Chapter 82: The Moon Swallowed by the Sun (4)

The Helios Estate was located on the edge of the imperial capital. Once wielding influence greater than the imperial family itself, the household still stood as a monument to that former glory. It was a massive estate that left onlookers speechless with its sheer scale and grandeur. Yet, unlike the tasteless opulence of nouveau riche mansions, its design wasn’t gaudy. It was purposeful and measured.

The estate was protected by three layers of defense known as the Solar Gates. The first Solar Gate was what greeted visitors right at the entrance; it was a towering wall, like the ramparts of a fortress, paired with iron gates. Dozens upon dozens of trained guards kept a 24-hour watch over this outer perimeter.

Beyond the gates was the estate grounds, where the second Solar Gate revealed itself. Knights were stationed along every path, bearing the crest of the Helios family’s personal knightly order, the Order of the Sun. They stood ready to repel any intruders, living within barracks lining either side of the estate’s inner avenues.

Only after passing the first Solar Gate, guarded by hundreds of men, and the second, protected by one of the top three knightly orders in the Empire, would one finally lay eyes on the Helios mansion itself. Even then, at the threshold of that enormous house, so vast it could make anyone feel small, stood the third Solar Gate, the most powerful and terrifying of them all. This final defense was a barrier spell personally installed by the legendary Great Sage Julius Bastion, in honor of his old friend.

There was a rumor that, should any unauthorized outsider manage to set foot inside the estate, the enchantment would immediately activate, unleashing a relentless barrage of catastrophic magical firepower. It was so deadly that it would turn the trespasser to ash before they could blink.

The reason it was a rumor was that throughout the Helios family’s five-hundred-year history, not once had the third Solar Gate ever been triggered. Many greedy fools had dared to breach the estate in search of its treasures, but most never even made it past the first gate.

The influence of House Helios had waned considerably since its heyday, the Solar Gates not what they once were. But it was like the saying, “A wealthy family’s riches last three generations.” Even if they were walking the path of decline, the Helios Estate remained a fortress that no one dared challenge lightly.

Inside that very mansion, a silver-haired girl stood by the window, gazing absently at the sunlight streaming through the glass. Yurina looked up at the cloudless, vivid blue sky and let out a bitter smile.

“It’s bright and clear. A day like this… It would’ve been better if it were a little cloudy,” she muttered to herself.

The sun burned above, casting its radiant light over all creation, unchanging, indifferent, and relentless as if it were about to consume the world, as if it were about to consume her.

***

A crisp knock broke me from my thoughts. The door opened, and Mother entered the room.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

I nodded weakly. “Yes.”

As I stood up and moved, the thin, nearly see-through white gown I wore whispered against the floor.

“Lord Faust says everything is prepared. It’s time,” she said.

“Alright…” I followed her in silence.

Just before stepping through the door, I paused, turning my head to glance at the mirror in the corner of the room. There stood the reflection of a sorrowful silver-haired girl in a white gown, gazing back at me.

I raised my hand and gave a faint wave to the girl in the mirror. Goodbye. Farewell, Yurina.

“What are you doing just standing there?” Mother asked.

“Ah, sorry.”

“Hurry along now. And fix that expression. It’s a happy day, remember? If all goes well with the procedure today, let’s have a little celebration afterward.”

“Okay.”

A happy day, she says.

I swallowed back the knot rising in my throat, forcing it down before it could choke me.Silently, I followed her down the hallway.The procedure would take place in the basement. Despite the Helios family’s reputation as a “House of the Sun,” the basement was steeped in a dark, oppressive air.

When we entered the basement, the man who had earlier introduced himself as Faust to me greeted us. “You’ve arrived.”

He had slicked-back white hair, a monocle with a gold frame over one eye, and a practiced smile on his handsome face. It made him seem like a kind gentleman, but just standing near him made my stomach churn with instinctual revulsion.

It seemed he caught something in my expression as he tilted his head curiously. “Hmm? Are you feeling unwell? Ah, perhaps the gown is too thin for your liking?”

He clicked his tongue disapprovingly as he glanced at the sheer white gown I wore. “That was my mistake. I assumed you wouldn’t mind, given that you’ve lived as a man until now. Shall I prepare something thicker for you?”

“No… It’s fine. That’s not it,” I said firmly.

When I had gone to the bathhouse with Dale, I was so embarrassed. But here, in front of a stranger, wearing something that left nothing to the imagination, I felt no shame at all. There was only an instinctive disgust, the kind one felt upon seeing a crushed insect on the ground.

“I see,” Faust said with a small smile and a shrug. “Then, if you’ll come this way and lie down.”

