Two days had passed, and a sunny morning had dawned. Luna Baumgartner woke up abruptly, shaken by a strange dream. She sprang out of bed, kicked her brother, and shouted, "NENO, WAKE UP!"
Nengott responded with seriousness and irritation, "I'm already awake; stop making a scene."
Luna, with tears in her eyes, asked sadly, "But, but..."
Nengott softened his voice and inquired, "What happened? Was it a bad dream?"
Luna replied mournfully, "Yes, it was that dream of the explosions again."
Nengott tried to calm her, "Relax, come here. I'm with you; there's nothing to worry about. I'll always be by your side, silly."
Luna questioned with sadness, "Promise?"
Nengott, in an ironic tone, replied, "You've made me promise a thousand times, but this time, only if you stop telling Dad everything I do."
Luna calmed down, took a deep breath, and forced a smile, "I promise!"
Nengott flicked her forehead and said with humor, "Liar."
Both of them got up from their beds and got ready for school. Nengott, as usual, helped his sister and prepared lunch. He noticed that their father wasn't at home, which was unusual, but he didn't question it much. Their father used to leave early to hunt a few times before work.
Before heading to school, Luna shared something with her brother. "Neno, do you know about the morning nightmare?"
Nengott responded, "Yes, what about it?"
Luna spoke mournfully, "Sometimes when I'm with Dad, I keep having that nightmare. It's like the dream stays in my head. I see a lot of people crying, a red light exploding, and I hear Dad screaming. I see such strange things. I don't know; I feel so strange, it's so real, Neno."
Nengott hugged his sister with surprise and said, displaying vulnerability and sadness, "Why don't we skip school today? Let's go for a walk together."
Luna, with pain in her eyes, asked, "Brother, why are you crying? What's happening?"
Nengott hugged her tightly, his eyes filled with tears, his body trembling and shivering. Luna, confused, insisted, "Brother, what happened?"
Nengott began to cry, unable to hold back, and said with forced calmness, forcing a smile, "It's nothing. I just remembered a sad story. It's okay. I just don't know why you, so young, already remember her so much. Why does it have to be like this?"
Luna rested her head on her brother's chest and asked, "Is the pain you're feeling because you miss Mom? Why does it hurt so much? I don't remember her, but why does it hurt, brother? Why does it hurt?"
Nengott knelt down and cried in front of his confused sister. An intense pain surged through the corridor, but then it weakened, as if it had been split in half, and he felt relief. His sister, on the other hand, felt a strange pain mixed with longing and asked, "Neno, I didn't understand anything, but why am I feeling this? Why did you cry so much?"
Nengott responded soberly, wiping away his tears, "You remember Mom. She had it too."
Luna asked, "Remember what?"
Nengott sighed and said, "You're still too young to understand. It's too early. How about we change the subject? We can skip today and go somewhere. There's a place I go when I want to be alone."
Both of them left the house and walked along a monotonous and beautiful trail, with autumn leaves falling onto the cold grass. The forest, teeming with life, was peaceful under the sun filtering through the trees. Luna looked around curiously, still impacted by the confusing moment earlier. Eventually, they arrived at a small lake with a treehouse.
Nengott said, "This is it. We've arrived. Back then, this is where Dad used to fish. The river split, and only this small lake remains. He helped build this treehouse. I keep some old things here."
Luna asked, "From Creta?"
Nengott confirmed, "Yeah, smartypants, from there."
Then she asked, "Are you going to tell me about Mom? Dad always says I don't need to know yet."
Nengott led her inside the treehouse and said, "Come with me."
Meanwhile, Enstern was on the island's coast, getting an old chest hidden under rocks. He muttered wearily, "I hope I don't have to use this again today. Why do things have to be like this..." Then, he retrieved two daggers that reflected his burning gaze.