The sound of branches groaning out in pain resounded through the world as Lucy silently hunched over from one of the trees. It has been ten days since Lucy learned of the dire news. Ever since then, she had not slept for more than 2 hours at a time.

Several times did the darkness tempted her to its sweet embrace. Time and time again, Lucy could feel its touch gently pulling her soul into slumber, but the momentary moments of noise always broke its spell, replacing it with paranoia.

…Where are they? Lucy thought as power coursed through her senses. The taste of last meal’s dinner, the strong scent of flowers several paces below her, the grains of wood in the handle of her ax, the eerie still silence abruptly being disturbed by animals, and the unnaturally bright in what was supposed to be a dark world.

Power enhances her senses to such an unnatural degree as her sapphire eyes pulsate with amber gold instead. Nothing escapes from her; she would have noticed it… but there was nothing. No matter how far and wide she searched, she found nothing.

There were traces of the guards left in the forest who investigated the woods several days ago. Some animal markings here and there, but there was nothing substantial. There were no markings of any monsters.

For others, it was a good sign. For Lucy, it disturbed her the most. Even with the grace of power, there was simply no clear sign that pointed to her worst fears. It did not deter her however as she continued her long vigil.

Lucy continued to wait for another hour until she suddenly felt something was burning her back. When she turned, the whole world was so bright it was as if it was set in flames. Lucy ducked behind the cover of the trees quickly as she feared she would burn as well.

The burning sensation continued, however. Her sensitive skin felt the grain of wood from the tree roughly coursed through her senses. It was then Lucy realized what it was. Lucy slowly let go of power, avoiding shocking her senses with the drastic change.

Slowly, the world was beginning to grow duller and duller by the second. The sense of the grain begins to disappear, the light slowly returning to normalcy. A few minutes later, Lucy blinked as if to reorientate herself once more from the dullness of the world before slowly looking back at the light.

The sun had already risen, the crack of dawn broke the eternal night. Lucy frowned in disappointment as she spent another night with nothing to show for. The monsters did not show up this time either.

"Just when will they show up?" Lucy mumbled to herself as she jumped off from the branch. The bones in her body reared back in pain as Lucy winces. …I’ll get used to it. She thought in annoyance as she trudged back towards the orphanage.

Lucy left the ax on the shack before making her way back. A small yawn escaped from her mouth as the fatigue slowly crept back in. Exhaustion brought her body so low that she did not notice Emma standing in front of the door. "Back at it again, sister Lucy?" Emma asked as an obvious frown marked her face.

"Sister Emma..." Lucy whispered as Emma slowly walked towards her.

"I thought I told you to let the guards do their job." Emma finally erupted when she saw Lucy's tired eyes.

"Look at yourself. There are bags under your eyes. How long has it been since you had a proper rest?" Emma said, the young lady could do nothing but listen. "You have been doing this for three days now. You need to stop and let go of this already." Emma said as Lucy shook her head in disagreement.

"The monsters will-"

"There are no monsters!" Emma cut off, frustration ripe in her eyes. "The guards have already swept the forest seven times now, but they have not found even a single trace. Lucy, you need to stop this now." Lucy blinked momentarily, trying to comprehend any deeper meaning behind those words. Her mind felt sluggish and weak.

"See?? You could not even respond properly. This has to end now." Emma said, but Lucy shook her head firmly.

"I cannot sister Emma. Not until I can make sure that the forest is safe." Lucy replied as Emma's pupils widened. They are still out there, somewhere. I have to be ready. Lucy thought with determination in her eyes. If there was something good that the years of ceaseless war taught Lucy, it was to never be compliant with monsters.

Emma had an indistinguishable mark on her face before it slowly softened to worry. "...The children and the others are anxious Lucy." Emma whispered gently, sending immediate flares of warning and suspicion to Lucy.

"They are... anxious?" Lucy asked carefully as Emma nodded.

"The thought of having monsters just behind our home had already caused several children to have nightmares." Lucy's expression darkens as Emma continues. "The sisters are not doing so good as well. When they saw for the seventh time guards patrolling the forest, they could not help but worry for the children and their safety." Emma said as Lucy tuned in silence.

"And then you." Emma said as Lucy raised a brow.

"Me?" Lucy asked.

"Did you think we would not notice?" Emma said as Lucy stiffened for a moment. "Disappearing in the middle of the night, the dark bags under your eyes. Lucy, we could not help but worry about you. We already have more trouble than we can handle as it is. Please don't push yourself and worry the others more for you. You are still young. Let the guards do this instead." Emma said, a sad smile etched on her face.

Lucy did not know how to respond as she stared down at her feet. Her body felt like lead. Every nook and cranny was begging for respite, but the burden it carried pale in comparison to the soul within. How Lucy longed to accept rest right there and now.

...Is it... really okay now... truly? Lucy thought as she opened her mouth to reply. "...One night... just... just one more night." Lucy could feel the grip on her shoulder tighten for a moment as she avoided the older nun’s gaze, terrified to look Emma in the eye.

