“I don’t think this can be our new home.” Lyra looked around at all the empty houses filled with dust and cobwebs. “I get a creepy feeling here.” She shivered.

  “Yes, we have to move further to find some other place. This village is clearly not good.” Tarin was leaning on the window, looking particularly at the house in front of him. It had a similar shape to his house on the island. It reminded him of his house and his mother, who worked hard all day so she could put food on the table. After his father fled the island, his mother had to start working for silvers. But he didn’t let her take all the responsibility. Tarin used to train at night and work at a mill in the daytime.

  “Some creatures called Loms used to live here,” Arix whispered, also staring at a particular house in the distance. They both turned toward Arix, expecting an explanation. Arix gave side-eyes to both of them and put his hand on his bag to take out the painting.

  They both looked at the painting one by one. “Wow! They look cute together, but also creepy.” Lyra shivered while wrapping her arms around herself.

  “When were you planning to show us this painting?” Tarin asked for an explanation from Arix while examining the painting.

  “Um… right now?” Arix hesitated a bit.

  Tarin shook his head and kept staring at the creatures in the painting. “They look like humans, but with tails.”

  “And also the same height as us and thin,” Lyra nodded.

  Arix was standing in the middle of them both. He kept turning sideways to each of them whenever they spoke.

  After a while, they all heard footsteps behind them, and turned immediately. Tarin put his hand on his greatsword, ready for anything, while holding the painting in one hand. Arix got into a stance, putting one foot forward and one hand back. Lyra put her hand on her needle, ready to unsheathe it at any time, while standing in a normal, straight position.

  Before them stood a figure, the same height as Arix, with long white hair and a white robe worn around her. Her ears were long and pointy, twice the size of a human’s. And she had glowing white eyes. She had a staff on her back–a long one. But one thing that caught the group’s attention was that she had no mouth. At the place where her mouth should have been, below her nose, there was nothing.

  She took a few steps forward toward the group, bending forward a little with both her hands behind her. Tarin unsheathed his greatsword. “What are you? Are you here to kill us?”

  She shook her head quickly while bringing her hands forward in a surrender posture.

  “She has no mouth.” Arix calmed his posture a bit; he hadn’t sensed any danger from her.

  “She has no mouth… how is this possible?” Lyra whispered, calming herself a bit.

  It was getting dark outside. The howling of various creatures echoed in Arix’s ears. Except for this, he could hear nothing– not even the creature’s footsteps as she walked a little closer to the group.

  She was maintaining her surrender posture, and after walking a few steps, she pointed one hand toward the group, then pointed it at herself and joined both her hands together, like she was trying to say something.

  “Do you want to be our friend?” Lyra nodded once while whispering in a calm way.

  The creature nodded quickly, putting both her hands behind her back again.

  Not sensing any danger, Tarin loosened his grip a little, still ready for any attack. “Do you guys seriously trust her so easily?” he said.

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  “We can use any friends we can get on this land.” Arix approached her while bringing his hand forward, expecting a handshake. “I am Arix.”

  She looked at him and brought her hand forward to shake.

  The moment she grabbed his hand, he twisted her arm, spun her around, and tightened his grip around her neck, “Now tell me, what do you need from us?”

  She nodded quickly, trying to loosen his grip, but failed miserably.

  “How can she speak? She has no mouth.” Lyra took a few steps forward to reach the creature.

  The creature pointed one hand toward the window while shaking in Arix’s grip.

  “Do you want us to look outside the window?” Arix turned toward the window. She nodded and held Arix’s hand with both her hands.

  Arix slowly started walking toward the window. Tarin looked outside the window first, as he was the closest to it. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He slowly sheathed his greatsword, as Lyra and Arix both approached the window with the creature.

  When Arix reached the window, he saw many ghostly creatures wandering around in the streets. They had tails and white eyes—very thin bodies and the same height as humans. They were Loms, but transparent, like ghosts or spirits.

  “Um… are they ghosts?” The words left Lyra’s mouth with a shocked expression.

  “You wanted us to see this?” Arix turned toward the creature in his grip.

  She nodded, after which he loosened his grip and let her go. After that, she took a few steps away from Arix and gasped for breath.

  “Are they even alive?” Tarin whispered in awe. He and Lyra both could not take their eyes off them. They were wandering only in the streets, going forward and backward—not entering the houses, not even looking up or in other directions. Among them, there were small creatures which seemed like the children of those bigger ghostly Loms.

  Arix was facing the creature. “Tell me what do you want?”

  She made some gestures with her hands that he didn’t understand.

  “I can’t understand you.” Arix narrowed his eyes.

  She took a deep breath and pointed one hand toward herself, then toward the gate, and made a running gesture in the same place.

  “You want to escape this place?” Arix dragged his words a bit and lifted his chin.

  She nodded.

  “Can’t we leave this place normally?” Tarin turned toward the creature.

  She shook her head. Her hands came back together again.

  “How do you know? Are you stuck here?” Arix inquired.

  She nodded again.

  “So how can we leave this place?”

  She lifted both her hands slowly, palms turned upward, and raised her shoulders in a small shrug, as if she was trying to say that she didn’t know.

  Arix understood immediately. He let out a long sigh and went toward the window. He saw a small ghost child holding the hand of a bigger ghost as they walked forward. It reminded him of the family in the painting.

  “We don’t trust you but If you can help us find a way to escape, then you can stay with us,” Tarin told the creature.

  She nodded and came forward to stand between Lyra and Arix.

  “Do you have a name?” Lyra asked, looking at her.

  She looked at Lyra without any gesture or expression.

  “I guess you can’t say, even if you have one. Right?”

  She nodded.

  “Then how about we give you a new name? Umm… how about Meilie?”

  She nodded quickly, indicating that she liked her new name.

  “So, Meilie, do you know anything about this place?” Lyra smiled and turned toward the window.

  She shook her head a little and turned back.

  “How long have you been here?” Arix asked over his shoulder.

  She held up five fingers.

  “Five days?”

  She nodded.

  “Will these ghosts attack us?” Tarin asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Then let’s go and check what’s happening.” Tarin turned from the window and started walking toward the door.

  “Agh… I am tired.” Lyra loosened her shoulders and lifted her chin toward the ceiling as she followed Tarin. Arix and Meilie came behind her.