In the quiet of Anna's home, months passed. Lilith grew stronger with each day under Anna's care, and though she carried the air of secrecy, her silence eventually gave way to words.
One night, as the oil lamp flickered low, Lilith began to speak of the world beyond the boundaries of Songhai—the world most only knew as rumor.
"Anna," she said, her voice steady, "what you have been told about the Forbidden Land… it is not the truth. The stories your people tell, the warnings of witches and curses—they are lies born from fear."
Anna frowned, torn between curiosity and doubt. Yet she listened.
Lilith's eyes darkened as she continued. "The people of Ral-Zarek—my people—are not monsters. We are mothers, fathers, children… but we have been hunted. The cities of Songhai and beyond have marched against us, burning our homes, cutting down our men, enslaving our women, and slaughtering our children. We have lived in shadows, not because we chose to, but because we were forced there."
Anna's chest tightened. She remembered the stories she had been told as a child—tales of witches with sharp teeth, stealing infants in the night. Now, hearing Lilith's voice heavy with grief, she felt her disbelief slowly melt into sorrow.
For the first time, Anna saw the woman not as a stranger, not as a mystery, but as a survivor.
Lilith stayed with her for many more months. The two grew close, bound not by blood but by shared pain. Anna, abandoned by her husband, and Lilith, cast out and hunted, became each other's family.
But one morning, before the sun had fully risen, Lilith stood by the doorway with a troubled expression.
"Anna," she said softly, "I must leave. I cannot stay here any longer."
Anna's heart lurched. "Leave? Why?"
Lilith's gaze swept the streets outside, wary. "I feel it. They have seen me… they are searching. If I stay, they will find me—and you will be in danger. I will not let harm come to you because of me."
Anna's face twisted with anguish. She rushed forward, clutching Lilith's arm. "No! Don't leave me. Let them come—I don't care if I die. Do you not see? I have nothing left. No husband, no family, not even a child to call my own. You are all I have, Lilith. If you leave me, you abandon me as he did. There is no reason for me to be alive."
Tears streamed down her face as her voice broke. "I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid of being left alone again."
Lilith looked at her for a long moment, and then, to Anna's surprise, she smiled. Not cruelly, but gently, as if holding a secret.
"You are wrong," Lilith whispered. "I have already given you the reason to live."
Anna froze, her tears halting, her eyes wide. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice trembling.
Lilith's gaze turned distant, as though she were looking beyond the walls, beyond the present moment. "He will come. He will rule the Forbidden World and raise us from the ashes. He will be our strength, our savior. And you, Anna, will play a role in his rise. Many will question you, many will condemn you. They will whisper lies, they will call you cursed—but do not fear. For one day, he will make you proud."
Anna's lips parted, confusion and awe wrestling within her. "He? Who is he?"
Lilith's smile deepened, though sorrow flickered in her eyes. "I hope I will live long enough to see him rise… to see him rule the Forbidden World greatly."
Then silence fell.
Anna could not understand the fullness of Lilith's words, yet her heart beat faster. For the first time in years, she felt not disbelief, not despair—but the faint stirrings of something new.
Hope.