Toward the Light

She wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, like a snail, curling into her own tiny space.

Only this small patch within the blanket could give her a sense of safety.

Perhaps… snails feel the same way too.

This thin silk quilt was like a barrier, separating reality from the ideal world.

Once she cloaked herself in it, the entire world belonged to her.

Of course, this was nothing more than a fantasy in little Arian’s simple mind.

The blanket, dried under the sun earlier, carried a strange but pleasant scent.

She loved the smell—a mix of detergent and sunlight.

Without thinking, she leaned in and sniffed it softly, like a cute little hamster.

Knock knock knock…

A sudden knocking sound came from outside, startling Arian.

The door had been locked from the inside, so whoever was outside could only knock.

“Arian…”

It was Luna’s voice.

“Today is the Lantern Festival…” she said seriously.

“…………”

Arian didn’t respond. She didn’t want to. She just wanted to rest.

“I’m sorry… about Eugene…” Luna continued.

Gradually, Arian began to feel drowsy.

Sleep crept over her.

“I know you’re not asleep…” Luna said again.

“We agreed on this from the start…”

Her tone carried a hint of apology.

Arian could even imagine her leaning against the door, awkwardly pressing her index fingers together.

“I actually… want… to… pr—… Li…”

Luna was saying something, but Arian was too exhausted to hear clearly.

Everything faded into a blur.

“Hey! Seriously! You have to come out!”

Luna suddenly raised her voice.

The sharp sound jolted Arian awake.

Then she heard footsteps going downstairs.

Luna had left.

Truthfully, Arian didn’t really mind being hit by Eugene’s wind projectile.

It hadn’t hurt much—just knocked her down.

But at that moment, her mood had already been terrible.

Being suddenly knocked over had simply pushed her over the edge.

She looked around blankly.

Still in the small upper room…

Still wrapped in the silk blanket…

Half-asleep.

Suddenly, confusion overwhelmed her.

“What… am I…?” she muttered to herself.

She didn’t understand.

She never understood.

She always wanted to give up—to stop resisting, to accept fate.

It would be easier.

No need to think, no need to struggle—just obey.

But something stubborn inside her always refused.

It pushed her to rise again, to fight fate once more.

And every time—

It left her exhausted, battered, and broken.

Every resistance ended the same way.

She was tired.

So tired.

She just wanted to live quietly.

She had no attachment to life—yet she didn’t want to die either.

Only hope kept her going.

Though she feared death, if it truly came, she would probably just smile and accept it.

She only feared the idea of dying.

Life was unsatisfying, yet there was nowhere to vent.

She hated herself.

Everyone who had cared for her—she could never repay them.

Since childhood, the gaze she saw most often was a mix of pity and concern.

A gaze of charity.

Since she was little…

That was all she had ever known.

Luna… had it.

Alex… had it.

Charlotte… had it.

Kaliana… had it.

Ken… had it.

Even Eugene… had it.

Even… when she looked in the mirror—

It was the same gaze.

That cherrywood staff still rested on the bedside table.

Like a joke.

Mocking her incompetence every moment.

No madness…

No elemental talent…

And now—even arcane arts… barely existed within her…

Despair.

Everything played before her eyes like fleeting images.

She turned to look outside the window.

The moon was bright—like a great jade plate—casting silver light across the land.

In the distance, rows of lanterns hung along the streets.

Voices and laughter drifted from afar.

That place felt like the human world.

And this isolated house…

Felt like a path leading to the depths of hell.

This narrow road was like the path to the underworld.

And she…

Was nothing more than a wandering spirit between the two.

A faint discomfort crept over her.

It was too quiet.

She wanted to go where the people were.

Barefoot, she jumped off the bed.

The cold floor stung her soft feet.

She wanted to go out.

She didn’t want to be alone.

Her heart was lonely.

Living in darkness—yet longing for light.

She stumbled toward the stairs, her limbs uncoordinated, and tripped over a rug in the dark.

