Chapter 105: Vanished
Anya knelt beside Lily.
She reached out, gently patting the girl's shoulder.
"Don't cry."
Anya's voice was like a phantom breeze—soft, yet cutting through the air with crystalline clarity. Lily looked up, her breath hitching in jagged sobs, tears still clinging to her lashes.
"But... but nobody believes me..."
"It doesn't matter," Anya said, tilting her head slightly. "As long as you can see me, that is enough."
Lily froze for a second, then wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "Really?"
"Really."
Anya stood up and took Lily's hand. "Let's play over there."
She pointed to an ancient, gnarled tree in the corner of the small garden. Beneath its branches was a patch of soft, overgrown grass dotted with a few nameless wildflowers. Lily allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. The two girls walked to the shade of the tree and sat down.
"Anya, why did you come to our school?"
Anya looked down, tracing a circle in the dirt with her finger. "I don't know."
"Then... where is your home?"
"...I don't remember."
A wave of sympathy washed over Lily. Anya is so pitiful, she thought. Hans-nii always said that if someone is lost, you have to help them.
"It's okay! I can take you back to Sunflower House!" Lily said, puffing out her chest. "Hans-nii will definitely take you in! It's the best place—we have so much yummy food and lots of friends!"
Anya lifted her head, her dark eyes searching Lily's. "Lots of friends?"
"Yeah! Miguel-oniichan, and Tom, and Amy..." Lily began ticking them off on her fingers. "Everyone is really nice! It's just that today... today they were being a bit stupid and couldn't see you."
Anya remained silent.
"But don't worry!" Lily broke into a fresh grin. "When Hans-nii gets back, I'll make him cook something special for you! His apple pies are the best in the world!"
"Apple pie?" A microscopic glint appeared in Anya's eyes.
"Yeah! They're sweet and fragrant. If you eat one, you can't help but be happy!" Just talking about it made Lily's mouth water. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the half-cracked wheat cracker she hadn't finished that morning. She snapped it in two and offered a piece to Anya. "Here!"
Anya stared at the piece of cracker for a long moment before slowly taking it. "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" Lily took a bite of her own half. "Anya, let's be best friends!"
Anya blinked. She looked down at the cracker in her palm. "Best... friends?"
"Yeah! That means we share all the yummy things, we play together, and we never, ever fight!" Lily's eyes shone with a pure, radiant light.
Anya was silent for a while. Then, a small, ethereal smile touched her lips.
"Okay."
Lily jumped for joy. "Yay! I have a new friend!"
The two began to play beneath the tree. Lily taught Anya how to weave a flower crown; Anya taught Lily how to fold a paper crane. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in dappled patterns, and the laughter of the two girls echoed softly within the secluded garden.
Meanwhile.
The more Miguel thought about it, the more his gut twisted. Lily never acted like that. She was imaginative, yes, but she wasn't a liar.
Miguel stuffed his remaining crackers back into his bag. "You guys stay here. I'm going to find Lily."
"Miguel-oniichan, do you want us to come along?" one of the kids asked.
"No. Finish your snacks and go back to the classroom. Don't wander off."
Miguel stood up and bolted in the direction Lily had run. He searched behind the main academy building, ran through the corridors, and checked the side gates.
Nothing.
He checked the library. Nothing.
The training grounds? Empty.
Behind the mess hall? Silence.
Miguel's breathing became rapid and shallow. He had checked every common haunt Lily frequented, but there was no sign of her.
How is this possible?
His palms began to sweat. He doubled back to the small garden, but it looked empty too. Only the rustle of the wind through the leaves answered him. Panic began to claw at his throat.
He turned and sprinted back to the courtyard. The other children were just finishing up, preparing to head back for the afternoon session.
"Has anyone seen Lily?!" Miguel wheezed.
The children shook their heads. "No, Miguel-oniichan. Didn't you find her?"
Miguel's face went bone-white. He pointed to the oldest boy in the group. "You! Run to the market and find Hans! Tell him Lily is missing!"
"Huh?"
"GO! NOW!"
Startled by Miguel's intensity, the boy scrambled up and sprinted for the gates.
Miguel took a deep breath and resumed the search. This time, he didn't just check the usual spots. He threw open storage sheds, checked the lavatories, looked behind every flowerbed, and even rummaged through the maintenance closets.
Nothing. Nowhere.
Just then, the school bell tolled, signaling the end of the break. Students began filing out of their classrooms. Miguel grabbed a passing instructor by the robes.
"Teacher! My sister is gone! I can't find her!"
The instructor blinked. "What? Which child?"
"Lily! Lily from Sunflower House! She ran off crying and she's not anywhere on the grounds!"
The instructor's expression shifted instantly. "Stay here. I'll raise the alarm!" He sprinted toward the administrative office.
Soon, every instructor in the Academy was notified.
When the news reached Hans, he was in his shop taking inventory. His quill stopped in mid-air.
"What did you say?"
The messenger boy stammered out the story. Hans's face went dark as a thunderstorm. He dropped his ledger, grabbed his coat, and charged out the door.
"Tate! Get the men and head to the Academy! Now!"
"Sinclair! Alert the City Guard! Tell them we have a missing ward!"
"Every member of the Guild—drop what you're doing! Find her!"
Hans's voice roared through the streets. He ran with a desperate velocity, his coat snapping behind him like a cape.
In the streets of Iron Fortress, more and more residents joined the search. Back at the Academy, instructors were methodically clearing every classroom.
"LILY! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Miguel's voice was a raspy, broken mess. He had searched the entire campus three times over.
When Hans burst through the gates, he found a scene of total frantic chaos.
"Where is she?!" Hans seized Miguel by the shoulders.
Miguel's eyes were rimmed with red. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Hans... I... I lost her..."
Hans released him, forcing himself to take a breath and suppress the spiraling panic. "Tell me exactly what happened. Everything."
Miguel recounted the story—Lily insisting she had a new friend, a girl named Anya, whom no one else could see.
Hans listened, his expression turning deathly still. "You say she saw a girl named Anya?"
"Yes... but none of us could see anything..."
Hans turned on his heel. "Take me to the last place you saw her."
Miguel led the way. They cut through the corridors and reached the small, secluded garden behind the dorms. Hans stood beneath the ancient tree, his sharp eyes scanning the ground.
On the grass, there were flattened patches—signs that people had been sitting. There were several crushed petals from wildflowers.
Hans knelt, picking up a half-woven flower crown.
"She was here," Hans murmured.
"Then where is she now?!" Miguel asked desperately.
Hans didn't answer. His gaze had caught something on the trunk of the tree.
In the rough bark, a message had been etched with a sharp stone. The letters were shaky and unrefined:
[LILY AND ANYA, BEST FRIENDS]
Hans's hand tightened around the flower crown, the stems snapping in his grip.
"Go. Get every instructor in the Academy here. Now."
His voice was a flat, terrifying calm. Miguel heard the underlying edge and didn't hesitate. He turned and sprinted away.
Hans stood alone beneath the tree, staring at the carved names.
The wind blew through the garden, making the leaves rattle with a dry, hollow sound. Underneath the tree, the scent of the garden had vanished, replaced by the faint, cold smell of stagnant Od.
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