Lucy ran as if her life depended on it. She ran and ran, abusing the full might of the power as much as she possibly can. Her legs ached, her lungs screamed for release, but she did not allow either as she weaved past several more trees before her.
Her heart beats with the rhythm of fear as her mind trashes around chaotically inside of her head. Myriads of possibility wrapped around her mind as each one was beginning to get worse and worse with each passing second.
Please let me be there! Please! Lucy screamed desperately inside her head as she moved past through another clearing. Each step she had taken was another step closer to confirming her useless worry or her worst nightmare.
Fragments of her memory begin to emerge one after another as it recalled those days. Days fighting so desperately without rest, without respite, running towards villages with all haste, only to find the ruin and rubble of a long-raided village.
Streets filled with the grotesque and mangled bodies of men, women, and children alike. Regrets and sorrow filled each and every single one of them to the brim as they could do nothing but bury the dead body of the deceased as they failed to save them.
Each time it happened, they swore to never be late again and each time they did was just another broken promise as they arrived at the ruined villages they had sworn to protect. All because of monsters.
There really was no other way to describe them as they were simply that, monsters who know nothing and will know nothing but only to kill and butcher the weak and the powerless. And now it was happening again.
The clear sign of a soon-to-be monster tide was beginning to take form just behind Lucy's newly called home. She could not allow it. Lucy refuses to let it happen again and so she runs as if her entire life depends on it.
"Ha... ha... ha..." Lucy finally paused to take a breather when she passed through the last clearing and saw the orphanage. The children were busy playing across the field as the sisters were preparing for luncheon.
Lucy sighed the biggest sigh of relief she had in this life as she slowly walked towards the hill. "Sister Lucy? Are you all right?" Emma said as she noticed Lucy's pale and exhausted expression.
"No... no everything is alright sister Emma... just... relieved..." Lucy replied.
Emma had a skeptical look on her face, but Lucy did not notice a thing as she immediately went towards the forest at the back of the orphanage. There, Lucy scoured the entire land, searching in anticipation for the signs she dreaded seeing once more.
She searched every patch of grass in her sight, every tree that stood firm, none managed to escape her watchful eye. Yet despite all this, Lucy found nothing that might have confirmed her worst nightmare. There were no traces in the grass, no scratches on the trees.
Nothing. There was nothing at all that would prove her otherwise. She should be calm, relieved even, yet it did the complete opposite. Where is it? Where are those wretches at? Lucy thought in frustration and paranoia.
Every fiber of her being alerted her to an impending doom that remained unseen. Her mind shouts at the dangers she could not see. "What are you doing?" Lucy blinked as she turned to see Iva standing behind a tree.
"Oh... it's just you..." Lucy mumbled in relief as Iva's face contorted into annoyance. The little girl slowly made her way towards Lucy as she continued to search for clues.
"...Just what are you looking for?" Iva asked again. Lucy replied in surprise.
"You're still here?" Lucy asked.
"Am I not allowed to be here?" Iva replied, getting more annoyed by the minute as Lucy continued to dodge her questions.
"...You should go back, it's almost time for supper." Lucy mumbled as Iva snorted back in reply.
"I could say the same to you." Iva replied as Lucy nodded back in reply.
"I'll be there when I'm done here." Lucy replied as she brushed past another pair of shrubs.
"And just what are you doing here?" Iva asked but Lucy still did not answer her question. "...If you are not going to tell me, I'm going to tell the others about this." Iva threatened as Lucy simply smirked.
"That's cute." Lucy replied as Iva reddened in embarrassment and anger. "I'm really going to tell them!" Iva shouted, but her threats fell on deaf ears as Lucy simply smirked back in reply.
Iva was about to open her mouth to shout once more when Lucy suddenly froze. The little girl was startled by the sudden cold aura that began to emit from Lucy. Her cold sapphire eyes hardened for a moment, bitterly reminding Iva of who she was.
Despite her awkward yet caring voice, there was something that lay dormant inside Lucy. Iva seemed to have forgotten what Lucy really was for a while as she showed nothing during her entire stay in the orphanage... until now.
Iva slowly retreated from the monster that had taken her father in fear as the cold gaze from her eyes slowly melted back to normalcy. "I think we should go back now." Lucy whispered as she turned back to Iva. The little girl froze for a moment as their eyes met.