In the center of the basement was a narrow surgical platform, just big enough for one person to lie on. Surrounding it, etched into the stone from wall to wall, was a sprawling magical circle. Even someone untrained in magic could feel the immense power radiating from it.

As I stood there, overwhelmed by its sheer scale, Faust stepped closer with a low chuckle. “Don’t be so nervous. The procedure won’t take long.”

“Alright…” I dragged my feet toward the platform and lay down.

It was cold, and even through the thin gown, the surface bit into my skin. Above me, the basement ceiling loomed dark. On this glorious day, I was meant to be reborn as the true “Sun” of the Helios family. Yet, all that stretched before me was an abyss of pitch-black shadow.

Lying on the surgical table, one face naturally came to mind: Dale… He looked so surprised yesterday.

I remembered his expression when I had approached him in Yurina’s form, with those wide, startled eyes staring at me. Was it because I looked too pretty? It had felt nice. I chuckled at the silly thought and recalled our brief encounter under the moonlight. His shocked face, the quiet conversation we shared sitting side by side, and gazing up at the moon in silence, just the two of us.

Some would scoff and say it was nothing, something trivial. But to me, it was a memory more precious than anything in the world.

That’s enough reminiscing, I said to myself.

Like a cadet who had skipped class would have to return to school in the end, every act of rebellion ended in a return to routine.

“We’ll begin the procedure now.”

Yes. This is my reality. Lying on a cold surgical table, waiting to become the “Sun.” This is my true life.

This pathetic thing and this meaningless existence, this was the life of Yurina Helios.

I hate it. Suddenly, a torrent of emotion burst from within, so intense it was almost unbearable.I struck away Faust’s hand as it reached toward me.

In a sharp voice laced with panic, Mother shouted, “Yurina! What are you doing?”

Startled, I turned to Faust. “A-ah, I-I’m sorry…”

He was rubbing his reddened hand but still wore a smile. “No, no, it’s fine. I completely understand. It must be a lot to process right now.”

He stepped back a little, turning to Rosanna. “Perhaps we should give her a bit more time to mentally prepare?”

My mother shook her head with a sigh. “I’m sorry. She’s been hanging around those brats from the Republic too much. She’s forgotten her manners.”

Watching her, I let out a dry, bitter laugh. An empty void carved itself deeper into my chest. What was I even struggling for all this time? A full eight years of trying to please a woman like that, just for a word of praise. What a joke my life had been.

Could I still… run away? I wondered.

I wanted to abandon everything and bolt from this place. Could that change the course of my life?

Suddenly, I heard my mother’s voice. “What are you doing? Get back on the table.”

“Yes.” My body moved on its own, ignoring the storm of resistance in my head, obeying her voice like a reflex.

There was inertia in life. Even if I wanted to escape, the weight of eight years’ worth of choices had become a shackle I couldn’t break. My mother’s cold voice had frozen me in place, turning my limbs to stone. Even the hope of escape dissolved into nothing.

“Ah!” All I could do was lie back down on the surgical table, as instructed. A hollow laugh escaped my lips as I shook my head slowly.

Nothing had changed at all. The clock in Yurina Helios’s world was still frozen on that day, eight years ago, the day I had wept over my brother’s lifeless body, unable to do anything. Suddenly, a story my brother once told me came to mind. It was a silly fairy tale about a princess locked away in a tower, rescued by a prince on a white horse. However, the brother who had told me that story had died because of me.

I let out a bitter smile as I stared up at the dark basement ceiling from the surgical table. In my mind, I painted Dale’s face onto the ceiling. I imagined him crashing through the wall, coming to rescue me like the prince in that old tale.

What am I even hoping for?

I laughed at myself, at the ridiculous fantasy I was picturing in my mind. Dale didn’t even know I was Yurina, not Yuren. And even if he did know, what could he possibly do? There was no way he could reach me.

The Helios Estate was guarded by hundreds of soldiers and the Order of the Sun. On top of that was the legendary barrier spell installed by the Great Sage Julius. Even if Dale were unbelievably skilled, it would be impossible for him to break through all three Solar Gates and make it here.

I had had enough of this daydreaming, and it was time to face reality. “Please begin the procedure.”

Faust smiled as he approached again. “You seem ready now.”

However, just as his hand reached for my soul stigmata, a shrill alarm erupted from my mother’s Hero Watch.

Irritated, my mother furrowed her brow and activated the watch. It was a call. She muttered, “What now? I told them today was an important day—”

“I-It’s an intruder!” said the voice from the other end.

“What?”

“An intruder has breached the first Solar Gate and entered the estate grounds!”

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