Sarey was lost in her mind for a long time. It was already some time after lunchtime when she left her room to check on Allan and change his bandages.

As she walked to the living room, she looked at him with lost eyes. There was a lot that her mind wanted to know about his history because for a boy around her age to end in a permanent state of a damaged body, was just horrible.

He must have suffered a lot of pain.

“Huh? Wounds and scars around his wrist and palm are almost unnoticeable now. That is some strong natural regeneration. How is it so fast?” She wondered as she changed the rest of the bandages. She left the branches which hold his body for now alone. It was common to see almost no difference with this kind of broken limb in multiple weeks. For bones to heal, it took considerable time and a calm body.

“Well, you won’t run away anytime soon, so just deal with me for now. If only my teacher would be willing to help, perhaps your body would be much better apart from your eyes.” She talked alone to Allan. He did not respond, but his breathing became more steady. Healthy-colored skin was slowly coming on his body.

She never had many friends. The casual exchange between her peers was the most she would get in Zigmund's restaurant. From a young age,s he did not have many opportunities to get out and explore the world, but she dreamed of changing it one day.

After changing all bandages, which were either bloodied or had some fluids from the wounds on them, she sat by a side of Allan’s table. She had a book in her hands. Brown leather-covered book with noticeable layers of chains around the edges. She hid it earlier as Triston came by, although she noticed that the book could be now easily opened. It was layered with a surprising amount of pages for its size. All pages were empty. There was nothing inside at all.

“So much for nothing. Is this some kind of joke book? They aren’t that popular.” She rolled her eyes and looked at the cover for some information. Perhaps it had some secret to activate the ink inside? She heard from Triston that some scholars make their secret books in strange manners. Secrecy and mysteries were quite intriguing to her, but, at the end of the day, she found nothing, apart from the now, open book.

Unexpectedly, she started to hear a little trembling. She turned her head around and looked at Allan. He was shaking uncontrollably with a twisted expression on his face, which was calm just a few moments ago.

“Oh no! Hey! Calm down now. Can you hear me?” She shouted and jumped at him to restrain his movements. Branches were twisted but still managed to hold him tight. It was as if he wanted to escape the claws of death itself, grunting and shaking left not much to understand what he was going through at this moment.

“Mmmh?! You won’t listen, huh? Fine.” She took a rope from under the table and restrained his chest, arms, and thighs so he would not move too much. Still, some of the wounds on his chest and legs reopened and blood flowed beneath the bandages.

“Good lord. At least your blood is normal in your veins.” She hurried to calm his movement. It was probably some nightmare or just a body shock from injuries. Who knew?

Unbeknown to her, blood flowed from one of his wounds to a book she left below the table on the carpet. It mysteriously flowed into the book. Inside, a few pages of texts were slowly reappearing. Sarey would be surprised by this, but after 2 times that she was disappointed by it, she would toss it behind her back and forget its existence in her head.

She was restraining him for quite some time. The rope helped, but she didn’t want him to injure himself after she tried her best to treat his injuries. After a quarter of an hour, Allan finally calmed down. Sweat flowed from his body and tight twitching muscles which were visibly strained left him exhausted. He fell asleep, perhaps because of the reopened injuries, pain, or whatever else.

Sarey was too tired to even guess or care. It is not like he regained consciousness, as this was just a minor episode that doctors were very familiar with. High traumatic injuries were a common factor in the appearances of some shocks, traimas, or situations like this.

“You finally calmed down? Took you long enough.” Sarey complained as she took her hands from him and sat on a chair. She was barely able to suppress him. Without the restraining branches around his legs and arms, he would probably cause havoc and shove her aside.

“He is much stronger than he looks. Wait, he is around my age, so I guess that is normal. He is still growing up like me. His muscles were rather noticeable. Apart from the bandages and broken limbs, he must have been reasonably athletic. For a boy.” She sat there for some time, expecting another problem to occur and not paying attention to the book which was tossed under the table in this hectic situation.

Time went on, the sun disappeared into the distant horizon. Two moons rose into the sky. Sarey was silently seated in the chair as she heard the footstep approaching from the main door.

Zigmund came back to his home and glanced around him. He took his nice-looking coat off, which he used for his official businesses, or when he went outside until the deep nights. In a living room around the corner was seated Sarey and still laying Allan, who was normal as before, apart from ropes around his body.

“What the hell are you trying to him?” He said with a questionable tone.

“He had a nightmare. I did not want him to suffer even more.” Sarey said with an unbothered tone, or wonder about the tone of her father.

Seeing the gloomy expression of his daughter. Zigmund did not continue. He internally decided to let the matter flow, as nothing he could do would be nice. His business outside was something only he was aware of.