"...Why?" Emma asked softly.

"...I had to make sure... I had to make sure I was wrong..." A pause washed over the world. The sound of wind seemed to die out, only her breathing could be heard. After what seemed to be an eternity of silence, a reply finally came.

"...All right." Lucy flinched as she slowly lifted her gaze. She found Emma staring down with pity in her eyes as her voice seemed to quiver. "Just one more night, ok? After that, promise me you will stop this." Emma forces her voice from trembling as Lucy slowly nodded back in reply.

"Lucy. Promise me." Lucy paused for a moment as Emma firmly waited for her response. It seemed she was not taking a simple nod this time. Lucy slowly opened her mouth as a weak voice answered.

"Ok... I promise." Lucy whispered as Emma smiled.

Lucy did not even have time to react when Emma suddenly grabbed both of her shoulders and embraced her in one big hug. "Sister Emma?" Lucy asked bewilderedly as she tried to break free.

"Just for a moment." Lucy slowly stops her struggle to a halt as the grip slowly tightens. "Just let me hold you like this for a moment." Emma answered softly, warmly even. Lucy did not know how to respond. There were so many things happening at the same time that her tired mind could not keep up.

Lucy tries to understand what it is but gives up midway when the warmth slowly sinks in. ...Strange... Lucy thought hazily as the warmth from Emma slowly washed over her. She could feel her heart beats in unity with Emma as she let her hug her just for a bit longer. ...Where have I felt this before?... Lucy thought to herself as the warmth enveloped her.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

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"How is she?" Rose softly whispered to Emma as she closed the door behind her. There were others with Rose as they eagerly waited for Emma to reply.

"She is simply tired sisters." Emma replied with a smile, but the doubt in their eyes remained.

"Please sister Emma, there is no need to console us. We can help you." Rose pointed out as the others agreed. Emma blinked in surprise for a while before letting out a tired small smile instead.

"It seems I cannot lie to you guys anymore, hmm?" Emma replied as the others smiled.

"Please sister Emma, just tell us what is wrong. We are here for Lucy just as you are for her." Rose replied as Emma nodded in turn.

"Very well, but can we take it outside? Sister Lucy needs her rest today." The others nodded in unison as they began walking towards the main door outside. The day was bright with the laughter of the children as the sky was clearer than normally it would be in autumn.

The small group waited for Emma to speak as they settled down behind the orphanage where the children were playing. All of them were seemingly happy to play beneath the sun except for one. Iva was silently reading a book beneath a tree several paces away.

Emma wondered why the young lass was alone when she should be playing with the others. The older nun would have asked her too when she realized the piercing gaze of Rose and the others. They seemed too eager to know what was going on.

With a sigh, Emma begins to speak as she prepares herself. "It seems sister Lucy is too anxious by the monsters in the forest." The air around them seemed to grow colder as their expressions hardened with alarm.

"I thought the guards had made sure of it?" Rose asked as Emma simply nodded.

"That's what I told her also, but she simply would not give up. She… she is not convinced the guards are doing their jobs right. As she puts it, ‘I had to make sure’.”

"So that's why she keeps wandering around at night." Rose mumbled as the others perked in.

"What do you mean, sister Rose?" One of the sisters asked as Rose seemed to hesitate to speak. When she saw their gaze bore through her, Rose relented as she spoke in clarity.

"I thought I was simply seeing things in the middle of the night. I cannot seem to sleep as I usually would have and keep waking up in the middle of the night. I thought I was simply seeing things back then, but I swear I saw sister Lucy leaving in the middle of the night with an ax in hand." The sisters gasped in surprise as Rose nodded.

"Since when did this happen?" Emma asked as Rose paused for a moment before replying in gravely.

"... As long as I can remember, seven days, I guess?" Rose said as Emma jumped to her feet.

"What? Seven days? I thought it was three.” Another sister replied as Rose’s eyes widened in surprise.

"W-wait you mean she has been doing this from the start? But that’s… ten days." Silence enveloped the group, disbelief rife in their ranks. It explained so much about why Lucy had been acting so strange in the past days. She had dark bags under her eyes and, to make it worse, she seemed to grow deathly pale.

"...This has to stop." Rose finally broke the silence as the others nodded back in reply.

"I have already told her this morning. She said tonight would be the last." Emma replied as Rose shook her head.

"And what if she lies?" Rose asked what everyone else had on their mind as she continued. "As good as sister Lucy is, sister Emma, she does not trust us at all. There is just... I don't know how to describe this, but it's as if a deep-seethed distrust implanted in sister Lucy. She does not trust us at all, despite all we have done.” She sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose before continuing.

“We have taken good care of her, yes? Shouldn't she at least be open to us, even if just a little bit? So why does she look at us as if she was going to be abandoned at any time? It is almost impossible to reach her!" Rose cursed as the others agreed.

Emma would have liked to warn Rose of her language, but she shared their sentiments. Just why is she so hard to reach? What causes her to distrust them so much? It frustrated Rose so much that she felt helpless in earning her trust.