"Iva?" Lucy whispers as she reaches out to the little girl. Iva watched as the scarred hand approached. The same hand that strangled her.
"Eek!" A small shout of panic escaped from Iva as she took a step back as she instinctively rubbed her throat. A flash of pain and guilt sparked within Lucy’s eyes before she forcibly buried the pain inside.
The young sister reluctantly retracted her hands as Iva cautiously stared after her. "...Come, it will be dark soon." Lucy whispers as she leads the way. Iva stared at the lone figure retreating back towards the orphanage before following suit moments later.
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The darkness washed over the world as another peaceful night slowly passed by. The orphans doze peacefully in their dreams as the sisters begin to fall asleep one after the other. Iva, however, could not get so much as a wink. She twisted and turned, but she simply could not sleep.
Having enough, Iva silently sneaks out of the shared bedrooms when she opens the door. There was no light to be seen. Only by the pale moonlight that illuminated the dark halls. Iva swallowed her fear before she began to navigate through the dark hallway alone.
The little girl shifted closer to the windows as she walked through the halls. Even though she lived most of her life in darkness, Iva never really got used to them. No matter the circumstances, Iva tried her best to avoid the bleak darkness.
The fear of the unknown, what lies beyond those covers, will never fail to bring discomfort to Iva. Just as she was about to get used to the eerie void, a figure suddenly flickered in the corner of her eye.
Iva reflexively stepped back in fear as she eyed the figure standing still. Her small heart beat so fast that she feared the thing could hear it. The urge to scream and run with all haste continues to tempt her young mind as she slowly steps back.
Her eyes began to sting now as she did not let go to blink. Not even for a second did she break contact as she continued to slowly begins to retreat back to the shared room. Just as she was about to turn to a corner, a soft breeze blew through the window.
Her already strained unblinking eyes could not last for a second longer as she blinked in pain. As she quickly opens her eyes back to the figure, she finds nothing but complete darkness. Iva felt her heart drop beneath the floor as she turned to run.
Only this time, the figure was there. Iva stared in horror as the figure stared back at her. Her legs failed her as she collapsed beneath in fear. Her breathing began to grow heavy, finally reaching her breaking point. "...What are you doing here?"
A familiar voice washed over her senses as the figure became clearer. Her eyes widened as she realized who she was. "L-lucy?" Iva timidly whispered softly, a sense of relief and annoyance washed over her.
The scarred maiden looked back in confusion, trying to piece together why Iva was there as she actively ignores her small stature. The little girl was trembling in the dark. The urge to carry the little one in her arms threatened to consume her, but the guilt of the past restrained her.
Iva seemed to regain her senses as the little girl slowly stood back on her own. "W-what are you doing? You could have at least told me you were there this entire time!" Iva silently shouted as Lucy tilted her head slightly.
"Isn't it way past your bedtime? Why are you here?" Lucy asked as Iva frowned further.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Hey! Don't answer my question with another question!" Iva complained as Lucy sighed heavily.
"I didn't." Lucy said as it was now Iva's turn to tilt her head.
"What do you mean?" Iva asked.
"I just came here, so I don't know what are you talking about" Lucy said as Iva suddenly looked extremely disturbed.
“B-but wasn't it you that...” Iva trailed off when she saw Lucy look ever more confused. "T-then... it was not you?" Iva whispered as she paled like a ghost.
Then who was that? Iva begins to breathe heavily as she tries to make sense of what she has just seen. It did not help when Lucy suddenly turned to leave. "W-where are you going?!" Iva hurriedly ran to catch up with Lucy, afraid to be left alone.
"Isn't it obvious? We're going back to your room." Iva paled even further as she grabbed Lucy tightly in her sleeves. "Hey what are you-"
"C-can I sleep with you instead?" Lucy paused, eyes growing wider as she looked back at the little girl.
… Can I really? Lucy thought as Iva’s small eyes pleaded for a positive answer. No matter the time, be it past, present, or future, Lucy’s craving for a family had never left her. Denied from her own, she sought to make her own family. Her own husband and children.
Alas, it never came to be. Kier had made sure of that. The day he abandoned her for that wretch, the hope for one was all but smothered. Yet still, the desire remained. To hold someone so small in her arms had been a dream once. Now, the opportunity returns. Only regret and guilt were holding her back.
