The first ray of sunlight was timidly peeking through the windows of the orphanage. Eldaria was still sleeping under a blanket of quiet. In one of the rooms, Lily slowly opened her eyes. She looked around, making sure not to make any noise as she got out of bed.
Beside her, the black-haired girl was still fast asleep, her face still reflecting traces of the exhaustion and emotions she had experienced in such a short time. Lily watched her for a few seconds, seeing how her breathing was slow but restless, as if even in her dreams something was chasing her. However, she decided not to wake her. Carefully, she got out of bed and quietly left the room.
The hallway was empty, and only the echo of her footsteps broke the silence of the early morning. As she walked, the smell of freshly brewed coffee made her smile. She knew that Maria would be awake by now. She wasn't surprised to find her in one of the hallways, adjusting her apron.
"Lily?" Maria asked, slightly surprised to see her awake so early. What are you doing up at this hour, dear? You should be resting, the others still have to wake up.
Lily shook her head, showing a small smile.
"I'm not sleepy anymore. Besides, I wanted to talk to you about... her" she said in a low tone, referring to the black-haired girl.
Maria frowned slightly and leaned forward a little, interested.
"Did something happen?" she asked, her tone a mix of concern and curiosity.
"It's not that, it's just... do you have any information about her?" Lily hesitated for a moment. "She doesn't seem to remember anything, not even her name. I get the feeling there's something else."
Maria let out a sigh as she nodded slowly, her face showing an unusual seriousness.
"When the group of children arrived yesterday, the military in charge gave us a report with information about all of them. However, there was one unidentified girl on the list" she explained with a thoughtful look. "That girl must be the one who was not identified. There is no name, no registered relatives... nothing."
Lily frowned, feeling a knot in her stomach at those words.
"Even with blood tests, they couldn't identify your family? Or any identification? " she asked, feeling her uneasiness growing.
Maria slowly shook her head.
"It's very strange, Lily. With the technologies we have, we can usually track anyone through their relatives or records, but in her case, nothing has been found. It's as if... she never existed in the systems" she admitted, concern evident in her voice.
The silence that followed was heavy, laden with uncertainty. Lily didn't know what to think. Something didn't add up, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions.
"Be careful, Lily," Maria warned gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's not normal for something like this to happen right when the cursed castle and the spirits appeared. If you notice anything strange, don't hesitate to tell me, okay?"
Lily nodded, though Maria's words had only increased her concern. As she returned to the room, she decided she would try not to think about it too much, at least for the moment. Her friend needed someone to look out for her, not judge her.
But while this conversation was taking place between Maria and Lily, the black-haired girl did not enjoy the same calm.
In her dream, she found herself alone, surrounded by a beautiful forest, with flowers of all colors spreading across the landscape. The day was warm and the breeze was pleasant, but something was not right. Suddenly, the sky began to darken, and the beautiful forest surrounding her became ominous.
Her footsteps echoed in the void when, in the distance, she saw a figure. It was a spectre, slowly approaching. As it came closer, that figure began to take on a more defined shape, more human... more similar to her. The spectre, with fire-red eyes and silver hair, looked like a dark version of herself. Fear paralyzed the girl. She couldn't move or scream as that distorted version of her advanced, until it finally reached her side and, without warning, knocked her to the ground.
The spectre's cold hand closed around her throat. The girl tried to scream, but her voice wouldn't come out. She felt the air escaping from her lungs as the spectre choked her with relentless force. In real life, her body trembled in the bed, sweat soaking her forehead, and her face reflected the panic of her nightmare. She moaned, writhing in the sheets.
Lily, returning to the room, noticed that something was wrong. She ran to the bed and carefully shook the little girl awake.
—Wake up! Wake up! —she insisted desperately, shaking her gently while she watched her friend fight against something invisible in her dreams.
The girl's eyes flew open, panting in the dimness of the room. Her breathing was rapid and her pupils moved restlessly, as if searching for something in the darkness that still enveloped her. She felt the weight of a bitter memory that she could barely remember. At her side, Lily gently held her by the shoulders, her warm and firm hands transmitting an unexpected calm.
"Was it a nightmare?" Lily asked in a whisper, careful not to break the silence that still dominated the bedroom.
The girl nodded weakly, unable to speak. The words stuck in her throat; she didn't know how to describe what she had seen... and a part of her didn't want to either. It was as if trying to remember made the fragments of the nightmare come alive again.
"Don't worry," Lily said tenderly, and there was something solid, something almost protective, in her smile. "It was just a bad dream. It's over now. I'm here with you."
The girl looked at Lily, feeling the terror begin to dissipate in a weak sigh. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, allowing the calm to envelop her.
They remained silent for a while, sharing a tranquility that seemed sacred at that time of morning.
Then, a soft knock on the door broke the stillness. Maria's voice, warm and serene, echoed from the hallway, calling each of the children, her tone enveloping them like a daily ritual announcing the beginning of the day.
