Sixteen years later...
Light dripped warmly from the sky. The warm golden light sprawled across the valley, pouring gently over the roof-thatched tops and the rippling wheat fields. The scent of fresh flowers and dew from the morning fog filled the air. It was as if the sun acknowledged her presence, warm and calm.
To be honest, anyone who saw her knew she didn't belong here — she was simply the pride of the village. Kind, gentle, eyes too bright like the morning sun itself, and hair darker than midnight and her very pale fair skin.
children followed her almost every time. Some old women called her angel, and when she smiled, no man's head was unturned. She had this strange, extremely delicate beauty. But sometimes, when she was alone, she felt as if something was watching — waiting — and she knew
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Lila ran barefoot through the field, her laughter scattered through the air gentle and warm,the warm breeze softly embracing her all over.
Lila had gone with her parents to pick up flowers for Mrs. Lily, the wife of the village carpenter, who had just had a baby a few days ago.
"Oh my goodness! Lila, you are gonna kill me someday. I told you many times, stop running in the field like that! It's dangerous. A lady like you shouldn't run like that — I have told you countless times," Anna said.
Lila turned and ran towards her mother.
"Oh, Mother, you don't need to worry, and besides, it feels nice," Lila said.
"Honey, look what you've turned my daughter into! Talking to her husband.And you—" Anna said, turning to face Lila, "what kind of a young lady are you, running without shoes?"
"Mother, but I'm sorry! I won't try it again, hehe," Lila said while laughing. "Just this one time, forgive me, please, Mother," she said again.
Before Anna could complain further, Fredrick spoke.
"My love, I know you're just worried. Don't worry — our Lila is stronger than you think," he said.
"Yes, Mother, I am! I even wrestled with kelvin,the owner of the bar downtown," Lila said.
"You!" Anna said, seriously, furiously, while staring at her in disbelief.
"Anna, come, follow me to give those flowers to Mrs. Lily," Fredrick said before his wife could get angrier than she already was.
"Yes, Father, I'm coming."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Lila, we are getting close to the town, so please stay closer to me. The town's never safe for a young lady as pretty as you," said Fredrick.
"Yes, Father, I will."
The market was as if alive with color — ripe fruits, huge houses of different sizes, cloth stores, the scent of delicious baked bread from Mr. Martin's bakery, children laughing and playing. It was lively.
"Here we have arrived, Lila," Fredrick said to her.
She answered with a "hmmm" as they walked slowly towards a cottage — not too big and not too small.
"Ah, Mr. Fredrick! What brings you here?" Mrs. Lily asked, surprised.
"Oh, nothing much. I heard you had a child a few days ago. Thank goodness you are alright," Fredrick said, beaming happily.
"Yes, Sir Fredrick, I'm fine as you can see. Thank you," Lily said.
"Lila, go ahead and give Mrs. Lily the gift we prepared for her," Fredrick said.
"Yes, Father," Lila said almost immediately.
"Emmm, Mrs. Lily, we got them for you, but Lila did most of the work. She said she wanted to pick the flowers herself — that bright colors fit you the most," Fredrick said, looking at Mrs. Lily.
Color rushed up her cheeks lightly.
"Ohh, Mr. Fredrick, do you want me to be as red as a tomato?" Hehehe," Mrs. Lily said, giggling.
"Well, I'm glad you like them, for we must take our leave now. Rest well," Fredrick said.
"Yes, yes, I will. Take care of yourselves too, and come visit some other time. And you too, Lila — such a wonderful young lady you are," said Mrs. Lily.
"Thank you, Mrs. Lily. You flatter me too much," Lila said, blushing as they took their leave.
On their way home...
"Oh, Lila, I almost forgot — your mom asked me to buy some sewing materials for her. Could you mind waiting for me over there?" He pointed over to a corner not too far away, shaded from the sun. Not many people were working around the corner, so it felt safe for her.
"Yes, Father," Lila answered as she walked slowly over to the place. Standing there for over a minute now, a young boy — not up to ten years old — came up to her, just standing and just looking at her.
She said, "Hey, little one, where are your mom and dad?"
Still no reply from the boy.
"What? Do you not know how to speak?"
Still nothing from the child; he just stood, staring.
"Do you not have one?" She asked gentle.
The boy slowly gestured so signs for her.
"What? You do not have one?" she said, shocked tying understand what he was doing."I'm sorry. Are you hungry?" She asked
He nodded.
She went ahead to the nearest shop and bought bread for him, and gave it to him.without hesitation,He ate it quickly as if in the next moment it could be stole.
"Oh my, you must be hungry. Eat slowly, or you'll have a stomach ache," Lila said watching him eat.
Then something caught her eyes — a figure wearing a black hood, covering everything. Not even a single hair could be seen. The way the person moved, it was as if no one could see them — no one seemed to notice them .
She was about to follow the person, but the boy grabbed her hand, shaking his head violently, eyes full of fear.
"Should I not go?" she whispered.
He nodded quickly.
