The Cycle of Fate

Chapter 17: Confirmation

After a few seconds, Lumière looked into Aureole's eyes and, slowing his speech, asked:

"Is it still several days until Lent?"

He suspected that his sister might be playing a reverse prank, but over the years, he had never seen her take important matters lightly, especially since this was a critical moment concerning the existence or destruction of the entire village, including themselves.

Aureole looked him up and down:

"Did you take a nap and end up dazed?

"Today is March 29, 1358. Lent is still a few days away."

March 29... Lumière pondered the date, suddenly feeling as if he might be dreaming.

He had clearly experienced the Lent celebration that started joyfully and ended in bloodshed, had seen Ava's head severed by the shepherd Pierre Berrie, with blood splattering into the air...

Was he dreaming now, or was he dreaming before? Either way, it seemed too real. Lumière couldn't find any sign of deceit on his sister's face.

Of course, this could be explained by Aureole's exceptional acting, but Lumière believed Aureole was definitely not that kind of person.

Given the five years of their relationship and countless details, his sister's true nature could not be deceived by him!

There were only two possibilities if Aureole was lying about the date:

1. She was under the control of the parish priest or some hidden figure;
2. The situation had been perfectly resolved, allowing her to joke and play pranks.

If neither of these possibilities were true, then what she said was most likely the truth:

Time had indeed returned to March 29, several days before Lent.

With Lumière's common sense, such a thing was evidently impossible, and it shouldn't occur in the real world, but his sister's attitude left him bewildered.

He needed to find a way to confirm... Lumière tried hard to recall his experiences during this period and found that he could remember most details. For example, on the March 29 that corresponded to the Lent celebration, Aureole had indeed worn that light blue dress, and that evening, he had met the outsiders Lya, Reyn, and Valentine, taking them to the church to catch the parish priest.

"What's wrong?" Aureole extended her right hand and waved it in front of her dazed brother.

Lumière snapped back to reality and said urgently:

"Aureole, I suddenly remembered something and need to go out for a moment.

"I'll be back soon!"

The best way to confirm whether the date had really returned to March 29 was to find Ava!

If she was still alive, Lumière would have to seriously consider whether to accept this incredible change.

Without waiting for Aureole's response, Lumière hurriedly ran towards the door.

"Call me if you need anything! Don't miss dinner!" Aureole called after him, raising her voice.

Outside his home, Lumière ran towards Ava Lizier's house, fearing that even a second's delay might lead to an inexpressible nightmare engulfing him completely.

Along the way, he drew the attention of many villagers, but no one stopped him. They feared this might be a prank he was staging to trick them.

Finally, Lumière arrived at his destination.