Ellic didn't reply to Sarah's question. Instead, he let out a bitter smile, one that seemed to mock himself. "And go where?"
"Anywhere... anywhere," Sarah's voice wavered, carrying the weight of uncertainty. They had this conversation countless times before, and as always, she could never give him a proper answer.
"There's nowhere to go." Ellic's tone deepened, laced with the cold, inevitable truth. "And even if there was, do you really think the two of us could survive out there on our own?"
Sarah pursed her lips, her hands curling into fists, trembling slightly. She knew the terror that lurked in the darkness outside. But was it really any more suffocating, any more hopeless than this place? The thought gnawed at her mind, refusing to leave.
"Sarah... the only time we've ever faced those things was during the hunt, and even then... we couldn't kill a single one. The two of us were almost dead." Ellic's voice softened, almost pleading, as he sensed the dangerous path her thoughts were taking. His eyes bore into hers, hoping to shake her out of her spiraling mind. He was terrified that one day, his sister might do something reckless, something irreversible.
"I..." Sarah's lips parted, but no words came. She wanted to argue, to challenge his bleak assessment of their situation, but she couldn't. As much as she hated to admit it, her brother was right. Not only was fighting against the Umbrals a death sentence, but even surviving in the darkness alone was an impossible dream for the two of them.
"Please, let it go," Ellic's voice was low now, almost a whisper, as if pleading with her to give up on the impossible. His words were raw with emotion, his desperation visible in the way his shoulders slumped ever so slightly.
"..."
Sarah said nothing, but Ellic noticed her shoulders trembling, the silence between them thick and heavy.
"You know why he did it... Father didn't mean to." Ellic's voice carried a heavy weight, burdened by their reality. "It wasn't on purpose, Sarah. Please... don't take it to heart." His helplessness hung in the air, as though he himself was struggling to come to terms with their pitiful situation.
For a long moment, there was nothing but the soft sound of their breathing in the otherwise quiet room. Ellic sat there, waiting patiently for her response, his gaze never leaving her trembling form.
"You're right." The words came softly at first. Sarah nodded without turning to face him, her voice cold and distant, as though she had forced herself to say it. "There's no point brooding over something so... trivial."
But even as she said it, they both knew it was a lie. It was her way of trying to convince herself, a small comfort amidst her pain. No matter how much she tried to brush it off, her father's slap still stung—both physically and emotionally. The rage and heartache still churned within her, but there was nothing to be done. Not now. And, just as her brother had reminded her, they had more important things to worry about than dwelling on their miserable lot in life.
"But..." Sarah slowly turned around, a sly smile creeping across her face. "This doesn't mean you're getting off without a beating."
"Aaah!" Ellic's exaggerated yelp echoed through the room as Sarah pounced on him, and the two of them tumbled across the floor.
Laughter spilled out from both of them, filling the room with a brief, much-needed sense of warmth and lightness that cut through the otherwise oppressive atmosphere. For the first time in what felt like forever, Sarah wore a genuine smile, the kind that made her eyes glisten with mischief.
They wrestled for a while, their playful scuffle drawing out peals of laughter that seemed so foreign in a world like theirs. Despite everything, in these fleeting moments, Sarah felt free—free from the burden of her thoughts and the weight of her heart.
Eventually, they collapsed on the bed, breathless and flushed. Both of them lay side by side, staring up at the dimly lit ceiling, their chests rising and falling with exhaustion.
"That's the Leo constellation," Ellic pointed to a series of carvings just above them.
"And that one?" Sarah asked, pointing toward another set of stars on the opposite end of the ceiling.
"Hmm..." Ellic squinted, thinking for a moment before answering with hesitation. "Cygnus?"
"Ha!" Sarah laughed, the sound light and free. They continued like this, taking turns guessing the constellations in the faintly carved patterns overhead, a game they both knew had no answers.
It wasn't until nearly half an hour later that Ellic broke the lingering silence, his voice soft but filled with a yearning hope. "Do you think... we'll ever get to see the stars?"
The question hung in the air, thick and heavy. Sarah's heart tightened as she let out a long, helpless sigh. The stars... For as long as she could remember, she had been captivated by old picture books, filled with images of a world bathed in sunlight and blanketed by a sky full of stars. In the world they lived in now, such things were nothing more than distant dreams. And yet, she clung to the fantasy, imagining herself lying beneath the open sky, the soft grass beneath her, as the stars twinkled overhead like diamonds.
