When he looked again, he saw the pages in the center being folded by an invisible force into the shape of a human face. That sentence had come from the slightly wriggling “mouth.”
Starlight had never heard of a book that could speak for itself; even the most bizarre novels didn't have such a plot.
He stared tensely at the “face” and asked cautiously, “You... what exactly are you? What is your relationship with my master?”
“Me? You actually don't recognize me? I am the great Carlos Noah!” At that moment, the strange book seemed to notice the boy in front of it. It suddenly turned around to face Starlight and spoke loudly, its tone filled with pride and dissatisfaction.
“Carlos Noah? Isn't that Master's name? Why do you have the same name as him?”
Starlight was even more confused, but a strange sense of familiarity welled up in his heart. He seemed to realize why the voice coming from the book sounded so familiar to him.
“Carlos? Master? Hmph, isn't the person you're talking about me!”
As those words echoed in the research room, Starlight finally remembered. This familiar voice was extremely similar to Carlos's, only much younger, sounding more like the voice of his master from his childhood memories.
“Master! You’re not dead?! How did you turn into this?” Starlight stepped forward excitedly, grabbed the old book, and began to examine every detail of it from all angles.
“What do you mean dead? Dead!? Wait! Wait! Kid, get me out of here! If we don't leave now, we’re really going to die here!”
The strange book was a bit baffled by Starlight's question, but suddenly, it seemed to remember something important and shouted at Starlight, its tone revealing a hint of panic.
“Master, what are you talking about? Why do we have to leave?” Starlight asked, full of doubt.
“You actually took me out of that box! That brat Carlos set a trap on the box!!! Run!!! Run!!!”
Accompanied by the strange book's near-hysterical screaming, Starlight's gaze returned to the box. Only then did he notice a subtle magic formation carved into the inner wall of the box, which was currently flashing with an urgent red light.
“Let me see... this rune is... Flame...! Explosion!!!?”
After clearly seeing the content of the inscription, Starlight felt a jolt run through his body. He quickly grabbed the strange book and bolted toward the entrance of the research room like a bird in flight.
The moment he escaped Carlos's room, a massive shockwave hit him from behind. Immediately following, a pillar of fire soared into the sky from beneath the house, engulfing the entire stone structure in raging flames.
Starlight was thrown forward by the immense force, rolling several times on the ground before coming to a stop. Even the items in his backpack were scattered everywhere.
He stared blankly at the house being blown apart, completely stunned for a moment, unable to process what had happened. All he knew was that the home where he had lived for over a decade was now completely gone...
He didn't know how many layers of explosion inscriptions Carlos had carved into that box, but the soaring pillar of fire lasted for nearly five minutes before finally dying down.
By the time the flames were completely extinguished, the main structure of the original house had been burned to nothing. Only some charred wood remained on the edges of the dark crater, still flickering with small flames, testifying to the terrifying scene that had just occurred.
“Tsk! What exactly was that fellow Carlos trying to do? Kid, tell me quickly! Where is he? Even if he hides, it’s no use; I have a bone to pick with him!”
Just then, the strange book floated over wobbly and spoke to Starlight, who was still in a daze.
“Master... he... is no longer with us.” Hearing the strange book's inquiry, Starlight had just snapped out of his shock. His eyes instantly dimmed as he answered in a low voice.
“Dead?! How is that possible? Is there anyone in this world who could take him down? If he didn't want to die, no one could kill him!” The strange book laughed out loud without restraint, as if it had heard a huge joke.
However, Starlight remained silent and simply stood up. Although he didn't want to accept this cruel reality, Carlos had indeed vanished before his eyes just a few hours ago. This was an unchangeable fact.
Rate on N.U.
