Chapter 13
622 Words
Lilly didn’t say anything at first.
She waited.
That was how Mia knew it was serious.
They followed the group down the next corridor, voices picking back up around them, the tension from earlier fading for everyone else.
But not for Lilly.
Not for Mia.
“Mia.”
Quiet.
Close.
Not playful this time.
Mia kept walking. “I said it was nothing.”
“I know what you said,” Lilly replied. “I’m asking what actually happened.”
Mia exhaled slowly.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
Lilly studied her. “That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have.”
They walked a few more steps in silence before Lilly leaned in slightly.
“You felt something,” she said.
Not a question.
Mia hesitated… then nodded.
“…Yeah.”
“How bad?”
Mia glanced ahead, making sure no one was listening.
“Not bad,” she said quietly. “Just… strong.”
Lilly’s expression tightened slightly.
“And him?” she asked. “Was he part of it?”
Mia’s chest tightened again at the thought.
“…Yeah.”
Lilly let out a slow breath.
“Okay,” she muttered. “Yeah, I don’t like that.”
Mia huffed softly. “You don’t like anything.”
“No,” Lilly corrected, “I don’t like things that make you look like that.”
Mia frowned. “Like what?”
“Like you’re about to either pass out or accidentally start a war.”
Mia snorted despite herself.
“I’m fine.”
Lilly didn’t look convinced.
But she let it go.
For now.
“Alright, moving on,” their guide called, gesturing toward the next section. “This exhibit focuses on early mythological interpretations tied to both lunar and blood-based deities.”
“Now this,” Lilly whispered, “sounds interesting.”
Mia followed, her attention shifting as they entered a wider hall.
The lighting here was softer.
Warmer.
And the displays—
Older.
The walls were lined with artwork, worn with age but carefully preserved. Paintings stretched across stone panels, depicting vast gardens, open fields, and flowing landscapes untouched by time.
Places that felt…
Peaceful.
Almost unreal.
“They’re beautiful,” Mia murmured.
Lilly nodded. “Too beautiful. That’s suspicious.”
Mia smiled faintly.
Glass cases held carved stones, each etched with intricate designs—swirling patterns that looked almost like writing, though none of it matched any language Mia recognized.
She paused at one, tracing the air just above it.
“It looks like it means something,” she said.
“It probably does,” Lilly replied. “We just don’t get to know what.”
Further down, the exhibit shifted.
The air felt different here.
Heavier.
Reverent.
A large display stood at the center of the room.
“The Blood Goddess,” the guide announced.
Mia’s attention snapped to it instantly.
Statues.
Jewelry.
Artifacts.
All centered around a single figure.
At the heart of the exhibit stood a statue carved from bright white marble—flawless, luminous under the soft lighting, as if it held its own quiet glow. The figure was elegant, draped in flowing stone that seemed to move like silk, her face serene… but indistinct. Not worn by time—no, it was something else.
Undefined.
As if no one had ever truly seen her.
Or survived long enough to remember.
“She’s pretty,” Lilly whispered.
Mia tilted her head slightly, studying it.
“She’s… not like the others,” she said quietly.
Because she wasn’t.
There was no history etched into her. No familiar symbols. No clear origin.
Just presence.
Unknown.
Untouched.
Watching in a way that didn’t feel hostile—
But didn’t feel safe, either.
- Writer