"Good morning, little ones. It's time to get up. Breakfast awaits you," said Maria, and the sound of her approaching footsteps was as familiar as the dawn itself.
Lily gave the girl one last smile before helping her to her feet.
—Come on, breakfast will help us leave any nightmares behind.
With a gesture of complicity, they both left the room and went down to the dining room, where the life of the orphanage began to take shape between laughter and soft conversations. As Lily sat down at the table, she remained close to her friend, offering silent support. Little by little, the fear that had accompanied her dreams faded in the warm company of those who, like her, found comfort in the routine of each day.
As they ate, the girl was silent for a few moments, her eyes fixed on her plate, as if there was something she needed to say, something that had been on her mind since the day before. Finally, she gathered her courage and looked at Lily, who noticed the uneasiness in her eyes.
"Do you remember what I told you yesterday… about the rain?" he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. Lily nodded, listening intently. "I feel like… those tears belonged to someone I… that I've made suffer. But I don't know who. I just have this feeling, like it's my fault, and I don't know why."
The girl frowned, uncertain. It was a vague feeling, something that seemed to emerge from a dark corner of her memory, too distant to remember, but too real to ignore. Lily laced her fingers with hers, giving them a gentle squeeze.
"Hey… you don't have to feel that way," Lily whispered, her tone full of tenderness. "Whatever happened, it doesn't define who you are now, you know?" She gave her hand a gentle squeeze, conveying warmth and support. "You're here now, with me. Sometimes, those distant memories are just shadows that fade away, like the rain that fell yesterday. Maybe it's time to leave them behind."
The girl stared at their clasped hands, and although the feeling of guilt did not disappear completely, something in Lily's words helped her to overcome it, like a small ray of sunshine between the clouds.
After breakfast, they went out into the garden together, letting the fresh morning air envelop them. The gentle breeze carried the scent of flowers, and the clear sky seemed to reflect the calm that, although ephemeral, they both longed to find.
They walked together through the trees, the grass brushing their ankles, dew glistening on the leaves. It was then that Lily suddenly stopped, her eyes focused on a specific spot on the ground.
"You know, I think I forgot to do something really important," she murmured, leaning in curiously.
The girl looked at her, expecting an explanation. But instead, Lily's eyes lit up as she spotted a small, dark flower growing among the white and violet petals of the garden. It was unique, barely visible, a shade so deep and dark that it seemed to capture the mystery of the night in its color.
Lily looked at her for a moment and then smiled, as if she had found just what she had been looking for without knowing it.
"It's weird talking to you without a name, you know?" she said, looking at the flower and then at her friend's dark hair. "But… I understand now. This flower has given me an idea."
The girl looked at her, surprised and, at the same time, captivated. Noticing the nostalgia in her friend's eyes, something inside her felt less heavy.
"I want to call you Kuroe, what do you think?" Lily bent down, carefully taking the flower, and offered it to the girl. "It's a special name, you know? 'Kuro' is dark, deep… and 'e' means to bloom. Like this flower, which is unique among the others."
The girl's heart pounded at the sound of that name. The name sounded strange, but it resonated with her as if it were meant to be hers. She felt that Kuroe was speaking of something much greater than herself: of the beauty that could blossom, even in the darkness.
"Kuroe…" she repeated in a whisper, almost tasting how the sound of the name enveloped her. Slowly, a trembling smile appeared on her lips, and her eyes sparkled with a spark of gratitude. "Yes… I like it, Lily. Thank you."
"Then Kuroe it is," Lily said, smiling with a deep warmth. "I want you to blossom, just like this flower. Because I know that even if you feel like everything is dark right now, you can turn it into something beautiful, okay?"
They both looked at each other, and in the silence of that moment, Kuroe understood that she had found something irreplaceable in that name and in the friendship that Lily offered her.
That moment seemed like they shared a silent understanding, an invisible bond that tied their hearts together. For Kuroe, the simple fact that Lily had given her a name meant far more than she could express.
—I guess… it's like a first step, right? —Kuroe said, without taking her gaze off her friend.
—Exactly. A first step towards many more things —Lily gave her a playful wink, letting her know that this was just the beginning of her new life.
They both laughed softly, and in that moment the world seemed to become a little smaller, a little safer. Kuroe didn't need anything else; having Lily by her side and a name of her own was enough to start building her own story again.
As they walked back to the orphanage, Lily looked at Kuroe and, without saying anything, gently took her hand.
She knew there were still many unanswered questions, but at least, for that moment, they were together. For Lily, that was what mattered most. And in that silent pact between them, a promise was sealed: neither of them would be alone.
As the afternoon progressed, the connection between the two girls grew stronger, a bond of friendship that would unite them in the dark days to come. Although the future was uncertain, at that moment, there was peace in their hearts. And that, for now, was enough.