As the baby drew her first breath, the room was filled with her loud cries.
"Madam, it's a baby girl! What a cute baby," while the midwife slowly handed the baby to the waiting arms of her mother.
Ellie's arms trembled from exhaustion. She gazed at her newborn with a weak smile. She felt overwhelming love, despite the pain and fatigue from labor. She bent down and kissed the baby's soft forehead.
"Amara... Your name will be Amara." She whispered to her daughter,
Ellie caressed her daughter's cheek, with her fingers. She feels the warmth of her tiny body against her chest. She remembered the family heirloom, "the necklace! It is my mother's heirloom, she said that if I have a daughter in the future, I should pass the necklace to her."
This heirloom was passed down from mother to daughter. She carefully placed it around Amara's neck and tucked it into her small dress. The simple green stone looked ordinary to the naked eye, but it carried the weight of generations of women in her family.
Outside the grand mansion, a shadow waited as night fell, blending with the walls. Inside, the grandmaster stood guard, unaware of the presence lurking in the dark. The shadow couldn't act yet. The time wasn't right, but it was drawing near.
Then suddenly, heavy footsteps were heard outside the room. The door creaked open, and Datu Arvyn entered, his face tense with concern. His eyes immediately fell on his wife and their newborn daughter.
While kneeling at her bedside, his voice trembled while saying, "Ellie… our daughter is beautiful." He looked at his wife, his heart filled with both joy and sorrow.
Ellie smiled at her husband, "Our daughter, Amara… I entrust her to you, my love. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and her breathing grew shallow.
Datu Arvyn's face darkened with worry as he saw how exhausted Ellie was. He tightly held her hand.
Ellie's voice faded as she struggled to speak, "Take care of her… and Caleb. I love you both… but this is as far as I go."
Datu Arvyn's tears finally broke free. He held her hand tightly, feeling her strength slip away. He wanted to beg her to stay but he knew there was nothing he could do. As her breathing slowed, Ellie's hand went limp in his, and with one last breath, she was gone.
The room fell into silence, broken only by the soft cries of the baby.
At that moment, a shadow shifted near the doorway. The time was close.
Suddenly, a loud cry echoed from the hallway. The door burst open, and Caleb, just five years old, ran into the room, his face pale with fear.
Caleb cries out, "Mama! Mama!" while running, but one of the guards catches him.
"Mama, wake up! I'm here!" Caleb keeps on screaming, his voice hoarse as he struggles against the guard's arm.
Datu Arvyn knelt and embraced Caleb, pulling him close as the boy's sobs filled the room.
Datu Arvyn whispered to his son, "Shh… It's okay, my son. Everything is going to be okay," he assured him with a steady and calm voice.
But Caleb didn't understand. He broke free from his father's embrace and ran to his mother's side, shaking her lifeless body.
"Mama! Mama, open your eyes! Please!" he pleaded. His small hands shook as he gripped her arm. But Ellie didn't move. Then finally he realized, and his cries echoed through the room.
Datu Arvyn's heart shattered as he watched his son's innocence slip away. He gently pulled Caleb into his arms, comforting him as best as he could.
In the shadows, a figure watched silently. The moment was almost perfect. It was time to take action because grief had taken over the family's attention.
As the midwife cradled baby Amara, her tiny cries continued, as if sensing the deep sorrow around her.
"Oh no! She's hungry. Poor thing." She hurried out of the room to find the wet nurse.
The shadow saw its chance. Moving silently, it approached the cradle where Amara lay, unaware of the danger closing in. The shadow's hand reached out, and before anyone could react, it snatched the baby.
A sudden scream echoed throughout the mansion.
"Ahhhhh! The baby is missing!"