Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 56: Chapter 56 — Moonlight Part 2

Chapter 56 — Moonlight Part 2

Moonlight carried a wooden tray of food in both hands as she made her way through the village toward the Mana Lock Prison. Her expression was calm, almost indifferent, giving no indication of the thoughts running through her mind.

The prison stood near the edge of the village, its appearance no different from many of the other wooden huts from the outside. Just thick wooden walls, a heavy door, and strange markings carved into the structure.

Moonlight approached the guard sitting outside.

She smiled politely.

”Good afternoon.”

The guard looked up at her before his eyes moved toward the tray in her hands. A confused expression appeared on his face.

”Moonlight? What are you doing here?”

Moonlight smiled again.

”Oheema gave me orders to bring food to the prisoners. This will be my duty on a daily basis.”

The guard stared at her for a moment.

Then he simply nodded.

If Oheema had given the order, there was little reason for him to question it. Moonlight was her granddaughter, after all.

”Understood.”

The guard returned to his post.

Moonlight walked past him and entered the hut.

The moment she stepped inside, the sounds of the village became distant. The prison was dim and quiet, with only thin streams of light slipping through small openings in the wooden walls. Several cells stood inside, separated by thick wooden bars covered in strange markings.

Moonlight walked directly toward Victor’s cell.

Then she stopped.

For a moment, she simply stood there.

Victor was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

The mysterious outsider looked younger than she had expected.

That was the first thing she noticed.

After hearing the elders speak about him, after hearing Gregal’s fury and the other elders discuss the terrible crime he had supposedly committed, Moonlight had unconsciously imagined someone different. Someone older, perhaps. Someone dangerous.

Instead, a young boy was sitting quietly inside the prison cell.

Victor noticed her standing there.

His eyes lifted.

Moonlight stared at him while holding the tray of food.

”You’re the outsider?” she asked, curiosity slipping into her voice.

Victor looked at her with a slightly surprised expression.

Then he glanced around the cell as though checking whether she might be speaking to someone else.

”I guess to you I’m an outsider...” he said. ”But most people just call me Victor.”

Moonlight didn’t answer.

Her mind immediately began moving. Thinking of all the questions she could ask him.

Where was he from?

What was it like outside the forest?

Were there other tribes?

The questions piled on top of one another so quickly that she became completely lost in thought.

After several minutes of silence, he finally coughed.

Moonlight blinked.

Victor looked toward the tray.

”Is that food for me?”

Her eyes widened slightly.

Moonlight realized that she had been staring at him for far too long.

A faint blush appeared on her face.

”Ah... yes.”

She quickly stepped closer.

”I was told to deliver this to you.”

Moonlight paused.

She had originally come here because she wanted to see the outsider.

Now that she was actually standing in front of him, however, she had no idea which question she should ask first.

After gathering her thoughts, she finally chose one.

”Are you from outside the forest?”

Victor looked at her.

For a moment, he didn’t answer.

The question was strange enough that he genuinely didn’t know how to respond. Why would she ask something like that?

Then, after a few seconds, something clicked.

The tribe.

They were secluded.

That was why everyone kept calling him an outsider.

Victor looked at Moonlight more carefully.

He could probably learn something from her depending on how he answered. He didn’t know anything about this village, the tribe, or the people who had imprisoned him. Right now, information was one of the few advantages he could possibly gain.

”I’m from outside the forest,” Victor finally said. ”You don’t get many outsiders here, do you?”

Moonlight froze.

Then she quietly muttered to herself.

”He’s really from outside the forest...”

Her voice became even quieter.

”The other world is real...”

Victor raised an eyebrow.

The other world?

Before he could ask what she meant, Moonlight suddenly remembered that she was still holding his food.

She quickly crouched down and placed the tray on the floor near him before taking a step back.

Victor immediately began eating.

The food was much better than he had expected. He had no idea what some of it was, but it was warm, filling, and far better than anything he had imagined receiving after being a heathen.

