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The noise around gradually faded, and the thirty-eight-year-old man had been walking for almost half an hour, dressed in cheap clothing sufficient to avoid drawing attention from the people there.
The man paused briefly, pulling his cart to a stop after spotting the commotion from earlier.
It was her father, Nikolai Leventis. She couldn't see his father's face, only his back and the rope tied around his waist, connecting to the cart where she and her sibling were seated.
Eliana gasped upon seeing the four heads displayed behind the gathered crowd and almost stopped breathing when she recognized her mother among them.
She felt her father's gaze and quickly covered herself and her sibling with the dry grass they had as a cover.
A few minutes had passed since she had witnessed the scene, her head still buried in her knees, suppressing her sobs so her sibling, holding onto her, wouldn't hear.
"Sister?" called Karren, who was seven years old and just as dirty as she was. They were barefoot because their father refused to buy them shoes, not wanting them to leave the house.
She reached out and squeezed Karren's warm hand.
She peeked outside again, her eyes still red. The strong wind almost blew the grass into her eyes. The cold breeze brought some relief, and she understood why her father, sweating profusely, had stopped to rest due to their weight.
Her heart ached as she followed her father's gaze, revealing a deep ravine.
Her father's blank stare replayed in her mind. He had been like this ever since their mother left. Rumors spread in their area that her mother was a witch wanted for murder.
Her lips continued to tremble.
"Papa?" Eliana uttered in fear, sensing the impending danger as her father prepared to move again, leading them to certain death.
"Why?" Karren asked.
She didn't want to listen.
"Papa's just resting," she replied.
She closed her eyes and hugged Karren tightly as the cart began to move.
"Sister, I can't breathe." Karren pushed against her, but she held on even tighter, almost making Karren turn red.
"I'll find us a place to stay." Eliana released Karren after hearing their father's voice outside.
When she lifted the grass cover again, they were no longer in the same place.
"Karren, I'm sorry."
She buried her face in her clothes.
Despite everything, she still believed her father wasn't crazy enough to kill them, or maybe she was just overwhelmed by her emotions, thinking that way. But given their situation earlier, she couldn't help but suspect Nikolai's intentions.
"Why did we leave? What if Mama comes back?" Karren asked.
"Don't wait for her." They were both startled by Nikolai's interjection.
"Papa's right," Eliana agreed.
____
A week had passed since they moved from Helvior to West Ziria.
Eliana had been sitting behind a large tree, playing with her fingers, watching the corn kernels she had thrown earlier.
Four dead crows lay scattered around.
She kept her gaze fixed on a crow that had just landed on a kernel, calm and still.
"Hurry up," she whispered, repeatedly tapping her leg.
With one final tap, the fourth crow lost its balance on the dry branch, its feathers and blood scattering on the leaves below.
She stood up and approached, feeling disheartened by the sight.
"Take care of Karren for me. I'll be back."
Where did you go, Mama?
She exhaled deeply to hold back her tears, approaching one of the dead crows and picking it up. Her hands trembled, and anger still simmered in her heart, not understanding how she could have done such a thing.
But at that moment, she felt in control of her surroundings and couldn't help but wonder if the accusations against her mother were true.
"Mama," she whispered through her sobs, sticky crow's blood dripping from her hands.
The smell around her was becoming rancid.
"Eliana," her father's voice came from behind, causing her to drop the crow and stand up in a rush, fearing his usual anger.
"Papa, I don't know why they died." Nikolai just stared at her.
"It's not my fault," Eliana insisted, defending herself repeatedly.
"Eliana! You did that, didn't you?" Her eyes widened at Nikolai's question.
"I'm sorry, Papa," Eliana replied, looking away with a dark expression.
"I don't want to see you doing that again. Only monsters do such things," Nikolai said with visible disappointment.
"If that's the case, are you saying Mama was a monster too? Is that why you keep us locked up?" Eliana asked sadly, looking at her father, tears freely falling.
She didn't know how to face him anymore. He was always angry.
Am I a witch like Mama? Maybe the people were right.
"Why did you go outside?" her father asked seriously.
