Clara closed the book and started getting dressed.
The words that were written but never spoken aloud floated into her head.
...
As she walked down the street, she was surprised by the sudden change in the weather. It seemed like only yesterday the sun was shining; now, dark clouds stretched on forever in the sky.
Clara put on her favorite dark dress, which Elion had called 'the dark princess dress.' The dress was form-fitting, leaving only the girl's neck and pale arms exposed. The bottom of the dress flowed into a long skirt that almost reached the floor. It was made of slightly transparent, multilayered fabric. This created a mystical effect when she walked, so she took Elion's praise as a compliment rather than a joke.
She decided to arrive at Elion's house before the others because she wanted to prepare and gather her courage before entering.
She would have to deal with not only the boy but also his cheeky sister. This time, Clara was going to break her silence and say a few kind words to her.
Anticipation filled Clara as she walked on, crossing the university square.
Some people were whispering strangely, while others walked toward the white neighborhood as if they wanted to see something interesting.
Clara didn't notice anything unusual and continued on her way to Elion's house.
As she approached the house, she noticed more and more people. Something strange was going on. She began to feel uneasy.
He couldn't have invited the whole town to his birthday party... Although he probably could have, hardly anyone would have come. She thought.
Finally, as she got closer, she noticed a large crowd surrounding the house. No one was coming close, and behind the crowd...
What...? The girl saw the charred roof of a once beautifully painted house peeking out from behind people's heads.
Could it be a fire...? Is he hurt? The girl thought, feeling anxious.
Nervous, she began to make her way through the crowd that had gathered to watch the spectacle.
"Oh, poor child... How will he manage all alone?"
"What a pity that no one was there to help..."
"How unfair..."
"What a pity..."
"Poor thing..."
The voices of the crowd did not calm the little girl at all. She tried not to listen to the sympathetic voices, but she could still hear some of the words.
Silently, Clara walked through the crowd until she finally broke through to the front, where she saw a very frightening sight.
"No..." Escaped her lips, and tears welled in her shocked eyes.
The once beautiful home of a happy family was half destroyed and completely burned down.
The stone walls, which had once been painted a warm peach color—the favorite color of the women in the family—were now completely black, and some were nothing more than rubble.
Finally, rain poured down from the dark clouds, and the people around her began to disperse, all murmuring,
"Poor child..."
"What a pity."
"No..." Clara, feeling a lump in her throat, moved closer and looked into the ruined house.
At the sight, tears finally poured from her eyes.
A team of medics examined the boy, whose chest was completely dark blue. His entire body was covered in small scratches, leaving almost no part of him untouched. His hair was wet and matted with blood.
Law enforcement officers wandered nearby, examining human remains and taking notes.
The boy stood twenty meters away from her, facing sideways. She couldn't see his face, but it was clear that it reflected tragedy or horror.
Clara stared at the boy with wide eyes and cried quietly when he turned to look at her.
She froze when she met his gaze and saw his face.
Those bright eyes were always filled with joy and light.
That face which always broke into a bright smile when he saw her.
Now, that face had no expression.
It seemed that he had given everything he had and no longer had the strength to scream or cry.
His face could no longer show anything.
His eyes no longer reflected light.
Clara knew that expression and look well. After all, she had always looked the same after her family died.
Looking at his expressionless face and empty gaze, the girl could not utter a word.
She looked into his eyes and realized they were not quite like hers.
There was no light in them.
It was as if a mark of horror had been burned into them. From the ashes of the light that had once shone in them, an icy flame of vengeance and determination flared up.
His eyes burned with ice.
Clara looked at him, feeling her own soul begin to tear apart.
But she couldn't move. She froze in horror at this tragedy, unable to do anything but stare at the face that had once smiled cheerfully at her.
"..."
"..."
There was a distance between them, but no one closed the gap or said a word.
All that could be heard were Clara's quiet sobs, mixed with the sound of raindrops falling and her tears falling.
It seemed like an eternity had passed since their eyes met, but only five seconds had gone by.
Without saying a word, the boy turned away from the crying girl.
"Ah..." Clara muttered quietly.
*Thud*
A book fell to the ground, opening to the last page that had been opened most frequently.
'Thank you for bringing me light.'
'Thank you for being my light.'
The lonely words remained unheard by anyone.
The lonely words remained unread by anyone.
The lonely words remained unspoken by anyone.
The Beginning of the Volume Two: Falling