The Dreamer and the Seeker
When Sera and Eli heard the voice from the other side of the gate, they both took a deep breath.
Even though Eli was more daring and risk-taking than Sera, she was not foolish enough to ignore their vulnerable situation. They were only fourteen-year-old girls living alone in a village in a completely different world. They had not spent enough time here to understand the true nature of the people around them.
After all, it had only been one day since they transmigrated into this world.
From the other side of the gate came Old Lu's gentle voice.
"Sorry, dear. I don't want to scare you, but could you open the door?"
Both sisters immediately came back to their senses and hurried to open the gate.
When the door opened, they saw Old Man Lu standing there.
But this time, something about him felt different.
The old man they had met yesterday looked calm, clean, and dignified. Now, however, Old Lu looked slightly messy, almost rushed. There was a faint panic mixed with excitement in his old eyes.
Sera felt that she had seen such a look before.
It reminded her of the expression in a small child's eyes when they finally completed a task they had been struggling with—excited and relieved, not caring about anything else anymore.
Sera quickly stepped aside.
"Please come in, Grandpa Lu."
As Sera observed him carefully, Old Lu suddenly became conscious of his appearance. He awkwardly tried to smooth the wrinkles on his clothes and laughed lightly.
"Sorry… I came in such a hurry that I didn't even notice my condition."
Both sisters smiled with understanding and welcomed him inside.
Sera went to prepare some tea for him while Eli brought a glass of water.
Old Lu accepted the glass and drank the water in one long gulp, as if he had not had anything to drink for quite some time.
They were sitting in Grandma Mary's old room, which had now become the sisters' sitting area.
Old Lu silently looked around the room. His eyes slowly moved across the walls, and for a moment he seemed lost in thought.
After a while, Sera returned with tea and sat beside Eli.
Old Lu took a sip and nodded.
"The tea is very nice."
Sera smiled politely.
After a short pause, Old Lu took a deep breath and spoke.
"Dear… as I said, I am very sorry to disturb you so late at night. And I am extremely sorry for leaving you both alone yesterday. You two are my responsibility, yet I left without thinking ahead."
Sera noticed that Old Lu truly seemed like a responsible elder.
The last time they met him, he had immediately realized that Sera and Eli were not the real Lily and Mily. However, his words about souls and bodies not being aligned had confused them at that time.
They had many questions to ask him, but he had left in a hurry.
Back then, the sisters were also confused and had not yet recovered the memories of Lily and Mily.
Now things were different.
Their minds were calmer, and the memories of Lily and Mily had slowly settled within them.
Sera spoke gently.
"Grandpa Lu… we were actually waiting for you. We have many questions."
Old Lu nodded with understanding.
He truly regretted leaving the girls alone without explanations or even money.
But at that time, he had needed to confirm something urgently.
"Yes, dear," he said slowly. "I also have many things to tell you first."
Both sisters straightened slightly, listening attentively.
Old Lu cleared his throat.
"The story is very long… perhaps even older than this old man's age."
He looked at them carefully.
"Do you know why people in this village bring their children to Grandma Mary to pray for them?"
Both sisters nodded.
Eli answered first.
"Yes. We thought it was something common… like when people ask elders to bless their children."
Old Lu smiled faintly.
"Yes, it is common. But people have brought their children and even sick loved ones to Mary since she herself was very little."
The sisters looked confused.
Old Lu continued.
"Let me explain more clearly. Our family has a strange ability. Not a supernatural power… but something close to strong observation. We can easily understand people's intentions."
He paused briefly.
"And we can also feel something darker within certain people."
Eli frowned slightly.
"Darker?"
Old Lu nodded.
"Not anger or jealousy. But the feeling of someone touching forbidden rituals… rituals meant to harm others."
He sighed.
"I am not very good at sensing these things. But other members of my family were. Grandma Mary was also very gifted in this ability."
Old Lu's eyes grew distant, remembering the past.
"When we were children, our teacher once gave us advice. Later, our fathers called each of us separately for a talk. We were told that some knowledge must never be shared with outsiders."
He shook his head slowly.
"I do not remember what the others were told. But I remember very clearly what my father said to me."
Old Lu looked directly into Sera and Eli's eyes.
"My father gave me something and said that one day I would meet one of the pairs of a Dreamer and a Seeker."
The sisters felt as if his gaze could see straight into their souls.
"I do not know what the Dreamer and the Seeker truly do," Old Lu admitted. "My father never explained that part. But he told me the signs that would appear when I met them."
Eli frowned slightly.
"But Grandpa Lu… what does that have to do with us?"
Old Lu smiled gently.
"When I met you yesterday—not Lily and Mily, but you two—I felt something very strange."
He continued quietly.
"Didn't I tell you before? When your grandmother first brought Lily and Mily to us as babies, we felt something unusual. Their souls and bodies did not fit perfectly."
Sera and Eli listened silently.
