Part 1
Five years had passed.
On that day, when she had been dragging Harold with all her might, a strange light suddenly burst forth in the distance. The radiance spread like mist, enveloping Lilia in blinding brilliance.
Just as one cannot see in absolute darkness, the overwhelming brightness blinded her in the same way. It was then that Lilia first realized: darkness and light, though seemingly different, might in truth be the same.
A large hand gently stroked her head twice, and Harold was swallowed by the light. In the next moment, the radiance dispersed like smoke—and Harold vanished with it.
Lilia stood frozen, staring at the empty space where the light had been. Only after a long while did she finally turn back toward the palace. The moment she saw her nursemaid running toward her in panic, her vision went black and she collapsed.
For three days, she lay unconscious, burning with fever.On the fourth day, she awoke. To her surprise, her body felt light, brimming with energy, as though she had merely woken from a long nap.
And Lilia knew—Harold had returned home. He was alive.
…But then, why?
Even now, five years later, with Lilia nearly ten years old, Harold had never once appeared before her again.
Yet she could still feel his heartbeat. Strong and steady, pulsing somewhere close by. It told her he was waiting, somewhere within reach.
Every day for the last five years, she had scoured the forest, searching for him. Yet not once had she caught sight of his small, mischievous face.
Hide and seek… it was always our favorite game, she thought bitterly. Harold never missed a single day of playing it with her. But now? He had hidden for five years straight, only watching her from afar, never showing himself.
Enough was enough. Hide and seek had to end.His heartbeat, once faint, was growing stronger with each passing day.
"You've been caught," she whispered into the air. "I'm coming for you soon, Harold. Wait for me."
Lilia could no longer simply wait. From the moment Harold vanished into that mysterious light, she had been certain he had not died—she could feel it in her soul. A year later, when she began to sense his heartbeat again, her conviction only deepened.
So she waited. She searched the woods every day, calling out to him:Let's stop this game, Harold. It's not fun anymore. We can play again next time.
But Harold never appeared. He only answered with the quiet rhythm of his heart.
And so Lilia made her decision.She would stop waiting in vain.She would find Harold's true home and bring him back herself.