A Prayer That No One Answered

Their lives unfolded in the abandoned church, following a strange yet cozy rhythm.

The first ray of sunlight passed through the shattered stained-glass windows, casting kaleidoscopic shadows across the floor.

"Today, let's clear out a vegetable garden!" Celia said excitedly, pulling her toward the open ground behind the church.

The weeds stood waist-high, and thorns ran wild.

Soteria gripped the hoe clumsily, every swing like a battle against the earth itself.

Sunlight spilled over her pale skin, bringing an unfamiliar sting, yet also an indescribable comfort?

"Not like that. Like this—" Celia took her hand and guided her into the proper posture.

The warmth from her palm left Soteria dazed. In her centuries in the Abyss, she had never felt such simple, pure contact.

In the afternoons, Celia liked to read beneath Soteria's quietly unfurled bat wings. Those wings, black as night, shielded her from the blazing sun and created a little world of cool shade.

"Long, long ago, there was a brave Knight—" Celia read in a soft voice. "He set out to rescue his younger sister, who had been imprisoned by an evil dragon—"

"Unwise," Soteria commented. "An evil dragon is ten thousand times stronger than a Knight."

"But family can create miracles," Celia argued.

"What is family? Can you eat it?"

Celia froze for a moment, then chuckled. "Family means being willing to give everything for your loved ones, even your life."

Soteria fell silent. The idea of bonds of blood was far too unfamiliar to her, yet it seemed to be quietly taking root in her heart.

Sometimes, Soteria used her half-baked illusions to conjure gifts for Celia.

"Look!" Like a child presenting a treasure, she handed over a flower that glimmered faintly. "This is a Shadowbloom, a specialty of the Midnight Isles. It never withers."