Kill Me, My Love

Chapter 2

"Guides"

Lina woke up, as always, at five in the morning. She dressed in a long black dress, braided her hair, and looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled. Her light gray eyes immediately brightened, a blush appeared on her pale face, and her silver hair shone.

- No, this won't do, - she said to herself, frowning intentionally.

The abbess of their estate did not like excessive emotionality. Restraint – that was the virtue for a young girl. Therefore, Lina tried not to smile too often and to refrain from talking. Though in reality, no one tried to talk to her. Everyone was afraid of her and silently hated her. No wonder. After all, the silver-haired girl was the illegitimate child of a light father and a dark mother. She was the curse foretold. The doom of the whole world. The apocalypse in an innocent body. A monster. A beast. Evil. Her brothers and sisters in their cells called her by many names in whispers, cursing her and counting the days until her twentieth birthday.

After stepping away from the mirror, the girl drank a glass of water on an empty stomach and quietly, after opening the door, headed to the tower to meet the new day.

Climbing the wooden spiral staircase, she rang the bell, knelt down, and prayed for exactly one hour that her sacred mission would be successful.

After the prayer, she returned to her room to reread the last scripture from the book "Light and Darkness."

- And the time will come when the world will need purification. And the earth will cry out to all of humanity, for the seas will burn, the forests will turn black, and the creatures of the earth will vanish. Then in terrible pains, a woman marked by darkness will give birth to a child from a man marked by light. And this child will come into the world to save it. Just as a bird adorns itself in feathers, so the child will gain power on its twentieth birthday. And it will transform into a whirlwind that will destroy homes. And it will become an army that will punish the wicked. And it will turn into an ocean that will engulf all three worlds. And there will be no light, gray, or dark. Only nothing will remain, from which a new world will be born.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door, rhythmically and loudly enough. Lina walked over slowly and opened it. It was sister Solomonida.

- The time has come, girl, - she said in a trembling voice.

How Lina hated being addressed like that. The Order's members, having received her as an infant, had no intention of giving her a name. After all, why name one who will die soon anyway? The logic was surprisingly simple. So for everyone, she was just the girl.

In her teenage years, Lina overheard the abbess talking to Brother Karan about her and her parents. That’s when she learned their names: Lilith and Nakir. Without thinking long, she combined the first letters of their names and made up a name for herself: Li-Na.

- Alright, - she replied to Sister Solomonida, and as soon as she heard the affirmative response, Solomonida hurriedly walked away as far as possible from the "monster."

- By the way, I have a name, - Lina said into the emptiness and took one last look at the room that had been her home for almost twenty years.

A wooden narrow bed, a dresser with a mirror, and a chair by the window. The furniture had been the listeners of all her problems and fears. They had witnessed her tears and the small joys she could allow herself. Finally, she was freeing herself from these walls!

Without a trace of regret, she closed the door and headed for the exit. The corridors were empty and quiet, but not for long. As soon as Lina left the Order's estate, a loud celebration would ensue. Finally, they would rid themselves of the wretched burden.

In the hallway, all the brothers and sisters had gathered. Even the abbess stood solemnly by the always locked doors, secured with a dozen locks. Everyone was lined up in two straight lines along the walls, holding lit candles, whispering snippets from the scripture.

They ceremoniously bid farewell to Lina.

The girl walked forward, holding her head high. The black dress trailed along the floor, and aromatic scents clouded her consciousness. Finally, she was free. Finally, she would see the world, breathe in fresh air deeply.

After all, when Lina turned eight, she was forbidden to leave the estate. They didn’t even let her into the yard, so she wouldn’t poison the land with her presence. She had almost forgotten what grass felt like, how rain smelled, and how the sun warmed. Looking out the window, it was hard to imagine what those feelings were really like.

When she reached the abbess, pulling out a rusty key, she unlocked the last lock.

- The guides are waiting for you, don't disappoint us, girl, - the woman said dryly and opened the doors wide.

A cold wind blew in her face, and the eyes accustomed to the Sami-darkness of the estate were blinded by the bright sun. She had to shield her eyes with her hand.

After a few minutes, getting used to the light, Lina took a few steps forward and saw him.

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