Opening my eyes, I only felt a pitch-black darkness...

Taking a brief look around, I confirmed that I was in a rather large room. Glancing out the window, I saw that although there was a faint moonlight outside, it was obscured by clouds.

The first abnormal sensation I noticed was the thirst in my throat, parched as if it were burning. I desperately wanted to drink something to quench it, but I was too tired to move.

My body... felt incredibly heavy, and my eyes were too weary to open. Though I wanted to rise from the prone position on the ground, my limbs felt as if they were weighed down by lead, making it impossible to move smoothly.

My consciousness feels very confused. Not only do I not know what just happened, but I don't even know who I am. However, even though my mind cannot comprehend the current situation, the intense pain all over my body is clearly felt.

This is not an unbearable pain, but it still feels very unpleasant. But what exactly is going on? Is my whole body injured...? Could it be that I fell down the stairs?

I can't recall why I would be lying here, but at least I can confirm that sleeping on the floor is already an unusual phenomenon.

Anyway, I must figure out where I am and what has happened. I begin to prop myself up with my hands on the ground to support my battered body.

But in the midst of this process, my hands touched something else. That something seemed to have a slight warmth, and there were many mildly sticky fluids around it.

"What... is this?" I unconsciously continued to grope forward with my hand.

At this point, I'm more concerned about what this is than getting myself to stand up.

"This... this is! Oh my?!"

I hadn't realized it until I touched it, but it startled me because that thing turned out to be a 'person.'

Amidst my astonishment, I reflexively tried to retreat, but my body wouldn't obey. It felt like something was hanging on my chest, impeding my movements.

"Urgh!? Cough, cough, cough!"

Just with a slight movement, a sharp pain immediately shot through my chest, and at the same time, I felt something spilling out of my throat. I immediately covered my mouth with both hands, but still involuntarily coughed out a large amount of warm liquid.

"This... this is... what? Blood?"

I stared blankly at my hands, realizing with shock that everything I had coughed up was blood. What on earth... how did this happen? Could it be that I didn't just suffer superficial injuries?

I reached out to touch the painful area on my chest, only to discover that something seemed to have pierced through my body. It was because of this thing that I couldn't get up.

...Oh no, could it be that I've suffered a wound severe enough to be fatal? When did this thing stabbed into me? Wait... I remember...

As I noticed that something had pierced through my chest, it seemed to jog my memory of what had happened earlier. I was just in denial about it because the impact was too great... But now, I can't continue to avoid the truth.

Because at that moment, the clouds in the sky dispersed.

In the radiant moonlight, the gentle white light shone through the window, illuminating the condition of the room... My gaze, amidst that white light, clarified the surroundings.

"Ungh!? Waaahhhhh! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!"

I don't remember how severe the blow was at the time, I just remember screaming continuously. The sound of my screams was so wretched, it even startled me.

Inside the room, there were only gruesome corpses. Severed hands, maimed legs, disfigured body parts, scattered brain matter, and even entrails strewn everywhere, the entire floor soaked in blood. Bloodstains splattered onto the walls and ceiling, giving the impression of a scene from hell.

As I saw everything clearly, I also saw what was in my chest. It was a long spear made of wood, but because it was completely soaked in my blood, it had been dyed red.

"I... remember now..." After calming down a bit, I fully recalled what had happened earlier.

This is the village chapel. After we were brought in here by those bandits, they began a merciless slaughter.

However, there was no actual fighting here, as it was simply an execution. The adults' bodies were tied up, rendering them unable to resist, only able to sit helplessly awaiting their fate.

The children were not bound, but allowed to flee around the room, for the pleasure of the hunters.

The bandits didn't kill us directly, but chased us with various close-range weapons like swords, daggers, or spears... until we couldn't run anymore, then slowly tortured us to death. So most of the bloodstains on the walls and ceiling are basically from us children.

Although there were as many as twenty children, there were double the number of the bandits inside, in this situation, it was like throwing several fierce wolves into a chicken coop. No matter how we fled, in the end, death was inevitable.