"I don't know." Her voice was quiet, tinged with the fragility of hope. Deep down, they both knew the truth. The world they were trapped in was one of endless darkness. And yet... a part of her still longed to believe that someday, they might escape this nightmarish reality.
After a moment of silence, Ellic shifted slightly, his tone more casual now, as though trying to lighten the mood. "What do you think about Eldric?"
Sarah blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the question. "Hmm?" She raised an eyebrow, her expression curious. It wasn't like her brother to ask something so... random. If it had been anyone else, she would have brushed off the question without a second thought. But since it was Ellic, she took a moment to ponder.
"I don't trust him," she finally replied, her voice blunt and honest. She poked him with her elbow as if reminding him. "And you shouldn't either. There's something... off about him. I don't think he's who he says he is."
Ellic nodded slowly, though he remained silent. He had no intention of arguing. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what to think of Eldric either. But he wanted to make up his own mind.
------------------------------
*Bzzzz* *Bzzzz*
"Ugh..." Groaning, Eldric woke up groggy, fumbling to turn off the alarm on his wristwatch. He stretched, letting out a yawn as he rubbed his eyes.
What time was it? He glanced at his watch, noting the time—08:00. Not that it made much difference. In this world, time didn't have the same meaning. The watch never showed A.M. or P.M., and without the sun, there was no way of knowing whether it was supposed to be morning or night.
After a quick bath, Eldric made his way to the storage room, his mind wandering back to the dinner conversation and how strange it felt to live in a world where fire no longer existed.
When he arrived, he was surprised to find someone already there.
"Ellic?" Eldric's eyes widened slightly at the sight of the frail boy standing in the room, as if waiting for him.
"Umm..." Ellic gave a small nod, his voice quiet. "I was thinking I'd help out today." Without waiting for a response, he picked up a few tins of canned food and moved them to the other side.
"Uh... okay." Eldric raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to make of the situation. He didn't know Ellic well. But still, help was help. He wasn't about to complain about having someone else around to share the workload.
As they worked, there were a few awkward exchanges. Most of the conversation was just practical—where to put things, what was useful, and so on. Eldric tried to crack a few jokes here and there to break the tension, but they all seemed to go right over Ellic's head. After a while, he gave up and just focused on the task at hand.
Eventually, though, Ellic's frailty caught up to him. He was visibly exhausted, and Eldric decided to call it a day.
"Here." Eldric handed him a bottle of water, shaking his head in disbelief. He knew Ellic wasn't physically strong, but he hadn't expected him to be this weak.
"Thanks." Ellic took the bottle and drank, wiping his forehead as if he were drenched in sweat—though there was none.
They sat in silence for a while, both of them unsure how to restart the conversation.
After what felt like forever, it was Eldric who spoke first. "At dinner... when you asked what I thought of your family. Why did you ask that?"
Ellic didn't answer right away, instead, he raised his head, his expression unreadable. "I thought... since you're not from here, maybe you could tell if our family is... normal. You might know what that's supposed to look like."
Eldric blinked, confused, but in the end, still decided to give him an answer.
"Like I said before... you guys seem normal to me." Eldric glanced at Ellic from the corner of his eye. There was still an undercurrent of doubt in his mind—just as Reona and her family were unsure about him, Eldric couldn't fully trust them either. Though slight, a lingering question gnawed at him: were these people truly human? But after their interactions so far, he had become convinced that, at least on the surface, they were.
"Hmmm..." Ellic narrowed his eyes, his expression darkening momentarily as his hair fell over his face. Eldric could sense the shift in his mood, like something heavy, was about to surface.
"I don't remember the exact date," Ellic began quietly, almost as if speaking to himself. "But if I had to guess, it would have been about a year ago."
Eldric furrowed his brow in confusion, unsure of where this was going.
"That was when the family... started pressuring me," Ellic continued, his voice a low murmur. "They wanted me to marry Sarah."
Eldric's eyes widened, shock rippling through him at the unexpected revelation.
"They wanted me to marry my biological sister," Ellic repeated, his tone chillingly calm. "To ensure the next generation of descendants."
The weight of those words hit Eldric like a punch to the gut. He felt a cold shiver run through him, his mind racing to process the implications. For a moment, he was at a complete loss, unable to find words in the face of such a disturbing confession.
Ellic's voice broke the silence again, softer but sharper. "So, tell me..." He turned to face Eldric, his gaze piercing and direct, as if searching for validation. "You've come from the outside... Do you think this family is normal?"