Lifeline {There is still a way out}
1018 Words
Then… slowly,
he lifted his hand
and rested it gently on her head.
But his eyes remained open.
Fixed on the fire.
As if the truth…
was still burning there.
Months passed…
But something inside Mila
never settled.
One thought
kept following her every moment.
Her mother.
Was she like her?
Was she living somewhere…
a place untouched by hunger or humiliation?
Could she… belong there?
She would look at the people around her…
tired faces,
exhausted bodies,
eyes that had long since lost hope.
“I’m not one of them…”
She whispered it to herself once
only to be struck with guilt a moment later.
But the feeling didn’t fade.
It grew.
Maybe… if she found her mother,
she would understand.
She would know who she truly was.
And maybe…
She would find a way to help these people…
to save her father
from this endless suffering.
Every time the sky filled with black wings,
and food was thrown down like scraps
She cried… silently.
Her chest tightened… more and more…
until one day,
she felt she could no longer bear it.
But she had no choice.
Until that day.
The sky… was not as it usually was.
It wasn’t black.
It was… white.
A single wing cut through the heavens,
gleaming beneath the light
different… majestic… terrifying in its silence.
Everyone froze.
Some stepped back.
Others… bowed.
“Aetherion…” someone whispered, fear trembling in their voice.
The man descended slowly,
his white wings folding behind him
as if concealing a light too overwhelming to behold.
In his hand…
A scroll.
A heavy silence fell,
as though the earth itself had stopped breathing.
All eyes were on him.
Fear… anticipation… surrender.
What had they decided this time?
Punishment?
Extermination?
Or something worse?
He stood among them,
his gaze cold
not cruel, not kind…
just absolute authority.
Then he spoke,
his voice clear, unwavering:
“Listen… and listen well.”
His words echoed through the space,
like a command that could not be refused.
“By decree of the Supreme Ruler…”
Breaths quickened.
“A grand trial shall be held… between the continents.”
Glances were exchanged
confusion… murmurs… unease.
Then he continued,
his tone final:
“From each tribe… only one will be chosen.”
“One… to rise as a leader,
should they succeed in overcoming the trial’s conditions.”
The air itself seemed to freeze.
Only one?
Eyes darted between one another
fear creeping back in…
laced with a fragile thread of hope.
But he wasn’t finished.
“And by the intercession of the Sage… Elias…”
The name fell differently
heavy… significant.
“We have been permitted…
to select from among you as well
a limited number of males and females.”
The murmurs grew louder.
Shock… disbelief…
“And if one of them succeeds…”
He paused
as if the next words carried the weight of the world itself.
“You shall be granted… your freedom.”
Silence…
A silence unlike any before.
As if everyone… had forgotten how to breathe.
“And your name… will echo once more.”
That sentence
It broke something inside them.
Or perhaps… brought it back to life.
Murmurs rose suddenly,
eyes filling with something long forgotten
Hope.
The man cast them one final glance, then said coldly:
“You have two days.”
A brief pause…
“Choose who will represent you.”
Then, slowly, he spread his wings…
Light reflected off them,
as if the sky itself had opened.
“I will return.”
And in a single moment
He rose… vanishing into the heavens as he came.
Only dust remained…
and trembling hearts.
People exchanged glances
some smiling in disbelief…
others afraid this hope might be nothing more than another illusion.
But Mila…
Did not move.
Her eyes were fixed on the sky.
Her heart pounded.
“Freedom…”
She whispered it,
as if it were a word she had never known.
Then her hand slowly clenched…
as if grasping something unseen.
Mila ran
her heart racing ahead of her steps.
A smile she hadn’t worn in years
spread across her face,
as if hope had finally found her.
She burst into the cave, searching for him.
“Father!”
Marcus turned,
his features weary as always
but something in her voice made him pause.
She stepped closer, unable to hide her excitement.
“Father… I want to take part.”
The smile vanished from his face instantly.
“No.”
Cold. Immediate.
She froze.
“ But ”
“I said no.”
This time, his voice was harsher.
She took a step forward,
her eyes burning with determination.
“This is our chance! Maybe I can—”
He cut her off sharply, his voice rising:
“How can I send my only daughter there?!”
He stopped, breathing uneven.
“No… you are not going
She swallowed her words for a moment,
then spoke more softly
but with honesty that cut deeper:
“But, Father… maybe I could see my mother…”
He fell silent.
“And maybe…” she continued,
“understand why I’m different… why I don’t have a wing…”
Suddenly
“Did someone insult you?!”
He shouted.
She stepped back, startled.
“Answer me!”
His brows tightened,
his eyes filled with a fury she had never seen before.
“Did anyone dare mock you?!”
She hesitated.
Confused.
Then quickly said:
“No… that’s not what I mean”
But she stopped.
Then lifted her eyes to him this time without fear.
“I just… can’t take it anymore.”
Her voice cracked slightly,
but she kept going:
“This … this hunger…”
She gestured toward the outside.
“The children… they know nothing but chasing food!”
“What kind of life is this, Father?!”
A heavy silence fell.
Marcus looked at her, his face tense,
his hands clenched tightly
as if something inside him was about to break.
But it didn’t.
Instead, he spoke low… final:
“You are not going.”
A pause.
“Do you understand?”
- Writer