"Well, you can see it too?" she asked again, and he nodded gently this time.
"I'll be back, okay? Don't worry, I just wanna take a quick look,she said gently removing her hand from his grip.
Then she followed.
The figure moved quickly through the market, down the narrow path behind the stalls, and into the woods far from the town. The trees swallowed the noise of the market. Shadows grew longer.night was coming.
The figure stopped finally, making Lila halt in her tracks .
Lila finally realizing she was deep in the forest. The wind was cold, and every rustle made her heart race."Oh no , am in big trouble she said.
The hooded figure turned — slowly, it's presence was terrifying .
"So," the figure said — low and cold. "You followed me",in a voice that was too cold to be a humans.
"I… I'm sorry. I thought—" Lila stammered.
who are you the figure questioned.
"I am Lorah," she lied quickly.
The figure let out a laugh — cold and deep. "Do you think I am a fool, child?"
Lila trembled. " Who..Who are you?"
"Do you think I do not know you… child of Elizabeth?"
I....I think you are mistaking me for someone else"My mother's name is Anna," Lila said, her voice breaking.
"Oh, really?" the figure hissed, stepping closer. "Do they think they can hide you forever? Fools. Powerless beings I could destroy with a snap of my fingers."
"How dare you insult my parents!" Lila cried. "They've done nothing wrong!"
"Child," the voice deepened, "you are powerless now. The Dark Ones have begun to awaken. Once they rise, they will come for you — and there will be nothing, nothing that can stop them."
"I don't understand," Lila whispered, backing away.
"You cannot understand," the figure said, almost gently now. "You live in a world built on lies. But I have left you a gift — one you will use for the rest of your life to thank me."
"Gift? What do you mean?" she asked.
The forest suddenly filled with faint shouting — villagers calling her name.
The figure tilted its head. "When you see it you shall know it now Sleep, child."
"No… I don't want it," Lila whispered, but her voice was fading.all she could hear was the faint laughter of the person and darkness embraced her.....
The hooded figure faded into the darkness slowly and slowly.
When they found her, she was lying beneath an old oak tree, the same one her parents once found her.Fredrick ran forward, his hands shaking as he lifted her up.
"Lila! Lila, wake up!" he cried.
Her eyes for a moment open briefly. "Father…"
"Don't speak, my child. You're safe," he said, clutching her close.
They rushed her back to the village, where the doctor examined her for hours.
"How is she?" Anna asked in a trembling voice.
The doctor sighed. "She's… stable. But something's strange. Her pulse is weak, yet her body temperature is unusually high. I don't know what to call this.
Anna covered her mouth. "But she has no fever—"
Fredrick interrupted, his tone sharp with worry. "Will she be alright?"
"I… don't know. There's no wound, no poison. " the doctor hesitated, " let's just hope she wakes up.
Anna leaned in and gasped."What's happening to our child?" she whispered.
The doctor shook his head slowly. "Whatever it is… it's not something of this world."
Anna clutched her husband's hand. "Fredrick, we must never speak of this to anyone. Do you understand? Not even the council. If word spreads…"
"I know," Fredrick said, looking at their daughter. Let's just hope nothing happens again
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She woke up drenched in sweat, tears rolling down from her face.
"I had a dream… but why am I crying?" she wondered.
She had a dream… a woman with long, shining silver hair, pale skin a bit like hers, looking at her as if trying to say something, but she couldn't. Yet at the same time, she felt familiar warmth towards the woman, as if she had known her for a long time. But something still felt missing… empty.
"Oh, Lila, you are awake! How are you feeling, dear?" Anna asked sympathetically. "I was so worried."
"Mother, I feel better now. But what happened? Why am I here?" Lila asked.
"Do you not remember what happened to you yesterday, dear?" Anna asked, worry in her eyes.
"Well, I remember I went to the town with Father to see Mrs. Lily, and I met a little boy, and then… and then—" Lila suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head. "Ughhhhhh."
"Honey, take it easy. It's fine if you don't remember. At least they found you, and it's thanks to a little boy—he is here," Anna said, gesturing towards the door.
"Come on in, child," Anna said.
The child, not waiting a minute, ran towards Lila and hugged her so tight as if she could disappear at any moment.
"Dear, dear, my love, I'm fine. Don't worry," she gently patted his head.
"Ehemmmm." Anna cleared her throat. "I shall take my leave now; I have to tell your father you are awake," she said, already walking to the door.
"Okay, Mother," said Lila.
Now facing the little boy, she asked, "Do you have a name?"
The boy shook his head, like a "no."
"Oh my… shall I call you Kael?" she asked.
He nodded happily in approval.
Then she said again, "Kael, how did you know I was in the forest? Did you follow me?"
He shook his head slightly, almost as if he didn't move, somehow feeling guilty.
"Oh my, but that was dangerous! Imagine what could have happened if that man had seen you." Then she sighed, "Haaaa, well, as far as you are all right…"
Knock, knock. Someone was at the door.
"Yes, yes, come in," Lila called, looking at the door.
