"Sister, sister, I found it, I found it."
Laria was sitting by the window sewing some clothes when she heard her sister's voice rise with excitement.
She raised her head, smiling. "What's this, Elena? What did you find?"
Elena ran over, her breath ragged, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Do you remember that place our mother always talked about? I found it!"
Laria stood there in amazement and laughed softly. "That place? Impossible. It was just a story our mother told me."
But Elena grabbed her sister's hand tightly, shaking it gently. "Come on, you'll believe me when you see it."
Laria laughed and gave in. She got up from her seat, saying gently, "Okay, okay. Show me, Elena... Show me what you found."
Laria followed her little sister through the narrow passages, the sunset light streaming in between the windows, laden with golden dust.
Elena was running briskly, her hair blowing in the wind as she turned every now and then to make sure her sister was following.
"Hurry, Laria, before the light disappears."
Laria smiled, despite the strange feeling creeping in. The place was no longer as she knew it.
The walls were longer than they should have been.
They passed a narrow alley lined with creepers glowing a pale green, and the air was unusually cool. At the end, a half-destroyed stone gate appeared, covered in ancient symbols that glowed with a pale blue light.
Elena stood in front of it, panting from the run, her face lit with a wide smile. "See? I was right. It's true."
She reached out her small hand to touch the engravings, and a whirl of light emanated from it, swirling around them as if welcoming them.
Laria took a step forward, dazzled by what she saw, as everything around her began to lose its cohesion. Colors melted and sounds blurred together.
"Elena, where are we?"
But her sister didn't answer. She turned slowly toward her, her smile fading, her eyes casting strange dark shadows.
Laria took a step back, feeling the air thicken around her, and the portal behind them opening into a light that couldn't be looked at directly.
"My sister."
This time, Elena's voice was different. It was quiet, but it carried a distant echo, like a dream collapsing.
"Why haven't you come yet?"
Laria froze, darkness stretching around her as if the earth had swallowed everything familiar.
The blue light suddenly faded, leaving only the sound of the wind whispering her sister's name.
"Elena."
A sharp scream escaped Elena's lips, but it faded into a soundless void. The light fell around her, and the door slowly turned to ash.
Laria tried to grab her sister, but her fingers only touched the cold air. The cold grew until it became stinging.
Suddenly,
A gasp.
She woke up, sitting on the bed, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Darkness filled the room, except for a thin strand of light filtering through the window, carrying with it the whisper of the wind.
She reached out, wiping the sweat from her forehead, trying to remember what she had seen, but the scene faded like water between her fingers. All that remained was a single name ringing in her head
'Elena'
With the first rays of dawn, Laria sat by the window, staring into the distant horizon.
The sun had barely risen, and the city lay immersed in a heavy silence, as if catching its breath after a storm.
The sounds of the distant market were intermingled with the chirping of birds, but she didn't feel the reassurance everyone was waiting for.
A light knock on the door woke her from her reverie. She opened it and found Sasha carrying two cups of tea, followed by Rita, smiling despite her tiredness.
"You didn't sleep well, did you? We could hear you talking."
Laria was a little confused and lowered her head. "It was just a dream, nothing more."
Rita and Sasha exchanged brief glances, then Rita sat opposite her.
"Have you seen her again?"
Laria didn't answer at first. She just interlocked her fingers and looked down at the ground in a low voice. "She was there, in that place our mother used to tell us about. She told me about it so many times, telling me to go with her, to follow her. I followed her, but she disappeared. Everything changed."
Sasha gently placed her hand on Laria's shoulder.
"You still dream about her a lot, don't you?"
Laria shook her head slowly. "How could I forget her? I was young when it happened. I didn't understand why my father did what he did. Ever since that day, the dream has been bringing me back to that moment."
There was a brief moment of silence, broken only by the sound of the wind drifting through the window.
"Maybe it's not just a dream, Laria. Maybe it's a reminder... or a path that hasn't been closed yet."
Laria smiled faintly and whispered, "Maybe, but I'm tired of paths that lead to pain."
Sasha responded with a warm smile, trying to break the moment's weight. "Then let's make the next path lead to the light. We'll finish what we started, and one day we'll find your answers."
"Thank you for being by my side. It makes me believe that I'm still capable of searching. Without you, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have completed it. I love you, my friends."
Then she stood up and hugged them tightly.