Passing through walls is one thing, but why jump downstairs!**Mia's POV**

Alden was tall and thin, with skin so pale you could see the veins beneath it.

It was an almost sickly kind of white.

"I don't need medicine. Stay away from me. Don't come near here."

He stared at me, said those words flatly, and closed the door again.

That was the first thing he ever said to me, and it was to drive me away.

My temper flared up. I threw the ointment and bandages into the trash can, swearing I would never bother with this ungrateful guy again.

"Mia."

Someone called out to me. It was Camilla.

She walked up to me, affectionately linking her arm with mine, her plump body pressing tightly against me as she pulled me downstairs.

"Today is Mom's birthday. We made a birthday cake for Mom. You should come with us to light the candles for her."

Camilla had never spoken to me in such a friendly tone before.

Flattered and surprised, I followed her to the living room, where Lydia was standing in front of a beautiful cake, waving at me.

"Mia, we've been waiting for you."

She smiled as she and Camilla sandwiched me between them and handed me the matches.

On the other side of the dining table were Margaret and my father.

Everyone's eyes were on me.

It was as if all the previous malice and cold looks had never existed.

I had an indescribable strange feeling in my heart.

This feeling made me desperately want to leave.

But I couldn't move. Camilla was gripping my arm, her long nails digging in painfully.

Lydia blinked innocently. "Mia, don't you want to celebrate Mom's birthday?"

Margaret's face darkened.

The ruler lay beside her hand.

Margaret had moved into Mom's room and was wearing Mom's dresses.

I didn't want to celebrate her birthday, and I didn't want to be beaten. Maybe I could leave after lighting the candles?

So I lit the match and ignited the candles.

Father went to turn off the lights. The living room darkened, and the candlelight faintly illuminated the tabletop—

I smelled something burning.

"Mom, look, stupid Mia set her hair on fire!"

Lydia laughed delightedly. She and Camilla held me down—one pressing my arms, the other pushing my waist-length hair toward the candles—

I couldn't break free at all.

I could only watch in despair as the hair my mother had carefully nurtured for fifteen years was set ablaze amid their unrestrained laughter, curling up in the flames.

"Let me go! Father, save me..."

I looked pleadingly at my father.

But Margaret interrupted me, draping herself over Father's shoulder. "The children are rarely having fun together. We elders shouldn't disturb them here."

Father glanced at me hesitantly, then silently stood up and went upstairs with Margaret.

My heart sank completely.

Unwillingness and grievance filled my chest. Who could save me?

The moment that thought arose, I heard Camilla and Lydia's sharp, panicked screams.

"My hair!"

"Damn it, my hair's on fire too!"

A stronger smell of burning came. The two of them flailed their arms like ridiculous monkeys, screaming and crying.

It was as if a gentle breeze had blown through.

The flames on my hair instantly went out, while theirs burned even fiercer!

"Alden! What did you do! You damned monster! Freak!"

The living room lights were turned back on.

Margaret ran down in a panic. She leaped past me furiously, glaring at Alden, who had appeared in the corner at some point.

She cursed at him, pulling her two daughters into the bathroom, trying to extinguish the flames with water.

But the screaming continued.

"Can't put out the flames, why can't I put them out!"

Margaret looked desperately at her two beautiful daughters, now turned into bald, ugly monkeys.

She walked over with a dark expression.

Alden glanced at her.

Margaret seemed to think of something terrifying. Her fury was extinguished, and she didn't even dare to curse anymore.

Alden returned to his room.

I, on the other hand, bore the full brunt of Margaret's remaining anger. She locked me in the attic on the top floor—

No windows, no lights, darkness without end.

I sat on the floor hugging my knees, burying my head in my arms, curling up, hoping this would help me resist the darkness and make me a little less afraid.

What actually distracted me was that magical and eerie scene from earlier.

Flames that rose out of nowhere and couldn't be extinguished with water.

