Neva slowly opened her eyes. The heaviness in her head made it hard to see her surroundings. She tried to move, but her body felt like it was weighed down with stones. The first thing she saw was Elios, sitting near her bed, his face tense. When he noticed her moving, his expression suddenly relaxed and he shouted loudly:
"Mother! She's awake!"
Within seconds, Mira rushed into the room. Her eyes were red from crying, and strands of her hair were messy, as if she hadn't cared about her appearance all night. She hurried to her daughter and sat on the edge of the bed, holding her tightly as if she was afraid she would disappear again.
"Thank God... Thank God you're okay, my little one... I was so scared…"
Her tears fell on Neva's shoulder as she hugged her. Neva stayed still for a few moments, trying to understand if what she was experiencing now was real or just an extension of the nightmare she had seen in the hidden council.
She took a short breath, then remembered everything at once: the strange house, the empty table, that merciless creature, and the face she didn't expect to see there... Elie.
Her fingers trembled as she lifted her head towards her mother and asked quickly:
"Where is Elie?Please, tell me where she is!"
Mira hesitated for a few seconds, stared at her daughter, then laughed lightly as if to reassure her, and said:
"Don't worry...We found her next to you; she didn't let go of your hand even when she was unconscious. She's in the next room now, just sleeping."
Neva's eyes widened, and a wide smile spread across her face, filling her heart with relief.
"So she's okay...!I was so scared…"
She reached out her small hand and held her mother's hand, while Mira sat next to her, stroking her hair and repeating:
"Everything is fine now...No need to be afraid anymore."
Not long after, the room door opened and Orestos entered. His appearance was tidy as usual, but his expression couldn't hide what was inside. His eyes were heavy, as if they hadn't known sleep all night, and his voice when he said:
"Neva…"
was low and hesitant.
Neva smiled at him innocently, while sitting in the bed leaning against the pillow.
"Father...I'm back."
He approached with slow steps, sat on the chair near the bed, and tried to paint a reassuring smile, but the paleness of his face didn't fool anyone. Mira remained silent, watching as if she was wondering if it was the right time to let them talk.
Neva broke the silence, her voice carrying some hesitation:
"Father...I want to tell you what happened to me there."
Orestos bowed his head a little and nodded to her.
"Speak,my daughter."
Neva began to speak slowly, as if replaying a film she didn't want to see again.
"Everything was dark...I couldn't see anything. Then suddenly, there was a house. I felt scared, but I entered it... He was waiting for me there... The Thief."
Orestos's face changed for a moment, but he hid it quickly.
"He then took me to a garden. He made it look like the palace garden... like a copy of it. We sat there. And after a little while, Elie came... She was the one who put the food on the table."
Here, a small smile appeared on Neva's face as she remembered the name, but on the other side, Orestos's composed expression faded. His smile vanished, and his eyes lowered to the ground. Neva didn't notice and continued speaking with childish excitement:
"While we were eating, The Thief told me something strange... He said that Elie had died... and that I was eating her. That scared me a lot... but I knew he was lying. What else would I expect from an Emerged being named 'The Thief'?"
She laughed lightly after her last sentence, as if trying to lighten the story's impact. But she didn't see how her father froze in place, how he clenched his hands until his knuckles turned white.
Orestos suddenly stood up and turned his back to them.
"I have to step out for a bit...There's something I must do."
He left the room with heavy steps, and Neva looked after him in surprise, while Mira tried to smile at her.
"Don't worry... Your father is just tired."
Then she stood up too, using the excuse that she would follow him for a little while.
They left Neva with Elios, who was trying hard to hide his yawns. And after a few minutes, he also apologized and said:
"I'm going to sleep a little...I feel tired."
And so, Neva found herself alone in the room, turning the events over in her head.
Neva stayed alone in the room. Silence hung heavy in the air, and the darkness outside began to creep through the window. She tossed and turned on her bed, bored, then sat up, her legs dangling onto the cold floor. Her heart hadn't yet calmed down from her talk about the hidden council, and inside her was a strong desire to see Eli with her own eyes, to make sure she was really okay.
She stood up slowly and stepped towards the door, but just before opening it completely, she stopped. She heard a familiar voice in the nearby hall. It was her father's voice. She hesitated for a moment, then opened the door a crack and pressed her ear to the corridor.
"I have finished Elie's burial rites... I promised," – it was Orestos's voice, low but clear.
Neva's eyes widened as if the air had been knocked from her lungs. She stayed silent, her hand gripping the door so hard her fingers hurt.
She heard Mira's voice, tense and angry at once:
"You should have been patient...How could you act like that in front of Neva? She's young, she can't handle the truth!"
Orestos replied quickly, a bitter tone in his voice:
"I can't lie anymore...Elie wasn't just a maid! She was a person with dreams... She wanted to be a famous teacher, to travel the Five Kingdoms, to see the world. And I... I made her a prisoner in this house, just a nanny for my daughter."
His voice trembled on the last word, then he added slowly, each word coming out like a stab:
"And now she's dead...because of our daughter."
Neva stood behind the door, her face pale, her body shaking.
Mira said, trying to calm him:
"Don't say that!She's not guilty, she didn't know what would happen…"
But Orestos cut her off, his voice rising for the first time:
"Yes,she is! I warned her repeatedly to stay away from that world, but she didn't listen. If she had obeyed, this wouldn't have happened. Elie died because she held her hand until the end... Neva is the reason."
Her father's words pierced her heart. She couldn't hear anything after that, only the echo filled her head:
"Neva is the reason...Neva killed Elie."
She opened her mouth to breathe, but she couldn't. She took a step back, then another, before turning around quickly and rushing back to her room. She closed the door softly behind her and collapsed onto her bed.
Her tears began to fall without stopping. She buried her face in her hands, repeating in a choked voice:
"It wasn't me!"
In a vast hall filled with the light of oil lamps, five men sat around a long, dark wooden table. The hall was not bustling with noise.
The first was an old man, completely bald with a neatly trimmed white beard. His eyes were half-closed, as if they trusted no one.
The second was a portly man,wearing fancy clothes that smelled of strong perfume. His voice was usually loud and his words direct.
The third was a thin young man,wearing round glasses on his nose, noting down every word in a small notebook he always carried.
The fourth was a man with a disfigured face bearing a long scar on his cheek.His sharp gaze sent shivers down the spine of anyone who saw him.
The fifth was the youngest of them,with very ordinary features; he looked more like a simple citizen than a councilor.
The old man began to speak, his voice calm but carrying an unquestionable authority:
"The situation is complicated.The question now is: Do we trust Elios? Is a child his age fit to be part of our plan?"
The portly man replied in an angry tone:
"I don't trust children.They are too emotional and act without thinking. Relying on one of them is a dangerous gamble."
The young man with the glasses closed his notebook gently and said:
"He may be young in age,but he is the most special person in the lineage."
The scarred man laughed scornfully:
"Special or not,he's still just a human. As long as he follows his emotions, we can control him."
Silence fell for a moment. Then the fifth man spoke, in a low voice with the laugh of a madman:
"Don't worry...we have the means to make him obedient."
All eyes turned to him, but he didn't say another word.
The old man placed his hands back on the table, looked at them all, and said:
"So,it's agreed. Tomorrow... we will present our obedient dog to the world."