And she was not alone. The entire group was completely at a loss on what to do. Never before had they been challenged to this point. Nurturing children was one thing, healing a broken soul was entirely another. This was their first true challenge in a while.

Seeing their defeated faces, Emma cleared her throat to gather everyone's attention. "I don't know what we could do to earn Lucy's trust in us, but we have to keep going." Emma said as the others listened.

"She is a good girl. It might have been hard for her to speak it out for now, but if we continue to treat her kindly, perhaps she could finally open up to us and..." Emma trailed off as she saw Iva come running towards them from a distance.

The young girl seemed to be in a hurry as she ran with all the strength her little feet could muster. The others trailed to where Emma was looking when Iva finally arrived breathlessly. Panic seemed to infect the little girl's voice as she began speaking at a frightful speed.

"Calm down Iva dear. Take a deep breath before-"

"No! Something is wrong! Something is terribly wrong!" Iva began shouting in fear as Emma and the others began to grow wary.

"Wrong? What is wrong dear Iva-" Emma was cut off as an inhuman scream echoed from the forest.

Emma and the sisters could feel their hearts drop beneath their stomachs as the children were frozen in fear. The birds scattered away from the trees as if it were a foreboding omen. "They're coming..." Iva's soft and terrified whisper seemed to bring Emma and the others back to reality as they began shouting after the children.

"Everyone, get inside now." Emma shouted as the children looked back. The little ones, not knowing what to do, simply stared back at Emma, uncertain and terrified. "Come come. Let's get inside. We can play inside instead." Emma tried to answer back without trembling in fear in front of the children.

The others were trying their best as well as they began walking the children back from their frozen state. They tried to lead the children back to the orphanage as calmly as possible to avoid any panic. It lasted for barely a second before another howl caused the children to cry in fear.

"Hurry!" Emma dropped all pretense as she urged the children back to the orphanage. It was a chaotic mess as the children were crying as they ran or frozen still in sheer horror. Urum’s light, preserves us. Emma sent a desperate prayer as the children began piling inside one by one.

Come on come on! Emma thought in desperation as she kept looking towards the forest, waiting for the inevitable to happen. "Sister Rose, call the guards from the town quickly!" Emma shouted after Rose as she looked back in fear.

"W-what? But the children-"

"You have to go! You are the fastest among us!" Emma cut off as the younger nun hesitated. "Sister Rose please!" Emma's desperate plea seemed to erase Rose’s hesitation as she took off.

"I'll be back! I'll bring them as fast as I can, so please be safe!" Rose shouted as she took off and quickly disappeared beneath the horizon.

Urum, shield us from- Emma thought in desperation as beings emerged from the forest. Humanoid creatures that were significantly shorter than humans with unnatural green skin. On top of wolves with three separate obsidian eyes. Their hideous and abominable faces smiled in glee when they saw the children fleeing.

20 emerged from the forest as they howled in elation at the sight before them. One of the children tripped down in fear as his legs refused to listen in fear. Emma ran towards the child as the monsters pounced.

The older sister grabbed the child in her embrace before running back towards the orphanage. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her as she could hear the distant wolves approaching ever closer. Her lungs burned with exhaustion, but Emma did not dare to stop as she continued to run.

She ran with all of her strength, carrying the little boy in her arms as she finally reaches the- Emma fell to the ground hard as she tripped midway. "Sister Emma!" One of the sisters cried in dismay as Emma turned to see one of the monsters smiling so gleefully as it approached them.

The rusted ax in its hands is held high into the air as it prepares to cut Emma and the child down. "NO!" The sisters screamed in dismay as Emma shielded the child with her back, closing her eyes in painful anticipation.

Oh Gods.... At least spare the children... Emma prayed in absolution as she waited for the blow to come... except there was none.

Emma waited so painfully in fear for the blow to come, yet there was none. There was only the distant sound that she could not discern. Daring to open her eyes, she turned to see the monster that was directly behind her, letting out a gurgling scream.

The monster tried to cover its neck in futile as the wolf slumped dead. Emma's eyes were wide, and so were the others who had seen what happened. Sisters, children, and monsters, all were shocked to see the monster fall down without resistance before a figure. Emma blinked, confused as to what her eyes were showing her.

I'm...I'm alive? Emma thought in surprise, but it was nothing what came next. As her mind cleared, Emma saw Lucy standing before the slain creature. Ax in hand, Emma saw for the very first time a side of Lucy she had never thought she had.

The scarred girl they were caring for all this time, who always had fear in her eyes, who always timidly avoided any confrontation from them, was staring down at the monsters in pure hatred. Her eyes burned in the fires to what Emma could only describe as incandescent fury. Lucy lowered down slightly before surprising Emma yet again.

Lucy growled like a beast- no, perhaps it was even worse than the beast as even the monsters flinched back in surprise. The girl standing before Emma was not the girl she and the others had taken care of as she bared her fangs towards the monsters... her sapphire eyes bled into gold... ready to kill.