“Ehm, Sarey. I am just saying you have to go to the restaurant tomorrow.” Don’t be too mad at me for that.”

“I have no problem with that. I just hope he won’t have a problem.” Sarey said with hands around her knees.

“Huh? Alright then. If everything will be fine, I contacted a doctor today from the military department from one of the subsidiary schools I knew. Just make sure you will come home tomorrow night and he will take a look at him.”

“Eh? What?” Saray, surprised by her father’s words, glanced at the entrance to the living room. Zigmund already left.

“That was unexpected. I guess a word from a scholar wasn’t enough for him.” She thought to herself. Right, that was one of the reasons her father decided on this. Another was that it was to free his mind. He had a certain powerful connection still lingering from the past, but it was not like he cared a lot about them. He was a retired man for a long time already and trying to reopen something what is better forgotten was not his style.

Sarey jumped up in a better mood than before. She left the room with a last glance at the now calm-looking Allan. She didn’t even notice the book down below, which started something which could no longer be stopped.

All in the price or minor mistakes of Sarey on Allan.

In the unnatural darkness. Close to the lives of mortals, yet in a different space altogether. Night of black was the dominant entity that ruled this place. There were no stars, no suns, no planets, or even stones, which were common everywhere in the comos. This was no universe. Just a pocket of it of unknown origin.

Within this place were dozens of slightly dim-looking lights. They were bathed in all sorts of colors and elements. Some were in the shape of lanterns of fire, others were hard as rock or had flaming energy around them in different colors. Each was slowly drifting through this space of nothingness. They were just dimly lighting their surroundings and were oblivious to each other.

All of them suddenly shook as flickering, flaming elements that pointed from them upwards trembled in intensity.

A female ethereal voice sounded from afar. “Massage to all prisoners. Another opportunity arrived. For this, all of you who took a significant amount of sin and death. I will give one of you a chance. Within, there is a chance as well as opportunity and likely death. All of you are beyond saving grace, yet the chance is now presented to one of you.”

All lights flickered in a distinct light. Only the female voice was aware of this meaning.

“So, you are all for this? Very well.”

There was a sudden serenity. Voice paused for some time.

“Prisoner number 36. Your deciding choice has come. As for the rules, you shall be witness to them soon. Your goal will be revealed along with this hope.”

One of the lights, bathed in a darker shade of gray, rose from the rest of them. It circled in wild fashion as it disappeared to the unknown.
The rest of the lights became disappointingly dimmer once more. Drifting into the nothingness of this dull space.

Back in reality, the night above, the home of Zigmund and Sarey was in a full circle. It went on without a stop, as no one could stop it otherwise.

Both of them were unaware of the glowing object in Allan’s room. The book from before started to emit lighting from its cover, or perhaps it was the pages themselves?

They peacefully rested in a land of dreams without worry and concern about things that went outside of their scope.

The sun's light slowly penetrated the night. Shining light crawled from the distant horizon as the golden orange clouds became visible. It was a gaze of another day that was just around a corner.

Zigmund woke up early, as usual. Sun was illuminating the interior of the house with warm light. Sarey was still asleep.

In the room, beside the kitchen, was his office space, where he gathered documents and took care of some of his restaurant businesses.

He was playing with an emblem that depicted three-headed lions with flames around his head. He just stared at the papers before him.

“Achoo.” He sneezed and his emblem fell from his hands.

“Damn it. I hate waking up so early. How long will it take for her to wake up? I told her it was a workday.” He was rather impatient and got up. He went to the opposite side of the house and knocked on her door.

“Sarey! Get up. Will you?”

In a moment, doors opened, and Sarey emerged. Still half asleep and in-home clothes. Her hair still shined though, besides the unkept rest of her face.

”What is it, father?” She asked, still half asleep.

“Did you day-dreamed the entire night? You look terrible. I told you that today’s work is up to you.” Zigmund asked.

“Oh... I guess I forgot. I will get ready soon. She said as she yawned at her father. The door shut before Zigmund’s face. She left him speechless.

“Oh, dear. Did she spend the whole night worrying about that boy?” He asked himself.

Remembering himself, he decided to take a look at the cause. Walking through the kitchen and turning around the corner, he watched as Allan was still the same as usual. His bandages were tight and nothing seemed wrong. He didn’t notice the glowing book that lay beneath the table. It was outside of his field of vision. Maybe it was because of the light in the room which shined against this light from that book. It was hardly noticeable as at night which was free from the sun.

“Still breathing, I guess.” He muttered as he went to prepare some things that he left out, or was disappointed by since yesterday.