The door creaked open — it was James, his familiar grin immediately brighting her mood.
"James! What brings you here?" she asked, surprised but smiling.
He stepped in, "What, I can't visit my oldest friend without a reason?"
She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "Oldest friend, huh? You only show up when you want to brag or feed me something."
"Maybe both," he said, feeling a bit of guilt. "But I did bring what I promised."
Her eyes lit up. "You actually remembered? Don't tell me you got the wrong flavor again."
He chuckled, pulling out a small bag from behind his back. "ouch am feeling so hurt right now,Lila. I even risked my life standing in line for two hours.Two scoops—guess which ones?"
"Hmm… chocolate and strawberry?" she guessed quickly, already leaning closer.
"Exactly. You know me too well," he said, handing her the cup.
She gasped dramatically. "Finally! you got the flavors right,You're forgiven for ignoring me through out last week."
James smirked. "Ignored you? I was working."
"Working, huh? That's what people say when they're running from responsibility."
He laughed. "Responsibility? You mean your endless rants about ice creams and how you would love to taste them?"
She shot him a glare but smiled anyway. "Keep teasing me and I'll eat both scoops myself."
He opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly his body tensed. He could feel it—someone's eyes burning holes through him. He turned slightly, catching sight of the small boy sitting on the couch,glaring at him as if he stole from him.
"Uh… who's your new bodyguard?" James asked dryly.
"That's Kael," Lila said. "be nice and his not my bodyguard, he's still a kid."
James bent a little, trying to smile. "Hey there, Kael. You must be the one who help find her.
Before he could blink, Kael's fist landed squarely in his stomach.
James froze,feeling pain in his lower abdomen,the kid had punched him "What in the—?! This kid's made of stone!" how could he be so strong?"
"Kael!" you can't just punch people!"
Kael's expression melted instantly—his big eyes tearing up as he looked at her.
"Oh, don't you dare pull that face," James groaned, still half-bent over.
Lila sighed, ruffling Kael's hair. "I'm sorry, James. He's usually sweet. I don't know what got into him."
James straightened, hand on his stomach. "Sweet? He nearly cracked a rib."
"Be mature," she said, half-smiling. "He's just a child."
James gave her a look. "You always take the kid's side."
"Because he's cuter than you," she replied instantly.
He huffed. "That's not hard. But fine—just for your sake."
"Good," she said, offering him a spoonful of ice cream.
He hesitated, then took it with a small grin. "You're lucky this is chocolate .
Lila laughed softly, the tension easing from the room.
**Later that day…**
"Oh Lila, you should be resting, not doing the house chores," Anna said.
"But Mother, it's uncomfortable to stay in bed all dayyyyy," Lila said.
"Alright, I had already washed the clothes in the basket over there. Could you please take them to the river and rinse them?" Anna asked.
"Okay, Mother, I will," Lila said, taking the basket and heading to the river immediately.
****************************
**At the river…**
Lila set the basket down and began rinsing the clothes.
At a point, she got lost thinking of what the figure in the hood told her yesterday. Then she whispered unintentionally, "Who is the child of Elizabeth…"
Getting back to her work, she dipped her hand into the water. For a second, she felt the warm current against her skin. Then, for a moment, the water seemed hotter than it should be. The fish swimming nearby dived back into the depths of the river. it turned black—*the river turned black.*
She gasped, pulling her hand out of the water, trembling, then gradually returned back to normal. Then she saw it—a glimpse, a reflection not hers. She wasn't sure… a person, a woman with long silver hair, a small sign in the shape of the moon on her forehead. It shined…
She thought, looking at the face—it somehow resembled hers, but rather more frightening, yet still beautiful.
The vision slowly vanished, leaving only her pale reflection.
"Lila?"
He called. It was James.
James stood on a rock not too far from her, the sunlight catching his features, smiling warmly at Lila.
"Are you alright?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Ahhh no, it's not… I was just scared by the lizard passing by," she said quickly. "But I think the water played tricks on me."
James frowned, coming down from the rock, stepping closer. "You shouldn't be down here alone, Lila. It's dangerous. Aunt Mira says strange things move in the woods."
"Like you, right?" Lila joked.
He grinned. "Maybe you are right."
Then he offered his hand. She hesitated a bit before taking it.
"Alright, let's head back to the village," James said.
"Yes, let's go," Lila replied.
Somewhere in the world, a group of figures in black hoods gathered.
"That child is slowly awakening; we can no longer ignore it," one of them said.
"The dark ones have started to make some moves," another said.
"Yes, elders, what should we do? We have tried our best to keep her hidden and protected, but we cannot continue like this. She has to fulfill her destiny," another one protested. "We have to make a quick decision, or what led to Elisabeth's death can lead to hers."
"Silence," one of the elders, who seemed to be the head, said. "We have to let fate flow... we do not have the power to disrupt Faith.
Vilon," he called, "did you leave the gift I asked to send over for her? She would need it soon..."
"Yes, Elder," Vilon said.
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