Victor continued eating without much concern for the fact that Moonlight was still standing there watching him.

Then he noticed the small bird beside him.

The creature was staring at the tray.

He moved part of the food aside and placed it in front of the bird.

The little creature chirped happily before immediately beginning to eat.

Moonlight watched the bird for a moment.

Then she looked back toward Victor.

A small smile appeared on her face.

”What can you tell me about the outside world?”

Victor paused.

Moonlight stepped closer.

”Is there really something called a sun?”

Victor slowly lowered the food in his hand.

”Do people outside the forest believe in Samal?”

Moonlight continued.

”Where do people live?”

Victor blinked.

”What kind of beasts are there?”

She took another step forward.

”Are there other tribes?”

Victor stared at her.

Moonlight’s questions continued coming.

One after another.

Her hands moved through the air as she spoke, gesturing wildly while trying to imagine the things she was asking about.

Victor, unfortunately, had a mouthful of food.

He wasn’t prepared for the attack.

Victor quickly attempted to swallow.

That turned out to be a mistake.

His eyes widened.

He reached for the water.

Moonlight immediately stopped talking.

Victor grabbed the cup and drank from it quickly, finally managing to swallow the food.

For several seconds, he simply sat there and caught his breath.

Moonlight stared at him.

Victor slowly looked up.

For some reason, he found the entire situation slightly amusing.

The girl had so much passion for the outside world that she had nearly made him choke to death.

He could see it clearly now.

She genuinely wanted to know.

And honestly, Victor didn’t mind.

Talking to Moonlight was probably the most interesting thing that had happened since being thrown into the cell.

Victor smiled slightly.

”One question at a time.”

Moonlight froze.

Victor pointed toward himself.

”I can’t answer that quickly.”

For the first time, Moonlight seemed to realize what she had been doing.

Her expression changed.

She slowly took a step backward.

Her hands lowered.

A moment ago, she had completely forgotten herself.

Moonlight was usually composed around the other members of the tribe. As Oheema’s granddaughter, people expected her to behave a certain way. She had learned to remain calm and stoic, especially around the elders and the other young members of the village.

But somehow, within only a few minutes of meeting Victor, she had forgotten all of that.

She had acted like a child.

Moonlight looked away.

For several seconds, the prison became quiet again.

Victor watched her.

Then he noticed that the small bird had finished eating.

Victor reached down and gently picked it up.

The bird allowed itself to be lifted.

Victor held the small creature in his hand and looked toward Moonlight.

”Yes,” he said.

Moonlight looked back at him.

”There really is a sun outside.”

Her eyes immediately brightened.

Victor thought for a moment.

”It’s usually in the sky for around twelve hours. Then the other twelve hours, it’s gone.”

Moonlight’s expression changed.

”Gone?”

Victor nodded.

”Pretty much.”

Her curiosity immediately returned.

”The sun hides?”

Victor almost smiled.

”Something like that.”

Moonlight stepped closer again.

”How does the sun hide?”

Victor paused

He then tried to explain day and night as best as he could. He described the sun hanging in the sky and the darkness that came afterward. He mentioned stars, and the way the night sky looked when there was nothing blocking the view.

Moonlight listened as though every word was something precious.

At some point, she stopped standing and was sitting down across from Victor.

Her eyes remained fixed on him.

Nearly twenty minutes went by.

Then footsteps sounded outside the prison.

Moonlight froze.

Victor stopped speaking.

Moonlight immediately stood up.

She quickly grabbed the tray.

Victor watched her.

For a brief moment, Moonlight looked at him.

Then she gave him a quick bow.

And ran.

Victor watched her disappear from the cell entrance.

A moment later, the guard passed by.

Victor looked toward the doorway for several seconds.

Then his attention returned to the bird resting quietly in his hand.

He gently patted it on the head.

The little creature chirped.

Victor set it down beside him.

Then he leaned back against the wooden wall.