From the depths of unconsciousness, muffled voices echoed like distant ripples in dark waters. Someone stirred.
Oenhi's eyelids fluttered open, her vision surfacing from the abyss of sleep. The world around her was unfamiliar. A ceiling of plated metal greeted her, dim sunlight casting fragmented patterns across the room. The walls, made of aged brick, were lined with shelves brimming with books.
Birdsong drifted through the windows, the soft chirps filling the silence.
Then pain.
A sharp sting pulsed at the side of her forehead. She reached up, fingertips brushing against the sterile gauze covering her wound.
"Ah... my head," she murmured, wincing.
A voice answered. A woman's voice.
"Well, look who's finally awake."
Oenhi turned her head, blinking groggily at the two figures standing near her bed. The first was a tall woman with dark blue hair, wearing a magenta dress embroidered with delicate floral patterns. The second was younger, shorter, with cyan-blue hair, dressed in casual attire.
Oenhi studied them, noting their similarities. Were they related?
"Oenhi, right?" the taller woman asked.
Her voice stirred a sense of familiarity, though Oenhi couldn't place why. She narrowed her orange eyes.
"How do you know my name?" she asked warily.
The woman smiled knowingly. "Oh? He never told you about me? Your grandfather was always protective of you."
Her grandfather.
The moment the word left the woman's lips, a flood of memories crashed into Oenhi's mind. Fractured masks, a battle in the darkness, the monstrous roots tearing through the ground, the searing light, the impact against her head.
Her breath hitched.
She jolted upright, panic gripping her chest. "Where is he?! Where's my grandpa?! Where am I?! Who are you?!"
Her voice trembled, frantic, demanding answers.
The woman sighed, her tone gentle. "Calm down, Oenhi. You're safe now. I promise. I'll explain everything."
She moved closer, sitting at the edge of the bed while the younger girl kept her distance.
"It's okay to be scared. He's your grandfather, after all. It's natural to worry about him."
Oenhi's fingers clenched into the sheets. "Where is he?" she repeated, her voice smaller this time.
The woman hesitated, glancing briefly at the other girl before exhaling.
"I don't think you're ready to hear that."
Something about her tone made Oenhi's stomach churn. She didn't like it.
"What happened to him?!" she shouted, frustration breaking through her fear.
The woman tried to divert her. "Let's focus on you for now. You hit your head pretty badly, do you remember how?"
Oenhi hesitated. Her fingers brushed over the bandage again. The pain was dull but persistent.
"I... I don't remember," she admitted. "I just know Grandpa was fighting those bad guys, and then... I woke up here."
The woman nodded. "Your memories will come back in time." She gave Oenhi a reassuring smile. "My name is Sarahliza. A friend of your grandfather, Solomon."
She gestured toward the younger girl. "And this is my employee, Mimya."
Oenhi's eyes widened slightly. Sarahliza... Mimya...
She knew those names.
Grandpa had mentioned them before.
Mimya, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke. "Oenhi Yagda. Huh. I expected you to be... bigger."
Sarahliza shot her a disapproving look. "Mimya, don't be rude to our guest."
Oenhi barely reacted, too focused on the gnawing question still left unanswered. She turned back to Sarahliza, her brows furrowed.
"You do know what happened to my grandpa, don't you?" she pressed.
Sarahliza sighed, as if weighing her words carefully. "We really don't know, but-"
A sharp buzz cut her off.
She reached into her dress, pulling out a flip phone. Her yellow eyes flickered with something, concern, urgency.
She stood abruptly. "Oenhi, I'll explain everything later. Just stay here for now, I have something important to handle."
Oenhi clenched her fists. Again, she was being left in the dark.
"Stay here?! I don't even know where I am!" she snapped.
Sarahliza ignored her outburst and turned to Mimya. Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "Watch her. Gibbit found something about Solomon. I don't want her involved. She's too young."
Mimya frowned. So, she was being kept out of this?
Sarahliza left, shutting the door behind her.
Silence settled between the two girls.
Oenhi's gaze drifted toward the window, a plan forming in her mind.
Before she could act, Mimya spoke.
"If you're thinking about jumping out the window, don't."
Oenhi turned to her, surprised.
Mimya crossed her arms. "I think I know what happened to your grandpa."
Oenhi's breath caught. "You do?"
Mimya nodded. "You were attacked by wraiths."
"...Wraiths?" Oenhi echoed. "What's that?"
Mimya hesitated, glancing at her hand as if debating whether to continue. She shouldn't be telling Oenhi this.
But... keeping her in the dark felt worse.
Wraiths are corrupted spirits. The dead who refuse to pass on. Evil ghosts, basically."
Oenhi shuddered. Corrupted spirits...
Her mind flashed back to Mazaeta.
His voice, his twisted grin, he was one of them, wasn't he?
"But Grandpa fought them," shesaid, more to herself than to Mimya. "He... he used trees to grab them. He said something, and they disappeared..."
"That was Arcane." Mimya explained.
Oenhi's eyes widened. "Arcane...?"
Mimya walked over to the window, peering outside. "Sarahliza went back to your house."
Oenhi stiffened. "Then I need to go back too!"
Mimya frowned. "Go back? Why?"
"Because Grandpa might be waiting for me! Maybe he beat those bad guys and-"
She trailed off. A part of her knew she was grasping at hope, but she had to believe.
Mimya watched her. This girl was either brave or foolish. Maybe both.
"Fine," she said finally. "I'll take you there. He owed me something anyway."
Oenhi's face lit up. "Really?! Let's go now!"
Mimya held up a hand. "We can't let Sarahliza catch us, so we'll take another route."
She pushed open the window. Below them, a small town stretched out Toki-Toki Town.
Oenhi stared in awe. "So this is the town Grandpa always talked about..."
Her gaze shifted northeast, toward distant hills rising from a thick sea of trees.
"I know those trees... My house is over there!" A shadow passed over Oenhi's expression. "...Or what's left of it."
Mimya followed her gaze. "Ironic. That's also our shortcut."
With that, the two girls snuck out through the back door and into the dense woods.
Unaware of the truth waiting for them at the ruins of Oenhi's home.