Sunlight struggled to penetrate the narrow alley, casting a thin line on the ground.
Crows and stray dogs lingered nearby, and the air was tainted with an unshakable scent of blood, pungent and unpleasant.
Following the scent, Elias looked deeper into the alley and met a pair of wary, deep blue eyes.
They belonged to a little girl, cornered like a frightened dog caught in a trap, her gaze tense yet threatening.
Elias stopped in surprise.
The girl leaned against the wall, covered in blood, with the slim rays of light highlighting her arm, which was alarmingly thin and pale.
It wasn't the girl's condition that startled Elias, but the realization...
He felt he knew her...
Her name seemed etched deep in his mind, ready to be spoken, but as Elias opened his mouth, he couldn't recall it.
Clutching his forehead, each attempt to remember caused intense pain.
Her name was... what was it?
