Year after year passed in that orphanage. The children grew up together with hunger, punishments, and dreams too large for the peeling walls that caged them.
Among them was a girl. Her long black hair framed sharp eyes and a sharp tongue. She mocked Arven constantly for his cold demeanor, yet she was the one who cried the most whenever he was punished.
Arven knew. Beneath her barbs, she cared.
---
One winter night, when both were fifteen, rain fractured the world outside the window. The other children had long since fallen asleep, but the girl sat beside Arven on his rickety bed, the dim lamp light reflected in her eyes.
"Arven," she said suddenly, her voice trembling yet firm, "when we're free from this place… marry me."
Arven turned his head slowly. She met his gaze head-on, her face flushed red.
"I'm serious," she pressed. "You always protect us. You always protect me. So… I want to stay with you, forever."
Arven was silent for a moment. Her words pierced his heart with a warmth he rarely allowed in. A thin smile touched his lips—one hiding burdens far too heavy for his age.
"You're making promises too early," he replied lightly. "I'm still busy figuring out how to get everyone out of here. Including you."
The girl sniffled, wiping at her tears. "You're always like that. Acting as if everything is your responsibility."
Arven didn't argue. His eyes drifted to the night sky beyond the window, a sky stripped of stars by the city's lights.
"I promise… one day, you'll all be free. I'll make sure of it."
She gripped his hand tightly, though Arven didn't return the gesture.
---
In the days that followed, Arven buried himself in schoolwork. His grades soared beyond the ordinary, drawing attention from professors and scientists despite his youth. Yet no matter how far he reached, he always returned to the orphanage, always working in secret to gather funds and weave plans, waiting for the right moment to free his siblings.
And the girl was always there—waiting, mocking, crying, then smiling again.
---
But one night, as Arven drowned in stolen notes of multiverse diagrams and equations, the girl whispered softly,
"Don't just busy yourself saving the world, Arven. Don't forget my promise."
His hand stilled, pen hovering above the paper. He looked at her for a long moment, as if ready to respond… but the words never left his lips.
Outside, the night sky quivered faintly—an omen that their future would never be simple.
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