Eldric didn't know how long he had slept. It was the sound of something rustling that woke him. With a yawn, he blinked his eyes open, groggy and disoriented. The unfamiliar surroundings startled him at first, but then the memories of the previous day flooded back, and everything became painfully clear.
"Ugh... I was hoping it was just a nightmare," he muttered, shaking his head. He had desperately wished it was all a dream, but reality was cruel. As he let out a heavy sigh, a voice pulled him back to the present.
"How long are you planning to sleep?"
"Huh!?" Eldric looked up, startled. Standing before him was the woman from before, her brows furrowed in impatience. Beside her, on a small table, was a neatly folded set of clothes and a pair of worn shoes.
"Change into something practical," she said, eyeing his dirty, torn clothes with mild disdain. "Those won't do you any good here."
"Thanks," Eldric replied, managing a small smile.
"Don't thank me. Consider it payment for the chores you'll be doing." She shook her head, turning away. "I'll be waiting outside. Just walk down this corridor and turn left. You'll find me there."
As she walked away, Eldric picked up the clothes and headed to the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the foggy mirror, standing there for a long time in silence.
The boy staring back at him had messy brown hair and pale skin, almost ghostly in its whiteness. His frame was frail, almost delicate, and he looked like any ordinary schoolboy. But what set him apart were the scars—countless scars, crisscrossing his body. Some were shallow, others deep, but all had healed long ago, leaving behind a patchwork of old wounds.
Eldric gave his reflection only a brief glance before changing into the new clothes. They were a bit too big, hanging loosely on his thin frame, but they were clean. The shoes, though old and worn, fit perfectly.
After changing, Eldric's appearance improved somewhat. He looked a little more presentable, at least.
He walked down the corridor as instructed, soon arriving at a small, dimly lit room. A table with a few chairs occupied the center, but only one was in use—by the woman, who sat waiting for him. A dim table lamp, placed on the floor in the corner, provided the only light in the sparse room.
"Take a seat," she said, nodding toward the chair opposite her.
Eldric pulled out the chair and sat down. "What chores do I have?" he asked cautiously. He had agreed to help, but he wasn't going to do everything. If she asked too much, he was ready to walk away.
Her response eased his concerns. "There's not much for now. How about you follow me for the day? I'll show you around. Think of me as your guide."
"Fine by me." Eldric agreed. There was no better way to learn about this place than from someone who knew it well.
"Good." She nodded and stood up, looking at him intently before clearing her throat. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Sarah. Nice to meet you."
Eldric remained silent, studying her face, as if trying to see through her. But eventually, he shook his head with a bitter laugh, mocking himself. After a moment, he extended his hand for a handshake. "I'm Eldric. Nice to meet you too."
Sarah glanced at his outstretched hand but didn't take it. Instead, she turned and walked toward the door. "Follow me."
"Umm…" Eldric awkwardly lowered his hand, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He quickly followed her out of the room.
"Since you know nothing about this place, I'll start with the basics." As they walked down the long, narrow corridor, dimly lit by flickering lights, Sarah began to explain.
"This town is called Aernos." She paused briefly before continuing. "A long time ago, darkness swallowed everything. It cut off all contact with the outside world, leaving us alone with the Umbrals."
"Umbrals?" Eldric interrupted, unfamiliar with the term.
"The monsters outside," Sarah replied, almost rolling her eyes. But seeing his genuine confusion, she softened her tone slightly. "We call them Umbrals."
"Umbrals…" Eldric repeated the word, committing it to memory.
"Anyway, after many people died, the survivors banded together to fight them off. They couldn't defeat those things, but they managed to protect themselves." She stopped in front of a large hall, the abrupt end of her story leaving Eldric speechless.
Before he could ask anything, she gestured toward the hall filled with boxes. "This is the storage hall, where we keep our supplies. Since food doesn't spoil and reappears in its original place after a while, we have no trouble surviving. But we still hoard supplies, just in case."
"Your task is to organize them and take inventory." She finally informed him of his job.
"Come," she said, not waiting for him to process what she had just said. She waved for him to follow her again.
They soon arrived at a small room, one side of which was entirely made of glass, offering a view of the outside.
"This place…" Eldric tried to remember where he had seen something like this before, but his mind was blank.
"It used to be a diner," Sarah explained.
Eldric almost clapped his hands in realization. Now it made sense. This was the only diner in the small town.
He looked outside through the glass, but all he could see was a never-ending darkness. Even though three light bulbs illuminated the area outside, the view ahead remained obscured.
"Remember," Sarah's voice took on a more serious tone, "Umbrals don't like bright light. So always keep these on."
"Why only outside?" Eldric asked, his curiosity piqued. "Why don't we light up the inside of the building too?" He thought about the dim lights flickering inside the rooms and corridors and couldn't understand why they didn't use more light if it kept the Umbrals away.
"How about you just listen to me instead of asking stupid questions?" Sarah snapped, her patience wearing thin.
"Uh!" Eldric wasn't expecting her to get angry over such a small question. He wanted to argue, but her cold gaze made him hold his tongue.
"Let's head back," she said, turning away from the glass. "The Umbrals don't like these lights, but that doesn't mean they're afraid of them. If they're determined, they'll attack regardless."
Eldric wanted to ask more, but the oppressive darkness outside made him reluctant to stay in this room any longer. It felt like he was in the middle of a horror movie.
"Take this watch for now," Sarah said, removing the old analog watch from her wrist and handing it to him. "I've set the time. From tomorrow, you'll work when it rings. How long you work depends on how quickly you finish."
With that, Sarah stopped and looked at Eldric, her voice turning cold and grim. "For now, just follow these instructions. I'll let you know if there are any changes."
She left him there, holding the old watch with a blank expression, staring at the pile of boxes in front of him. It seemed the journey ahead was going to be tougher than he had imagined.
-------
A few rooms away, in a dimly lit space filled with the musty scent of old paper, Reona was rifling through some old books, her brow furrowed in concentration. She would pick up a book, quickly scan its contents, and then set it aside with a shake of her head, frustration growing with each passing minute. The only sound in the room was the soft rustling of pages as she worked, deep in her search for something elusive.
The silence was abruptly shattered by the door swinging open with a loud bang.
Reona's head snapped up, her frown deepening in displeasure at the sudden intrusion. But her irritation quickly faded when she saw Sarah standing there, her face a mask of cold indifference.
"Alright, out with it," Sarah demanded, her voice laced with barely controlled anger.
"Out with what?" Reona responded, feigning ignorance, though the tension in the air was palpable.
"Who is that guy, and where did he come from?" Sarah's tone was sharp, her eyes narrowing. "And don't you dare lie to me. You know I can always tell when someone's lying."
Reona sighed, realizing there was no easy way out of this confrontation. She placed the book she was holding down on the table and met Sarah's gaze with a weary expression.
"It's not that I don't want to tell you," Reona began, her voice tinged with resignation, "but now is not the time." Perhaps in the future, she would tell them the truth but now was definitely neither the time nor the place.
Sarah's eyes flashed with anger, her frustration mounting. She had expected a straightforward answer, not more evasion. But even in her irritation, she knew her well enough to sense the gravity of her words.
"Come closer," Reona said, her tone softening as she motioned for Sarah to approach. "Tell your grandma what you talked about with him."
Though still upset, Sarah relented, gritting her teeth as she moved closer and began to recount her interaction with Eldric, sharing every detail along with her personal insights.