With trembling hands, she clung to Nikolai, spotting the oil bottle he held and his gaze sweeping over the scattered feathers and dead crows.
"I didn't go far," she said, ashamed of her actions, knowing they were wrong and that her father had every right to be angry.
Nikolai picked up a piece of wood before looking back at Eliana.
"Watch over Karren," he ordered seriously.
Eliana hesitated to see what Nikolai would do.
She extended her hand toward her father, but he only looked at it.
"You won't learn if I just punish you. Go home first. Karren is sleeping."
She nodded and walked away from her father, still sensing his distant affection despite everything.
She briefly watched her sister sleeping peacefully, hugging a doll their mother had given her, adorned with a beautiful brass hairpin carved with anemone flowers.
She gently embraced her sister.
For a moment, she sat and peeked through the window slit. From afar, she could still see the academy and palace in their area.
She tore a piece of paper stuck to the blurry windowpane, filled with writing she couldn't understand.
She had always wanted to study, but she didn't know if her mother's promise was ever real. It had been years, yet the promised day never came.
You're a liar, Mama.
___
"Sister, turn on the light. I'm really scared," Karren pleaded, reaching for her hand. Eliana could see clearly in the dark, like it was still afternoon, but she wasn't sure about her sister, who needed a lamp to see the surroundings, just like Nikolai.
She guided Karren to the dining table.
"I'll turn on the lamp for a moment, but Papa might get angry." Eliana whispered, the houses in their area were far apart, yet she couldn't understand her father's constant fear.
"I can't see you, Sister." Karren's grip tightened.
"Yes, just a moment."
Eliana grabbed a match near the lamp in the center of the table and lit it.
"Just a moment, Papa will arrive soon." After a few minutes of eating, Karren fell silent, staring at the flickering flame.
"Can I turn it off now?" Karren shook her head in response, fighting off sleep.
When will you sleep?
___
The night was cold, and they had no blanket, only each other's embrace for warmth. They slept sitting on the chairs.
Nikolai carried Karren to the bedroom when he found them.
"Why did you turn it on? I told you, didn't I?" Nikolai's serious question made Eliana wake up abruptly, sensing his anger.
"Sorry, Papa. I just granted Karren's request." She adjusted her sitting position after being roused.
Nikolai extinguished the lamp and turned away, but she quickly grabbed his clothes.
"Go to sleep," Nikolai said.
"Papa..."
"Mama is alive, right?"
"Where did you get that idea?" Nikolai asked.
"Let's find her, Papa," she pleaded, not wanting to believe what she had seen earlier, still hoping that wasn't her mother.
"Go to sleep. Just listen." Nikolai replied coldly.
"Papa..." She was left speechless.
A thorn seemed to pierce her heart again as she recalled her mother earlier.
___
The bright sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the old curtain covering the glass.
She didn't feel the sun's warmth on her skin. She felt around her bed and saw Sonel sitting beside it.
A faint smile greeted her.
"Mama, you're alive."
She couldn't help but sit up to hug her, but darkness met her upon waking. The place she sat was the new room she shared with Karren.
It was just a dream.
She peeked through the window to check if it was already bright outside, but it seemed like she had only slept for a few hours, her eyes still swollen.
Was it just a dream again?
Her clear eyes spotted the red-haired woman standing outside, far from her location, for the second time.
"Mama..." she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
Mama isn't dead.
That was the only thought in her mind as her feet led her outside toward the woman. Could she restore the bond with her father if she proved her mother was alive?
She made sure not to make any noise, rushing outside to catch a glimpse of the woman's face, hands raised, emitting a green energy that startled her.
Eliana froze, and felt something dark wrap around her neck.
"Oh, bad luck," whispered by another woman's silhouette facing the red haired woman in front of them.
"Stop it," the red-haired woman said, her voice gravelly, carrying a tone of bitterness.
"Tell me why I should stop. Are you contented of this world?"
The woman in dark clothing laughed
Eliana saw the dark-clad woman's grin as she turned towards her.
She felt something hit her neck as the red-haired woman directed the green energy at her