"As the sun sleeps deep,
A star burns bright.
As gentle winds blow,
Humming its swet lullaby."
In a dimly lit room, children listened: quite and attentive.
"As cry fills the streets,
No one dared to reach."
Some of the children began to fall a sleep to the sound of the lullaby.
"As the sun sleeps deep,
A lantern flickers bright.
As lthe wind sighs low,
Bell chime a Hollow note."
The one singing lullaby paused.
"As cry hunts the streets,
A soul slips into dark."
The lullaby was gently sung by an old woman, her voice soft as she tucked in the last orphans. The dim candlelight painted golden halo across the wooden beds.
In the far corner, a girl hugged her doll tightly, burying her face into the cotton-stuffed body, eyes squeezed shut.
"I hope you all have a pleasant sleep, children." The woman—Sister Martha, whispered, her hand reaching the door.
But then.
A voice, small and trembling, called out from the conner.
"Sister Martha...do you think Mira will come back?"
"Isha, my dear...o—of course...she will." Martha's voice crackedas she knelt behind the bed, her fingers trembling against the doorframe.
"Now go...go to sleep... goodnight, my dear." She forced a smile, but her eyes shimmered in the candlelight.
"Goodnight, sister Martha." Isha whispered.
She turned to her doll, hugging it close.
"Goodnight, Pegasus." She mummerd, pressing a kiss to its stiched forehead.
The horror of night soon passed, vanishing quietly in the deep slumber of children's dreams.
Morning crept in gently through the cracks in the window, painting gold across the floorboards. The orphanage echoed with cleer and laughter once again, as if the night has never whispered it's secrets.
Isha stirred in her bed, blinking slowly, she yawned, streched her arms above her head, and hugged Pegasus tightly before sitting up.
She rubbed her eyes and looked out the window.
A bright blue sky stretched above, dotted with puffy white clouds drifting lazily. Rolling hills painted the horizon, bathed in a golden hue as the sun rose behind them, casting it's warmth across the sleepy city
Down on the muddy road below, she saw people chatting, some walking, other running, and a few pedaling on old bicycles.
But what caught her eyes...
Was a carriage, gliding graceful through the street, drawn by an Azhinx.
It was a creature both majestic and powerful, standing nearly 150 centimetres tall.
It's body was that of a strong hound, lean and muscular, but it's head, sharp-beaked and feathered, was unmistakably that of a noble eagle.
Golden eyes scanned the path ahead with fierce intelligence, while it's paws clicked unevenly against the loose stone on the muddy road.
The carriage rolled to a sudden stop.
From behind its velvet curtains stepped a golden haired elf, her presence like sunlight breaking through mist.
Isha's eyes widened.
And then. She beamed with pure joy.
Without thinking, she started away from the window, bumping into other children as she ran.
Her bare feet slapped against the wooden stairs as she skipped down, nearly stumbling.
"Don't run on the stairs!" Maratha called out from the hallway.
But Isha didn't hear her.
She threw open the front door and rushed towards the carriage.
And then, into Ifa's arms.
"Big sister!" She chirped, wrapping her arms around the elf's waist.
Ifa smiled softly, her golden hair shimmering in the light. She bent down and gently patted Isha's head
"You've grown so much, Isha." Ifa replied softly.
Isha smiled ear to ear, until she saw a tall, muscular man step out of the carriage, carrying a briefcase. Her joy shifted into confusion...and then hope.
"Big sister! Did you bring him to adopt me?" She shouted, her voice brimming with excitement.
Ifa gulped, unsure how to respond.
"Sadly, no." Grathe answered for her.
Isha's brightest faded.
"But if you behave, I'll consider it." Grathe added, looking down at her.
"Really?!" Isha's smile returned, even wider this time.
"And second thing, you should wear shoes. Your feet will get dirty." He said.
The little girl giggled and ran off to find her slippers.
Just then, Martha stepped out of the front door, sighing.
"Sorry if she caused you any trouble." She said, pulling her spectacles and slipping them on.
"No, no need to worry." Ifa replied, a little shyly.
"Oh! You've grown into a beautiful woman, Ifa." The older woman said smiling as she looked her over.
"Thank you, Sister Martha" Ifa replied.
"And who is he?"Martha asked, eyeing Grathe.
"I'm Grathe. Nice to meet you, Sister Martha." He said.
But her eyes were already on the badge pinned on the right chest.
She bowed slightly in respect.
"What brings a Royal Mage to an orphanage?" She asked, her eyes drifting to the briefcase.