I remembered years ago, when Mom took me to Grandpa's house in the countryside, he had told me, as if joking:

"Mia, if one day you see fire rising out of nowhere that can't be put out with water, that's not a trick—it's magic."

"This is a world with magic. Brooms can fly into the sky, animals can turn into people, people can pass through walls, and when you open your door again it's not the yard but a forest..."

I had once thought these were just stories the white-bearded old man made up to amuse children.

Could this really be magic?

Hiss—

A strange sound interrupted my thoughts.

Fluorescent light suddenly flooded the pitch-black attic. Silver-white points of light bloomed like a sea of stars, flowing and flickering.

I stood up in wonder, reaching out to touch them, but they scattered gently as if conscious, then regrouped around me.

It almost overturned everything I understood about "science."

They dispelled the endless darkness, enveloping me within them, so reassuring, just like Mom's embrace.

I took a few steps back and felt I had bumped into something—soft, with a faint scent of pine wood.

"Still scared?"

A low voice sounded by my ear.

I jumped away from him in panic, clutching my racing heart and gasping. "Alden?"

How could he be here?

Hadn't Margaret locked the door?

Alden looked at me quietly.

I could see a trace of confusion flash through his eyes, quickly replaced by calm. "I'm sorry. I didn't expect her to take it out on you. I'll take you out."

I realized he was talking about burning off Camilla and Lydia's hair earlier.

He extended his hand to me, but I tilted my head slightly and stared at him intently, just as he had looked at me.

"You set that fire, and these lights—are you a magician?"

I don't know if it was my imagination, but the moment I finished that sentence, the flickering lights stopped jumping instantly and seemed to dim slightly.

Alden lowered his hand. "It's a magic trick."

"No, this is magic. I wouldn't be mistaken!"

The light really did dim. I could barely see Alden's face anymore.

Alden gave a self-mocking smile, his eyes suddenly turning playful. He walked toward me step by step. I seemed to hear that strange hissing sound again.

He snapped his fingers lightly, and a small leaping flame of red appeared out of nowhere.

Alden walked closer and closer. He brought the flame to the tip of my nose, speaking in an almost seductive voice:

"Mia, aren't you afraid of me?"

His gray-green pupils seemed to turn into vertical slits.

As the fluorescent light completely disappeared, I thought I saw a shadow flash behind him.

I rubbed my eyes. There was nothing there.

"Why would I be afraid of you?"

"Margaret loathes me, Camilla and Lydia fear me, even your father, Mr. Eleanor, doesn't dare come near me. Everyone is afraid of me, stays away from me."

"Only you, naive Mia—you always want to get close to me. Aren't you afraid I'll bring you misfortune?"

The flame cast his pale face in uneven light and shadow.

"Just because you can control magic?"

I didn't quite understand his logic and tried to correct him. "Would you hurt an innocent, pitiful person?"

Alden answered, "No."

"Would you bully a weak person?"

Alden shook his head. "No."

"Then would your magic hurt me?"

"No."

"Then that's fine."

I blew gently toward his fingertip. The flame wavered a few times but didn't go out.

I looked up at him. "You haven't done anything heinously evil, and you won't randomly bully people. The ones who should be avoided are them, not you."

"Alden, you should be proud that you can control magic. Please, it's super cool, okay?"

As I was speaking, the flame in Alden's hand instantly scattered and burst apart.

In the blink of an eye, fluorescent light blazed again in the pitch-black surroundings, even more brilliant than before.

He gripped my wrist. The icy touch made me shiver. Before I could struggle, his other hand covered my eyes—

"Mia, close your eyes and follow me."

Alden's low voice was in my ear. I was possessed and obeyed him, following him forward.

One step, two steps—

My foot suddenly stepped into nothing. The sensation of weightlessness hit me. Cold wind swept me up as I fell uncontrollably downward—

Until I fell into an embrace with an even richer scent of pine wood. On the verge of tears, I clutched his collar, my voice trembling:

"Alden, passing through walls is one thing, but why jump downstairs!"