“Mm… mm…”

She whimpered.

She tumbled down the stairs, pain tearing through her body.

Once again—

She had been struck down.

But this time…

She endured the pain and forced herself up.

Her eyes filled with tears, but she refused to cry.

She didn’t want to be weak.

Once again, she carried her “shell.”

Simply put—

She was a child who refused to grow up.

Stubborn.

Fragile.

She held onto the wall, step by step, making her way to the door.

The house was pitch black.

The old man and Eugene had already gone out.

Only she remained—

Staring at the distant lights.

The sense of disconnection frightened her.

That feeling of being abandoned by the world—

She couldn’t bear it.

She moved quickly, relying on memory—around the door, past the chairs.

She feared the darkness.

Truly feared it—thick like ink, suffocating.

She stumbled again, hitting a chair.

The fall worsened her earlier injuries.

But she stood up once more and kept moving forward.

Like a moth—

She would go toward the light at any cost.

Even if it meant being covered in wounds.

“I’m almost there… almost…” she muttered like someone delirious.

Her mind was slipping.

She was on the edge of madness.

She feared being abandoned.

She didn’t want to become a burden.

“I’m here…”

A tear slid from her eyes.

Finally—

The door.

Like the only boundary between hell and the human world.

Beyond it—

Light.

The light she had longed for.

She had always feared darkness.

Ever since that cruel prank by her brothers…

Her life had changed.

And darkness became her deepest fear.

She pushed the door with all her strength.

It didn’t move.

She tried again.

Still nothing.

“Hah… hah…”

Fear began to take hold.

The door had been locked by the old man.

Behind her, the darkness felt alive—

Like a massive black serpent, hissing.

Her scalp tingled.

Tears that hadn’t fallen even through pain…

Now poured out like a spring.

Her sturdy shell couldn’t protect her.

The darkness consumed her from within.

Her body went numb.

Despair and sorrow had nowhere to go—

Only her cries echoed endlessly.

The road to the human world…

Was cut off.

Blocked by an immovable stone.

She had been abandoned.

“Hahaha… how pitiful…”

“Waaah… waaah…”

Her cries echoed like a lament, drifting through the air.

She had truly been forgotten.

Click.

A crisp sound.

“Hello… little girl.”

A gentle smile.

A young man in a cloak pushed the door open.

In his hand was a thin metal pick.

He had unlocked it.

Only his face was visible—the rest hidden beneath the cloak.

Arian immediately stopped crying.

“You… who… are you…?” she asked, choking back tears.

She didn’t understand why he had appeared.

But suddenly—

He felt like a hero.

He had opened a path from hell… back to the human world.

“Just call me Savage,” he said with a kind smile.

“Going to see the lanterns, miss?” he asked gently.

“Yes…” Arian replied softly.

Seeing the distant crowd, she felt something indescribable.

A warmth—

Like a prisoner finally seeing daylight after decades.

“I’m a traveler. My name is Savage. I was heading to the festival too. I happened to pass by, heard about it, and came in. But since everyone’s out, there wasn’t even a gatekeeper—so I came in alone.”

His words sounded reasonable.

“I’m going anyway… why don’t we go together?” he suggested.

She only wanted to get there safely—

And not be alone.

Those two reasons were enough.

She chose to trust him.

To her, it was the best option.

He didn’t say anything else—just tapped his shoulder, signaling her to climb on.

He would carry her.

Arian looked down at her bare feet.

She hadn’t worn shoes when she came down.

It seemed this was the only way.

She lightly jumped onto his back.

“Let’s go,” he said softly.

And began walking toward the square.

Her chin rested against his neck, slightly uncomfortable.

“What’s that?” she asked.

Something around his neck was pressing against her.

“My treasured orb,” he said. “It’s also my life.”

His words carried a meaning she didn’t understand.

“Oh…”

She didn’t ask further.

And once again—

She fell into silence.