My sister Luna and I were lucky to survive until the end because we had initially hidden behind the pulpit instead of running around with the other children.

Unfortunately... we were eventually discovered by the bandits. It was as if they had found surviving prey; they immediately swarmed us, excitedly stabbing and slashing towards us with no escape.

The bandits laughed heartily as they attacked, as if they were enjoying how this tragedy would end. Although I couldn't fathom what was so amusing, seeing them laugh so joyously made me curious about my own impending death. Was it truly so comical?

As I lay dying, I still tried to shield Luna with my body, pressing myself onto her and using my hands to support the ground, turning my own body into a human shield.

"Sis... sis...!"

With our faces close together, I saw fear in Luna's eyes. I imagine my expression wasn't much better... but to keep her from being afraid, even though my whole body was in agony, I forced out a faint smile.

"I'm fine... don't be afraid, sis will protect you..." I smiled, uttering a lie even I couldn't believe.

Four or five bandits continued to thrust their swords into me, and I couldn't count how many times I'd been stabbed. I knew I wouldn't survive. But if sacrificing myself could give Luna one more second to live, I was willing to keep holding on like this until my life ended.

But even so, I couldn't protect her... They thrust their spears and swords into my back all at once, piercing through my body and directly killing Luna underneath me.

The spear accurately pierced both of our chests, and the sword also pierced through our abdomens. The blood sprayed from the wounds instantly spread across the floor beneath her.

Luna's mouth overflowed with a large amount of fresh blood, and tears flowed incessantly from her face...

It's strange to say, she knew she would die in a few seconds, but her expression wasn't as fearful as one might imagine. At this point, she couldn't make a sound anymore, but she still managed to squeeze out a 'thank you' from her mouth.

At the time, I didn't quite understand, but thinking back now, perhaps... she didn't want me to blame myself too much.

With her last strength, she gently raised her hand to hold me. Then she smiled contentedly and breathed her last.

Of course, I couldn't hold on any longer either, because it was my sister's dignity that drove me to the end. So, after seeing Luna leave ahead of me, I felt not only guilt but also a sense of relief. Then, slowly, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep amidst the cheers of those bandits.

Perhaps I died shortly after that? After all, I can't remember anything that happened afterward.

Thinking about it now, it was really for the best that we died like that. It's the first time I've been so scared that I actually wished for a quicker death. If we hadn't just breathed our last, I don't know what other methods they would have come up with to torture us.

If those events weren't just a nightmare I dreamt up, then what's happening now is really unreasonable.

I can't help but ask myself:

"Why... am I still alive?"

Of course, no one can answer my question. If anyone could answer in this sea of corpses, it would truly be a miracle...

The most likely reason I'm still alive now is probably because they didn't strike any vital organs, so I'm still clinging to life? But with these injuries, even without a doctor's examination, I know I don't have long to live.

Therefore, more than worrying about myself, I'm concerned about Luna's condition. Under my desperate protection, she should have suffered fewer injuries than me, at least with a greater chance of survival.

I gently shake my sister lying beside me, hoping for a miracle, hoping that she too can hold on to her last breath.

But as if it were inevitable, she shows no reaction at all, just sleeping quietly like this. I hold her body, grieving and sobbing continuously. I can't understand why such a miracle would happen to me. If I could exchange my life for hers, I would gladly die again like this.

Just then, I felt something bite my neck, but when I turned my head, I widened my eyes in surprise.

"L-Luna?... You...!" She was actually biting my neck.

Luna's eyes remained closed. She was gently holding onto my body and greedily drinking the blood flowing from my neck.

I didn't feel frightened by her unusual behavior because, rather than fear, there was more joy in my heart. After all, a miracle had also happened to her.

"Luna...? Luna!" I tried to call her name, but she remained indifferent, continuing to bite me.

Initially, I wanted to pull her away, but she was biting so tightly that it felt like she might tear off a piece of flesh... However, strangely, I didn't feel much pain from her bite. In fact, it felt somewhat comforting, so... I just let her continue biting.