"...Are you sure about that?" Lucy carefully asked as Iva did not hesitate.
"J-just this once! Just this once and it will never happen again!" Iva could not manage to gather her words properly as she continued to tremble. …So small Lucy thought as Iva’s grip grew tighter.
It was for the first time in a while Iva was acting her age. Gone were her bitter eyes and defiant façade, only a frightened, small child remains. Lucy opened her mouth to speak. One word was all it would take. One word for her dream to be fulfilled, no matter how fleeting it may be.
Yet Lucy could not say it. Any other time she might have. If the circumstances were different, then she might just have. Maybe… maybe. "But I'm not going to sleep just yet? There are things I still need to look at." Lucy said as Iva looked up in dismay.
"T-then take me w-with you!" Iva said as she pulled harder.
"Hey, it is not good for a young one such as you to sleep so late. Come on, let's-"
"No!" Iva screamed slightly louder this time, causing Lucy to panic as the little girl clung tightly to one of her legs this time.
"I don't want to! T-there's something out there! I don't want to sleep!" Iva begins to cry as Lucy panics.
"Hush! The others are going to wake up if you-“
"I don't care! Take me with you o-or else!" Iva threatened as she stubbornly refused to let go of her leg.
Seemingly out of options, Lucy finally relented as she quickly consoled the crying child. "Ok ok. You won ok? So please quiet down before the others wake up." Hearing her answer, Iva finally calmed down as Lucy let out a sigh.
"Here. Grabbed my hand tightly or else you will be taken away." Lucy teased as Iva immediately reached out for her hand, grabbing it tightly as if her life depended on it.
"D-don't say that!" Her small hands intermingle with Lucy's as the warmth spreads between them.
…It’s so small.
Lucy then begins to guide Iva with her throughout the halls. The dark and lightless corridors seemed to frighten Iva even more as she could feel the grip tightening ever stronger. The two walked in silence for a while before Lucy finally broke the ice first.
"Just what were you doing so late in the evening?" Lucy asked as Iva took a second longer to reply.
"I-I could not sleep... thought it would be good if I walked a bit... twas a mistake..." Lucy nodded quietly as Iva frantically searched for any signs of the figure.
"Children should not be awake so late in the first place." Lucy replied as they turned into a slightly brighter corridor.
"A-aren't you just slightly older than me?" Iva said as Lucy shook her head.
"I am far older than you think I am." Lucy replied as Iva's brow furrowed.
"...Where are we even going anyway?" Iva asked as Lucy led Iva towards a particularly large door.
"Outside." Lucy replied as the door creaked softly. Iva's eyes widened as the starlit night sky washed over the world.
Constellations and the twin moons orbit around the sky as if they were drawn to it. The world looked so beautiful that Iva reflexively relaxed her grip. Lucy let out a small smile when she saw Iva's mesmerized eyes. "Beautiful isn't it?" Iva blinked from her daze as she slowly nodded her head back in reply.
They stared at the night sky for a few minutes longer before Lucy slowly released her hand. Iva blinked in surprise as she felt the grip loosening from her hand. She reflexively tries to hold on to the hand, surprising Lucy even further.
Iva was also surprised as if her body moved by instinct. "...Do you want to keep holding my hand?" Lucy offered. Iva stared at her hand for a moment. Her muscles twitch as if her body and mind were struggling for control over one another.
Lucy could see the struggle within the child as if war had broken loose. She could hear a faint noise of teeth gnashing against one another until finally, Iva replied. "I don't want to. Don't be mistaken, I simply got surprised." Iva replied as she withdrew her hand. Her grudge had seemingly returned.
Her reply saddened Lucy but spoke no further as she simply nodded her head. She turned her back from Iva as she began walking towards the forest. "Where are you going?" Iva asked as Lucy continued to walk without pause.
"You don't need to worry. Stay here, I’ll be back." Lucy replied as the distance between them grew larger. Focus soldier. Lucy thought to herself as the gears inside her head begins to turn. Her mind narrowed towards the forest before her as her thoughts began to collide with one another.
How much time do I have left? Where could they possibly borrow? What monster should I expect to come? These questions wrapped Lucy's mind like a thick miasma when she learned the news from the merchant.
