Luca stirred, a dull ache throbbing in his leg. Something warm pressed against him. He blinked, adjusting to the dim morning light, and turned his head slightly. There, nestled against his side, was Evelyn. Her delicate arms clung to him as if anchoring herself from a nightmare.
"Don't… leave… me…" she mumbled, her brows furrowed in sleep, voice barely a whisper.
She was dreaming. A bad one, it seemed.
Luca kept silent, the weight of her small frame grounding him. Perhaps because he couldn't comfort her properly. He didn't move, letting her rest felt like the least he could do.
This was a new place. Day two of his second life, and he had woken beneath a bridge, wrapped in the cold air and mystery of a foreign world.
Off in the distance, the last traces of the red moonlight faded behind the thick blanket of clouds. That crimson hue had fascinated him since the moment he arrived. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't figure out why the moon glowed red or why the sky never cleared. The clouds seemed too dense in the day, too permanent.
He let the questions fade, just for now, and turned his gaze back to Evelyn. She was still asleep, her chest rising and falling steadily.
Eventually, her eyes fluttered open. She blinked slowly, as if adjusting to a dream she wasn't ready to leave behind.
"Mmm… Lu?" she murmured.
"Yes?" His voice was quiet.
"... Let's go wash up," she said, stretching and yawning softly, as though the nightmare were nothing but a passing shadow.
"Alright."
They walked to the nearby river to freshen up. The water was cold, but it woke them fully. By the time they returned to their makeshift spot under the bridge, Rin had just woken as well, her hands rubbing sleep from her eyes.
"Good morning, Rin," Evelyn greeted softly.
"Huaaah~ Morning'… Luca… Evy," Rin slurred, yawning so wide her eyes watered.
They sat together for a moment, enjoying the quiet. Evelyn eagerly turns to him, requesting his guidance in mastering the fundamentals of arithmetic and how to skillfully count money.
"Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three…" Evelyn continued their study from yesterday, carefully tracing numbers into the dirt with her finger.
"You are smart, sister," he said gently, encouraging her.
"Of course I am," she replied, her voice full of lightness and pride. "I'm your sister, after all."
Rin glanced over, eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Hey… what's going on over there?"
"I'm just learning to count from Lu," Evelyn said with a smile.
"Really? Are you smart, Luca?" Rin asked, head tilting.
"I… suppose so,"
"In that case… be my husband!" She declared, flashing a cheeky grin.
"I am sorry…" Luca murmured, looking away.
"Huh?" Evelyn's smile vanished. Her expression darkened into a glare as she looked at Rin.
Realizing what she'd said, Rin quickly backtracked. "Uh—never mind. Teach me how to count instead?"
"Sure," Luca said. "Where would you like to start?"
"I don't know a single thing," Rin said, oddly pleased with herself.
"Then we'll start from the very beginning."
They spent the morning counting together. Surprisingly, Rin picked up the numbers quickly. She even made it to a hundred, though she occasionally skipped a few. Evelyn, on the other hand, struggled a little, her face scrunching in frustration more than once.
But Luca was patient. He offered soft words of praise and calm encouragement. Gradually, Evelyn's mood lifted again.
In the afternoon, Rin wandered off to do her own thing.
"Sister," Luca said after a while.
"Yes?" Evelyn asked, gently brushing dust from her skirt.
"... Is it normal for the moon to be red here?"
She paused, thoughtful. "Hmm… It's always been that way since we were born."
"I see, so that's normal," he murmured. "But what about the sky? I've never seen the sun. The clouds are… too thick. It's always dim, like twilight."
"Ah, that," Evelyn said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "They say, these clouds are a blessing from God. They protect us from the evil light."
"What do you mean by evil light?"
"They say you'll die if sunlight touches you," she said simply.
Luca went quiet.
Sunlight… deadly?
It didn't make sense. He'd felt no heat, no increase in temperature, no radiation that could explain such a phenomenon.
Was it a myth? A superstition? Or something more?
"And the clouds are a shield?" he asked carefully.
"That's what the Solaris people believe," Evelyn answered with a shrug. "They're the saints of this world. They say they serve God Solaris and fight evil."
God Solaris… The God of the Sun? It sounded ironic, even contradictory.
They worship a god who kills them with light? Are they insane?
A cult, perhaps?
He would have to be cautious.
"Understood, Sister."
"Oh. Speaking of them, I heard they're giving out food today!" she said suddenly, clapping her hands together.
"We should go!"
Luca hesitated, but nodded. "Alright."
He didn't trust them. But he couldn't let Evelyn go alone, not if there was even the slightest danger.
They grabbed their cups and walked slowly toward the distribution site. Luca leaned heavily on his stick, but at least he could walk without help now.
When they arrived, a massive crowd had already formed. Hundreds of people were waiting in a winding line that stretched like a snake through the slums.
"Rin!" Evelyn called out, spotting her further up.
"Oh! Evy, Luca—finally!" Rin called, waving excitedly. "Sorry, I didn't tell you. I saw the line when I was out begging and didn't want to lose my place."
"It's okay," Evelyn said with a small smile. "We just remembered ourselves."
"Then. Hurry up and join the line!" she said with a grin.
They said goodbye to Rin and joined the end of the line. It took hours to reach the front. The light dimmed, night falling swiftly.
Luca's leg throbbed painfully, but he endured it, leaning on Evelyn when he needed support. Hunger gnawed at him, the ache in his stomach a cruel reminder of his weakness. All for the sake of food.
Finally, they each received a cup of hot soup and a piece of bread.
And when they arrived at the bridge, they noticed something odd. A boy, no older than ten, was curled near their usual spot. His hair was black, his eyes half-lidded with exhaustion. Blood crusted on his face. He looked half-conscious, his skin pale and bruised.
Evelyn's eyes lingered on the boy. She didn't say anything, but Luca could tell, the boy reminded her of him. Thereafter, she decides to give him her bread.
Approaching him, she knelt beside him and gently shook his shoulder.
"Hey… are you okay?" she asked softly. Her voice was warm, careful.
"What's your name?"
The boy didn't respond. He only stared up at her with wide, hollow eyes.
"That's alright. You don't have to speak." She smiled kindly and placed her bread in his hand.
"Here. You can eat this."
With that, she stood and returned to Luca's side.
The boy stared after her, unmoving. Then slowly, he looked down at the bread in his hand. His fingers curled around it, before he took a small bite.
Luca watched him quietly. For some reason, the boy's silence felt heavier than hunger.