"No… Mira!" Nova shouted, his voice breaking as he sprinted through the house. His steps echoed against the floorboards. He turned toward his parents' room, eyes darting left and right, panic flooding his chest.
"Big brother…?"
Nova froze. That soft, trembling voice — it came from behind him. His eyes widened as he slowly turned toward his own room.
"Mira! It's me! Where are you?"
"I'm here…" came the muffled reply.
Nova followed the sound to his room, his heart pounding faster. He dropped to his knees just as a small figure crawled out from under the bed — Mira, clutching her worn-out wooden horse so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Her small face was streaked with tears and soot.
"I was scared…" she whispered. "I didn't reply at first 'cause I thought it might be someone else. I'm sorry…"
Nova rushed forward and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay," he murmured, his voice shaking. "It's okay, Mira… I'm just glad you're safe."
Her tiny arms hugged him back just as tightly, trembling against him. For a moment, the chaos outside didn't exist — it was just the two of them, brother and sister, clinging to the only family they had left.
After a few seconds, Mira's small voice broke the silence. "Umm… where's Mom?"
Nova's breath hitched. He hesitated, his arms loosening slightly. He didn't know what to say. The truth was sharp, cruel — but a lie would shatter later. He looked down at her, her innocent eyes searching his face.
He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and looked her in the eye, his expression firm, though his voice trembled. "She's gone."
Mira blinked. "What…?" Her voice quivered, disbelief spreading across her face. "You're joking, right? Stop joking, big brother! Where's Mom? Where is she?!"
"Mira!" Nova tightened his grip on her shoulders, not out of anger, but to steady her. "She's gone. I'm sorry, but… I couldn't save her. The situation outside is dangerous. The sooner we accept the truth, the better."
"No…" Her lips trembled as tears rolled down her cheeks. "There's no way… She's gone… There's no—" Her words broke into sobs, her body shaking as she buried her face against Nova's chest.
Nova pulled her close again and let her cry. He could feel her small fists clutching his shirt, the fabric dampening from her tears. The sound of her sobs echoed through the quiet room — raw, helpless, heartbreaking.
After a long while, between hiccups and broken breaths, she asked softly, "Hic… How…?"
Nova's voice was low. "Demon… There was a demon attack. I don't know why or how, but… it was a demon that—" He stopped. The rest refused to come out.
Mira sniffled and looked up, her red, swollen eyes reflecting the faint orange glow of the fires outside. "What about Father?"
"I…" Nova hesitated. "I don't know."
Mira wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. "What do we do now…?" she whispered.
"We wait," Nova said quietly. "We wait until the massacre ends. Then… we'll go look for Dad."
"Alright…" she said softly.
They sat side by side, leaning against the wooden wall. Mira's sobs slowly turned to quiet hiccups.
Nova gently rested his hand on her head and brushed her hair back. "Mom…" he whispered under his breath, his eyes dim. Her final words echoed in his mind like a curse he'd willingly bear forever. 'Take care of her.'
"I swear I will," he muttered. "I'll take care of her… I promise."
Suddenly, his eyes widened. His hand froze mid-motion.
"Big brother?" Mira tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
"Wait a minute, Mira. I need to check something." Nova stood up abruptly and hurried out of the room.
"W-Where are you going?" she called out, clutching her wooden horse and following him.
Nova stopped near the dining table, his mother's words ringing clearly in his mind now.
"Beneath the table…" he murmured, crouching down to look underneath.
"What are you looking for?" Mira asked, kneeling beside him.
"Something Mom said. She told me there's something here, under the table." Nova ran his fingers along the dusty floor, searching for anything unusual.
The floor was made up of long rectangular wooden boards, worn and slightly uneven from age. He tapped lightly with his fingers. Tuk, tuk, tuk…
Then — tok!
Mira's head snapped toward the sound. "Big brother! That one sounds different!"
Nova's eyes narrowed. He tapped again — tok. Hollow.
"It's hollow," he said, glancing at Mira.
"Huh?"
"Look — see the gap between the edges? It's slightly wider than the others."
Carefully, Nova slid his nails into the gap and pulled upward. The board resisted at first, but then lifted with a faint creak.
Mira gasped softly as he set the floorboard aside, revealing a small hollow space beneath. Inside lay a wooden box and a small pouch.
"What's that?" Mira asked, leaning closer.
Nova picked up the pouch first. It jingled faintly — metal clinking against metal. When he untied it, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Four… Four gold coins!"
"Four what now?" Mira couldn't believe what she just heard.
"Four gold coins," he repeated, astonished. "Father must've hidden them here for safekeeping."
Mira's eyes widened. "Four gold coins is like… a thousand— ten thousand—"
"Forty thousand coppers," Nova corrected, unable to hide his face full of awe. "Or four hundred silvers."
"Wow…" she whispered.
Nova tightened his grip on the pouch and tucked it safely into his pocket. Then he turned his attention to the wooden box. He lifted the lid carefully — and froze.
Inside was a single golden ring.
"That's it?" Mira frowned. "It's just a ring. It's not even worth a gold coin and yet..."
"Maybe," Nova said softly, "but look at the engravings."
The ring shimmered faintly in the light, strange runes etched along its surface — intricate and old, almost alive. Nova hesitated, then slowly reached out to touch it.
The instant his fingers brushed the metal—
"Hahh… hahh…"
He staggered backward, gasping, his vision going black for a moment.
"Big brother!" Mira rushed to his side. "What happened?"
"I… I don't know," Nova panted. "The moment I touched it, everything went dark. Just for a second. It felt like…" He paused, trying to find the words. "Like the world disappeared."
"Could it be… a cursed ring?" Mira whispered, terrified.
Nova shaked his head. "No. Father wouldn't keep something like that here. And cursed rings? That's just a bedtime story."
"I don't know…" Mira still looked worried, clutching her wooden horse tighter.
Nova exhaled slowly and reached for the ring again. This time, nothing happened. He picked it up and turned it over in his palm, examining the fine engravings, the faint warmth radiating from it.
"This ring… it's not ordinary," he murmured. "It might not even be gold."
"It's... clearly gold, big brother," Mira insisted softly. "Maybe we should look for father now...?"
Nova's ears twitched at the faint sounds outside — shouting, crying, but no more screams. The chaos had faded into grim silence.
He slipped the ring carefully into his pocket beside the pouch and stood. "You're right." He grabbed Mira's hand. "Let's go."
(Sorry, but I won't be able to upload for a while again. I've got some work to take care of. Really sorry about that—and thanks for reading!)