Before Grathe could answer, Isha came running out again, joined by a few other children.
"I'm gonna get adopted!" She yelled.
Grathe singhed faintly but kept a straight face.
"You're here to adopt her?" Martha asked hopefully.
Ifa glanced at Grathe. He wasn't here to adopt Isha, or anyone.
The children began to circle him, curiosity bubbling.
"I'm just here to see." Grathe said calmly. "I'll come back someday, after I've chosen."
"Oh! Thank you... thank you." Martha said greatfully, and Ifa gave an awkward smile.
Grathe was digging his grave deeper and deeper. A lie born of good intent, but a line nonetheless.
"Oh, were are my manners?" Martha clapped her hands. "How about we have some tea?" She said, gesturing for them to follow her.
As they move inside, the children continued to crowd around Grathe.
Grathe sighed. "Do you all want to see what inside the briefcase?" He asked in a flat tone, which made a few if the children back off nervously.
But not Isha.
"Yes! I'd love to!" She shouted.
Grathe opened the briefcase and gently pulled out Liliya.
"Where am I...? An orphanage?" Liliya's soft voice echoed in the prison of porcelain.
Some of the children lost interested, realising it was just a doll, but not Isha. If anything, her eyes sparked even more.
"What's her name?" She asked, wide-eyed.
"Her name is Liliya." Grathe answered gently.
"She's cute." Isha said, then hesitated. "But... wouldn't she break easily?"
"Don't worry. Even if you break her, she'll repair herself." He said, patting Isha's head.
"Really?"
"Yeah, really." He replied with a rare smile.
"Captain!" Ifa called form the hallway.
"I am coming." Grathe called back.
"Take care of her while I talk to Sister Martha, okay?" He told Isha, then placed Liliya in her arms.
"Hey! Don't leave me here...!" Liliya's voice rang out, though in the void, no one could hear him.
As soon as Grathe walked away, a boy snatched the doll from Isha's hands.
"H-Hey!" She snapped, spinning around.
She tried to take it back, but she wasn't fast enough. The boy raised the doll high above his head, far too high for her small frame to reach.
"Give her back!" Isha shouted, her tone demanding, but trembling. She jumped and clawed at the air, but the boy only laughed.
Then without warning, he tossed the doll towards another boy across.
"Catch!"
But the second bot fumbled. His handa missed the mark.
Crack.
Liliya hit the ground hard. His porcelain body shattered into scattered fragments, splintered limbs, delicate, fingers, a long crack split across the doll's dainty face. The glass eyes, once so eerily lifelike, now dulled and Hollow.
Silence fell.
But it was a false silence.
Beneath that ever-smiling mask, Liliya was screaming, crying in a voice no one would ever hear. Not through the locked grin. Not through the broken shell. Not through the curse of stillness.
Isha frozen, her breath caught in horror. Then, she bolted towards the wrecked body, eyes wide with panic.
"I—I didn't meant to..." The boy stammered, his voice shaking with dread. The words trembling out like excuses, but none could take it back.
The hush hung heavy, until gasp broke through with tiny, awestruck.
The children's horror melted into fascination.
Before their eyes, the shattered piece began to move.
Cracks slowly mended themselves, seams pulling together with a faint, unnatural sound. Fragments floated back into place. Porcelain healed as if time rewound, but Liliya's glassy eyes remaind dim, his smile just as fixed.
And still, beneath it all, he was crying.
"It's unbreakable!" A child shouted, shattering the silence with awe. Then others joined in, their voices rising into a chorus of wild wonder.
"She is immortal!" Isha cried, lifting up Liliya as if he were a trophy. She spun the cracked doll in her arms, laughing, even as his body was only halfway mended. Limbs still fused with hairline fractures, one glass eye barley hanging in place.
The children swarmed her.
"Let me play with it."
"Me next!"
"I wanna hold it!"
Tiny hand reached, grabbed, tugged, each child desperate to pull the doll away, to them Liliya was just a toy and not a soul silently weeping behind an unchanging smile.
Meanwhile, in the guestroo, Grathe and Ifa sat together on a plush couch as Martha entered, carefully balancing a tray of tea.
"Chloe...what happened to her?" Martha asked, voice trembling along with the cup in her hand.
Grathe glanced at her, then sipped his tea slowly.
"She's gone missing." Grathe said calmly, almost too calmly. "Last seen here...at this orphanage."
"Did she say anything?" Ifa asked quickly, her eyes narrowing. "Anywhere she planned to go?"
