Chapter 1: The Awakening
Darkness…
Nyra’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she noticed the cold mist surrounding her. Breathing was difficult, every step felt heavy. In the distance, a shapeless shadow moved; neither human nor animal, neither friend nor foe. It made no sound, yet its presence seeped into every corner. Nyra tried to run, but her legs felt stuck to the ground. As she disappeared into the darkness, her mind was foggy and unclear…
Then, suddenly, she opened her eyes.
Sunlight hit her face. She was in her bed at the orphanage, in the quiet of the morning. Her heart raced; a lingering unease still lingered inside. She took a deep breath and tried to recall what she had seen, but realized she couldn’t make sense of it. The shadows, the uncertainty, and the feeling left by the mist hadn’t completely faded even under the warm light of day.
Nyra slowly tidied her room and stepped into the corridor, heading to the dining hall for breakfast. As she walked down the narrow, oppressive hallway, she suddenly saw the orphanage matron coming from the opposite end. The matron approached with heavy steps, her stern gaze fixed on Nyra. Nyra lowered her eyes, but the matron’s voice echoed down the corridor:
—Nyra, this afternoon you’ll do extra cleaning in the C-8 room in the basement. And be careful; our eyes will be on you, more alert than ever.
When she said this, it was as if she had let slip something she shouldn’t have, and she seemed flustered. Nyra nodded slightly, silently agreeing. Her heart was still racing after the matron left; there was a mysterious firmness in her gaze, as if the orphanage was more than just stone and walls.
At that moment, she had arrived at the dining hall, and her curious friend Eve approached through the tables. Small, short, but lively-eyed, she hurried to Nyra and whispered:
—Nyra, did you see that shadow this morning? Or that dark feeling… I felt it too.
Nyra nodded slightly, words caught in her throat.
—Yes… maybe it’s just a feeling… but it’s like the orphanage is watching us without us noticing, she said.
Her friend secretly nodded:
—I felt the same. But maybe it’s just us… different from the others. I’ve observed the others, but it’s just us…
Nyra was silent for a moment, her gaze returning to the shadow at the end of the corridor; as if behind the stone walls, the shapeless figure she had seen in the morning was still watching her. A shiver ran through her.
In the quiet of the afternoon, Nyra took the opportunity to wander alone. Her eyes still searched for the indistinct shadow she had seen earlier; the long stone walls of the corridor, stretched shadows cast by the sunlight, deepened the silence.
As she walked silently, she noticed a door slightly ajar. Behind it was a room she had not noticed before; a faint cold breeze brushed her hair. Peeking in, she saw an old box in the corner. She didn’t want to enter, but an undefined energy drew her inside. Slowly, she approached the box and saw a name written in faded letters: “…Nyra…”
Her heart raced. Why was her name on this box? She leaned closer to open it when she suddenly heard a voice behind her:
—This… is about you…
Nyra flinched, stepped back, but her curiosity prevented her from leaving. The writing on the box seemed like a secret message forgotten by the orphanage. She wanted to understand what it meant, though a sense of unease lingered within her.
As she leaned toward the box, the door creaked open suddenly. The cold air from inside intensified and spread down the corridor, sticking her hair to her face. Her heart pounded; just as she was about to pick up the box, a voice called behind her:
—Who’s there?
Nyra startled, quickly closing the box and turning around. At the dark end of the corridor, she noticed movement among the shadows. Everything was silent, but the movement resembled the shapeless shadow she had seen that morning.
She stepped back quickly, but the sound of her shoes against the stone floor broke the silence. The box trembled in her hands; a faint light emanated from it, as if it were trying to tell her something with its own energy.
Nyra held her breath, staring toward the door. Amid the shadows, a presence seemed to be watching, and within the stone silence of the orphanage, this sight and sound both intrigued and slightly threatened her.
She took a deep breath, clutching the box tightly, and quietly exited the room. Every step echoed on the stone floor, creating a mysterious and dangerous rhythm. Nyra both feared and quickened her steps out of curiosity; the orphanage, along with the uncertainty she had felt in the morning, now seemed like a more tangible threat.
Clutching the box as she left the corridor, her curious friend followed silently. The curiosity and slight fear in her friend’s eyes merged with Nyra’s own feelings.
—Nyra, did you see? The room… what was inside? her friend whispered.
Nyra held the box tighter, nodding slightly:
—Yes… there was something inside. But it wasn’t just a box… it seemed to want to tell me something.
Her friend stepped closer, whispering:
—Maybe it’s about the shadow we saw this morning…
Nyra fixed her gaze at the end of the corridor; the stone walls and stretching shadows still held a dark secret. The writing on the box bore her name and emitted a faint light. An instinctive feeling told her this box was a forgotten secret of the orphanage.
—Should we open it together? her friend asked.
Nyra took a deep breath, her unease and curiosity intertwined as she looked at the box:
—Maybe… but we have to be careful. It’s like the orphanage is watching us without us realizing, she said.
Her friend nodded; together they went to Nyra’s room and leaned over the box to open it. Nyra slowly lifted the lid. A faint light spilled out, revealing an old note, a few rusty keys, and a darkened stone. Nyra picked up the note and, with trembling hands, opened it; the ink was nearly faded but legible:
“Step by step, follow the shadow… it will whisper the truth to you.”
At that moment, Nyra’s fingers touched the symbol on the box; a resonance surged through her mind — a howling, a distant roar, a muffled cracking sound, and then a whisper:
“Blood will find you…”