The scarred sister did not like the thought of fighting once more. This fact only gets reinforced stronger than ever when she had killed Iva's father. Lucy could still recall the sticky and filthy feeling of the blood wrapping around her hands. She felt defiled whenever she thought of fighting.
Alas, life had never been easy for her. She had to protect the orphanage from the invaders even if she had to go back to the hell she so desperately wanted to escape. And besides, what else can a soldier do, but kill? Lucy's brow furrowed further when she thought of getting dirty again when a soft rustle broke her concentration.
Lucy turned to see Iva slowly sneaking her way toward her, hiding behind the trees whenever she moved. "...What are you doing?" Lucy asked as Iva froze behind from one of the trees. The little girl seemed to think Lucy would not have noticed as she was clearly hidden from one of the trees.
"I can hear the leaves being crushed from here, Iva." Iva flinched as she reluctantly exposed herself to Lucy. "So? What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay?" Lucy asked as Iva did not meet her gaze.
The little girl seems to fidget with her fingers as if she was hesitating to speak. Lucy could feel her patience running dry as this continued for minutes on end. She let out a sigh as she slowly walked back towards Iva.
"Come on, let's get you back home." Lucy said as she offered her hand to Iva. The little girl sneered at the hand before finally replying.
"You did not tell me where you are going." Iva replied as Lucy shook her head.
"I told you; you don't need to know." Lucy said as she continued to leave her hand hanging.
"... But I want to..." Iva meekly replied as she was denied for the second time.
"It is not something children should be concerned of." Iva finally lifted her gaze to meet Lucy as she replied.
"Again, aren't you just a little bit older than me?" Iva replied as Lucy shook her head once more.
"And again, I told you that I am older than you think I am." Lucy replied as Iva's eyes screamed disapprovingly.
"But you are-" An inhuman sound growled behind Lucy.
In the blink of an eye, Lucy immediately turned towards the direction of the sound and tried to grab the spear at her back that was no longer there. ...Kalva be damn. She cursed as she kept forgetting the spear was no longer there.
Iva begins to quiver in fear as it was the first time she had heard of it. "W-what was that?" Iva timidly asked as Lucy placed herself between Iva. Whatever that thing was, Lucy did not like leaving Iva unprotected.
She placed her off-hand to Iva as her free hand stood guard to the place where the sound came from. Lucy strained her hearing to the best of its limits as she slowly grabbed Iva's hand. "Listen to me carefully, Iva, slowly step back with your right foot, then your left. Don't run, just slowly step back," Lucy calmly replied as she kept her eyes toward the sound.
Iva moved without question, too scared to think about what was going on as she held Lucy’s hand tightly. The two slowly made their way back to the orphanage, one step at a time. Lucy slowly tightens her grip on Iva's hand as her tremble slowly worsens.
"Look at me Iva." Lucy whispered without looking back. She could feel the sudden gaze of Iva as she continued to step back. "No need to look at those trees. Listen to my voice, just look at my back." Lucy whispered as she could feel the grip tighten to an alarming degree.
As they made their way back to the orphanage, Iva accidentally tripped behind a rock, too engrossed by the thing before them. Iva felt the urge to cry when Lucy suddenly whispered. "You're doing fine. Relax. Slowly stand back up and continue moving back." Lucy reassured Iva as she slowly stood back up.
The urge to cry was barely held back beneath Lucy's calm and firm voice. It was like a bastion of steel that would never falter against the tide. Iva found the courage to keep moving within the strength of that voice as they slowly resumed their pace.
When the starlit night sky became clear again, Lucy finally let out a huge sigh of relief as the monster did not try to attack them. "Whew, are you ok Iva-" Lucy turned to be tackled by Iva as she began to cry loudly.
The little girl seemed to forget her mature front once more, too terrified for her to handle. Iva hugged Lucy tightly as she cried as loud as her small lungs could carry, uncaring to the waking noise outside the orphanage.
Her small stature was only at Lucy's hip as she began to ruin her clothes with tears and snot, but Lucy did not mind. The instinct came back like a tidal wave, urging her to comfort the little soul. The scarred maiden hesitated for a time before her hand finally began to move.
She gently comforted the child with a small smile on her face as she began to caress her ebony black hair. "Shh, it's ok. Everything will be ok; I am here now. The monsters won't do anything. I am here now… I am here." Lucy whispered as Iva continued to wail throughout the night.