"No... no, not that I—" Martha paused, her eyes suddenly distant as if something fuckered back into place. "Wait... I do remember. When she came here, she said she wanted to go to... Hi..drgat...ia."
"You mean Hydrgateia?" Ifa cut in sharply. "The City of Rain Hydrgateia?"
"Yes...yes." Martha said, nodding he head.
"Thank you for the information." Grathe said, finishing the rest of his tea in one swift motion.
"And thank you for considering adoption." Martha added warmly, bowing politely.
Ifa glanced at Grathe, guilt flickering in her eyes, awkward, unsure.
Grathe met her gaze. His own tired eyes mirrored that same quite guilt.
The, together, they bowed respectfully to Martha.
"Thank again. We'll be taking our leave." Grathe said, picking up his briefcase.
He reached for the door, pull it back open.
Just in time to see Liliya hurled against the wall.
Crack!
Porcelain scattered like snow.
"What do you think you're doing, kids?" Martha's voice thundered, suddenly and sharp.
"Don't worry about it." Grathe said calmly, kneeling down as he picked up the broken porcelain head.
"She can repair herself."
"Grathe...save me..." Liliya's voice trembled, a silent plea only meant for himself. He already knew no one could hear it.
But then, Grathe's eyes widened.
The head in his hand shimmered faintly, and began to vanish.
He looked down at the shattered remaining.
The largest piece—her chest—glowed softly as the head reformed, bit by bit, attaching itself like a puzzle solving itself.
"Hmph. Fascinating." Grathe mummerd. "So...she repairs form the core."
"Don't all items with a self-repairing core fix themselves from the magical core?" Ifa asked, tilting her head.
Grathe shook hai head slightly. "No, that the intersting part."
"If the owner holds any part of the item that contains the magical core." He began, pausing to watch Liliya's body slowly mend itself.
"Then regeneration usually starts from that piece."
His gaze lingered as the final shards slid into place.
"But Liliya...she returns to her core."
Before Ifa could respond, a gentle tug broke the conversation.
"Mister..." Isha stood beside him, her small hand clutching the edge of his coat.
"Hm? What is it?" Grathe asked, voice softening.
Isha looked up with bright, innocent eyes, her small arms wrapped tightly around Liliya, who was nearly he size.
"Can we trade Liliya for Pegasus?" She asked sweetly, nuzzling her cheek against the doll.
"I'll take good care of her."
Grathe knelt and gently patted her head.
"Breaking her just because she can repair herself..." He said with soft smile. "Doesn't sound like good care to me."
Isha looked down, puffing her cheeks just a little.
"When you grow up, I'll give her to you." Grathe added. "Until then...take good care of Pegasus, alright?"
Isha nodded slowly, a little pout still on her lips.
"Liliya, follow me." Grathe said calmly.
The doll twitched in isha's arms, then pice by pice her body pulled away, legs clicking softly on the floor as she obeyed the command and walked towards him.
The children stared in amazement as the doll moved by itself, following after Grathe and Ifa like a loyal pet.
"Wow...how did you do that?" Isha asked, her voice laced with shock and awe.
Grathe gave a faint smile. "I'll teach you...when you're ready."
He bowed politely to Martha. "Goodbye, and thank you for your hospitality."
"Goodbye." Both Grathe and Ifa said in unison as they turned to leave, with Liliya trailing quietly behind.
The children waves from the steps, shouting their goodbyes as the trio made their way to the carriage.
But once inside, the air shifted. Warm smiles vanished.
"Why did you tell her you were going to adopt her?" Ifa asked sharply, frustration bubbling in her voice.
Grathe leaned back, eyes weary. "I didn't want to break her heart... But it's not entirely my fault."
"But it will be." Ifa snapped. "When she keeps waiting... waiting for the man who promised to come back."
Silence say between them.
"Then what would you have done?" She added, her voice softer, but more accusing.
"Then I'll adopt her." Grathe said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Ifa blinked. "But...you...you know what, fine. Be it." She threw her hands up, frustration pricking her voice.
"Sigh—just put that doll away already." She added, glaring at Liliya with a mix of disgust and unease.
"And secondly... adoption isn't a joke, Captain."
"Alright, Mom." He smirked playfully, popping open his briefcase.
As they bickered like squabbling siblings, Grathe gently folded Liliya's body and placed it inside.
The lid closed with soft click.
In the darkness of the briefcase, the air was still, until it wasn't.
Bip.
A jolt of pain surged through Liliya's body.
He flinched. His eyes closed in response.
"That pain... again." He whispered.
Then his thoughts frozen.
"Wait...did I just move?"