Velaria City Medical Center...
The hospital corridor still smelled faintly of antiseptic and lavender from the flowers lining the waiting area. Sita sat, fidgeting with the hem of her shawl, until a nurse stepped out with a smile.
"It was just a mild complication," she said gently. "The baby had some trouble moving, but now both mother and child are fine."
Relief washed over Sita. She hurried into the room where Annie was resting, her face pale but glowing.
"Thank you," Annie said, her voice soft but full of warmth. "You helped a stranger… and yet, you stayed like family."
Sita smiled shyly. "Anyone would have done the same."
"No," Annie shook her head, eyes glistening.
"Not everyone. When my baby is born, I want you to be the first one to hold it. It's tradition for the mother's sister to do so… and I have no siblings. You're like the sister I never had."
The words sank into Sita's heart. Before she could respond, Annie's phone buzzed. She called her husband, and Sita quietly excused herself, whispering a soft "goodbye."
---
Outside, night had already fallen. The streetlamps cast long amber shadows across the empty pavement. Sita didn't know a soul in this part of the city. As if sensing her loneliness, her phone rang.
It was Brother Wu.
"Sita, where are you? I called Uncle Vallayi—he said you haven't visited him yet."
She told him everything—Annie, the hospital, losing track of time.
"It's fine," Brother Wu said. "Stay there. I'll call Lili. She'll pick you up."
---
Sita waited on a bench near the hospital gates, her fingers tracing patterns in the cold metal. She remembered Brother Wu's teasing words—how he said her "hobby" was collecting people. "You always collect people as a family member," he used to say.
But here, in this unfamiliar city, her so-called "collection" was gone. All she had was herself… and the heavy responsibility now pressing on her shoulders.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful voice.
"Are you Sita?"
She looked up to see a girl with short brown hair, eyes bright as morning sunlight, and a smile that radiated genuine warmth.
"Yes… I'm Sita."
The girl grinned wider. "I'm Lili. Monk Vallayi's niece. Uncle described you perfectly—'an innocent girl with an aura that makes the world feel lighter.'" She winked. "He wasn't wrong."
---
They drove in comfortable silence, the city giving way to winding forest roads. Hours later, the car slowed, and Sita's breath caught.
Before them, perched high on a mountain peak, stood Monk Vallayi's house—its wooden beams rich with age, tiled roofs curving gracefully against the star-pierced sky. Golden light spilled from latticed windows, and the faint sound of a wind chime drifted on the cool night air. Mist curled around the base of the structure, making it seem as if it floated above the world itself.
The scent of pine and blooming night jasmine mingled with the faint crackle of incense from somewhere within.
---
Vallayi himself stood at the entrance, robes flowing gently in the mountain breeze. His smile was warm enough to melt the chill from Sita's bones.
"Welcome, Sita," he said.
She bowed respectfully. "I'm the daughter of Haneul. My grandfather may have told you what happened earlier… thank you for offering me shelter. I'll be forever grateful."
The monk's eyes softened. "We are the ones in your debt. What your parents did for us—and for humankind—can never be repaid. Now, their daughter stands here before me… and that is an honor in itself."
Emotion welled in her chest, and she bowed deeper. "Before this, my life was simple. Peaceful. Just my grandpa and the temple family. But now… I see my responsibility. I have so many questions. So many doubts. Yet I will do my best… to make my parents proud."
The monk placed a hand on her shoulder, his gaze steady.
"And that," he said, "is exactly why they would be."
Inside Death Order's Headquarter...
The dim torchlight flickered against the damp stone walls, shadows stretching like claws over the floor. The air smelled of rust and old blood. Kaito sat at the far end of the long wooden table, his black-gloved fingers tapping slowly, deliberately.
Before him knelt a trembling villager, his clothes torn, mud caked on his knees from being dragged here.
Kaito's voice was calm — too calm.
Kaito: "You said… you've seen her."
Villager: hesitant "I–I don't know who you mean—"
Kaito leaned forward, the candlelight catching in his cold eyes.
Kaito: "Sita. Small, quiet, but not ordinary. Where?"
The villager swallowed hard, eyes darting toward the soldiers lining the walls. One stepped closer, the tip of his spear pressing against the villager's back.
Villager: "She… she was here. Passing through. People said she looked like—like someone from the old days."
Kaito's lips twitched into the faintest smirk.
Kaito: "Like Tara?"
The villager nodded, almost too quickly.
Villager: "Yes. Exactly. The same eyes. Same face."
The room grew heavier. Kaito rose, circling the man like a predator.
Kaito: "And now? Where is she?"
Villager: shaking "I don't know… I swear…
They… they sent her somewhere."
Kaito stopped behind him, his shadow swallowing the villager whole.
Kaito: "Somewhere isn't an answer."
The villager's voice cracked, spilling out in a rush.
Villager: "To the city… Velaria. That's all I know! Please—"
Kaito crouched, his face close enough for the villager to feel his breath.
Kaito: "Velaria…" His tone was almost a whisper, but it carried like a death sentence.
He straightened, giving a silent signal to his men. The soldiers yanked the villager away into the darkness. Screams echoed briefly… then stopped.
Kaito stood alone in the flickering light, staring at the map pinned to the wall. His gloved finger traced toward the marked city.
Kaito: "Velaria… Let's see what secrets you're hiding."
The torchlight guttered — and went out.
Meanwhile few hours ago ...
Inside Tae hyun's Car -
Tae Hyun slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out the anklet. He turned it over slowly, the tiny bells catching the light. It was lying exactly where she had been standing just moments before.
For a long moment, he just stared at it—silent, thoughtful—until an unshakable thought whispered through his mind: Why does it feel like this doesn't belong to just anyone… but to her?
TO BE CONTINUED...