"But yesterday," Old Lu said slowly, "when I met both of you… the bodies were perfectly aligned with your souls."
He sighed.
"I cannot explain it better than that. But that is the truth."
Sera nodded thoughtfully while Eli looked more confused than ever.
Then Old Lu placed a cloth-covered object on the table.
Both sisters looked at it curiously.
"As I told you," Old Lu continued, "when my father spoke about the Dreamer and the Seeker, he also gave me these items. He told me that if I ever found them, I must hand these over."
He slowly removed the cloth.
Inside were two objects.
A thick ancient book.
And a long stick with a flame-shaped crystal fixed at its top.
Old Lu sighed deeply.
"I wish I knew more. But with every generation, the knowledge about the Dreamer and the Seeker has been lost."
He gently touched the book.
"This book contains information about curses—why they are performed and how they work."
Then he looked at the crystal stick.
"But this… I have no idea what it truly does."
He opened the first page of the book.
Written there were the words:
**Light will find you, for it was made for you.
When you defeat Greed.
The most evil thing in this world is the greed of humans.
It does not only destroy humanity,
it also refuses to let other creations live in peace.
Defeat greed.**
Sera and Eli looked at Old Lu, silently asking what it meant.
Old Lu sighed.
"I have studied this book many times since childhood. I believe these words are somehow connected to the stick… but I do not know how."
Sera then asked quietly,
"Grandpa Lu… how do you know we are the Dreamer and the Seeker?"
Old Lu answered calmly.
"Dear, your arrival in this world cannot be a coincidence. And the feeling my father told me about when meeting the Dreamer and the Seeker… I felt it when I met you."
He paused.
"Unfortunately, I cannot help you further. My family's role was only to deliver these items."
Sera nodded slowly.
She understood that asking more questions would not bring new answers.
Perhaps the Dreamer was related to her dreams.
But who was the Seeker?
She took a deep breath.
"Thank you, Grandpa Lu. We will take care of these."
Old Lu smiled warmly.
Eli then spoke.
"Grandpa Lu… stay here tonight. It's very late outside."
Sera nodded in agreement.
Old Lu laughed.
"Alright, alright. I will stay."
Then his tone softened.
"But I must leave early tomorrow. When I believed I would never meet the Dreamer and the Seeker, I chose another path in life. Now that I have met you… I cannot abandon that path."
He looked at them kindly.
"This place is safe for you both. And you are brave children."
He pointed toward another room.
"I will sleep there. I am a wandering man. I can sleep even on the ground, even in the rain."
All three of them laughed.
Old Lu wrapped the book and stick again and handed them to Sera.
Sera passed them to Eli, who carefully placed them inside a cabinet.
They talked for a while longer.
For the first time since arriving in this strange world, the sisters felt a sense of peace.
Old Lu had a calm and kind presence, and it comforted them to speak openly with someone who knew their truth.
Eventually, Old Lu went to sleep.
Soon after, the sisters also went to bed.
As the night deepened, silence slowly spread across the world.
Sleep descended softly, like a quiet blanket covering everything.
The stars dimmed their whispers,
The winds grew calm and slow,
And dreams walked through the silent dark
Where only sleeping hearts could go.
Sera began to feel something strange again.
Once more, she found herself inside that dream.
But this time the dream was different.
Everything was blurry, just like the very first time she experienced it.
The voices were unclear.
Not like the time when Eli had been there with her, when both of them could move freely and hear the voices clearly.
Now Sera felt frozen in place.
She could not move her body at all.
In her blurred vision, she could see the small figure of a girl again.
Was the man there?
Sera could not tell.
Everything was too unclear.
Her heart hurt.
She desperately wanted to reach the little girl.
To save her.
But she could do nothing except watch.
The dream continued for what felt like a very long time…
Until eventually the darkness faded and Sera finally fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up again, the morning sunlight was already shining through the window.
The bright rays touched her eyes.
She raised her hand to cover them before slowly sitting up.
Eli was still sleeping with her back turned toward Sera.
Sera quietly stood up.
She stepped out of the room and noticed that the other room's door was open.
When she entered, Old Lu was gone.
The bed was neatly arranged.
But on the pillow, there was a small folded note.
Sera opened it.
It read:
**Women are like the Phoenix.
They carry a light within them.
Wherever they go, they bring warmth and life.
My children, if destiny wishes it, we will meet again.**
A soft smile appeared on Sera's face.
She folded the note carefully and placed it inside her small notebook.
Just then Eli woke up and came out of the room.
"Do you need help? Should I wake Grandpa Lu?" she asked.
Sera shook her head and showed her the note.
"He already left."
At that moment—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Someone knocked loudly on the gate.
This time it was morning, so the sisters were not afraid.
But Eli frowned.
"That person is really rude… knocking like that so early in the morning."
They opened the gate.
Outside stood a woman, with a man standing behind her.
The man tried hard to appear arrogant…
But his eyes kept nervously flickering toward the two sisters.