novelraw Chapter 263: Anna's Dream
Chapter 263: Anna's Dream
Lu Li opened the window. The cold wind of the rainy night burst into the room, carrying with it a creature from the darkness.
A Black Crow hopped onto the table and bowed its head, shaking the raindrops from its feathers.
A small case was tied to its leg.
Lu Li removed the note from the case but didn't read it immediately. First, he broke off a small piece of bread from the loaf in his travel bag and placed it on the table for the crow. Only then did he unfold the note.
[New Incident in Himmfast: Cries for Help in an Alley.]
[Difficulty: None]
[Information Level: 10%]
[Known Information:
[5%: The target of the incident typically appears in dark alleys before random passersby and asks for help]
[3%: Time of day does not affect the target's appearance][2%: The cries for help belong to a woman]
[Investigators in the area are advised to decide for themselves whether to investigate this incident or to avoid it]
It was a warning from the Black Crow.
It hadn't been sent just to Lu Li, but to all the other investigators in Himmfast.
This was the first time Lu Li had encountered such a regional alert. He reread the note several times, memorized the format, and returned it to the case on the crow's leg.
“Eat up, and then you can go,” Lu Li told the Black Crow, which had finished preening.
Perhaps the crow understood his words, or perhaps it had intended to do so anyway. It bent its head and quickly pecked up the crumbs.
Leaving only a few specks behind, the crow hopped onto the windowsill and waited for Lu Li to open the window. Lu Li pushed it open, and the crow flapped its wings and flew away. The crumbs on the table scattered in the gust of cold wind.
Lu Li closed the window. The room fell silent once more. Only the slowly settling curtains served as a reminder of what had just happened.
Like Mery, Lu Li lit the kerosene lamp on the table, despite the bright electric light.
After the Night Calamity, every city did its best to prevent power outages, but unforeseen situations still occurred: light bulbs burned out, or technical faults arose. People were therefore advised to keep kerosene lamps lit as a backup source of light, even when the electricity was working.
There was no clock in the room, but the alarm clock in Lu Li’s bag showed it was nearly eight o’clock.
From the top of the nearly century-old lighthouse, the long, drawn-out toll of a bell echoed into the night sky—eight strikes.
Half an hour later, Anna returned.
“Aunt Mery is asleep.”
“You didn't forget to turn off the light when you left, did you?”
Anna sniffed. “I’m not an idiot.”
Her mood had brightened a little, perhaps because it was just her and Lu Li now.
Anna went to the window, sat down, and said quietly, “Aunt Mery was my mother’s best friend. They grew up together, went to school together, just like Daisy and I did... It must have been so hard on her when Mom died.”
Lu Li remained silent.
Anna turned her head and asked, “Aren’t you going to bed? We’re heading back tomorrow.”
“I slept a lot during the day,” Lu Li replied.
He would find it hard to fall asleep now, even though he hadn't really rested much during the day.
“Then I might rest for a bit...” Anna began, her voice hesitant and a little embarrassed. “I just showed Aunt Mery my abilities and... I’m a little tired out.”
“What did you do?”
Anna stammered, “I... I lifted Aunt Mery into the air...”
“Go get some rest.”
“Okay.”
Anna smiled obediently, smoothed the hem of her dress, and lay down on the bed.
“Good night, Lu Li.”
Lu Li didn't answer, and Anna seemed a little disappointed. Soon, she fell asleep, her ghostly form becoming still.
Lu Li looked at the sleeping girl, watched her for a moment, and then looked away.
He reread the three newspapers, set them aside, and, as if unsure what to do with himself, stared into space.
He wasn't bored. In the emptiness before his eyes, visions flickered and whispers echoed in his ears.
...
Anna hadn’t dreamed in a long time.
Not since she died.
For her, rest was just a word, like refilling a kerosene lamp or stocking up on firewood. Rest, rest, and then wake up.
She felt no meaning in that cold word. Close her eyes, open her eyes—time passed, but she was left with no memories, as if she were losing the very time she spent resting.
But today, while resting, Anna discovered that the word still held meaning for her.
A dark void stretched out around her, one from which there was no escape.
“An... An...”
A faint call echoed in the void.
Anna couldn't tell who was calling her. She couldn't even determine if the voice was male or female, young or old.
“An... na... Anna...”
After some time, the voice calling her name grew clearer.
Someone is calling me.
Anna sensed no threat or malice, so she simply listened to the indistinct voice, trying to understand what it wanted.
At some point, the voice slowly and haltingly uttered another word:
“Sis... ter...”
The dark void around Anna instantly collapsed, and she awoke as if from a nightmare.
An aggressive, icy aura spread through the room. But as she came to her senses, Anna immediately suppressed it.
She looked worriedly at Lu Li, who was sitting at the table. He was watching her with curiosity.
“What happened?”
Calming down a little, Anna said thoughtfully, “I... I dreamed that my sister was calling me.”
Lu Li knew that Anna didn't dream, so he asked, “The one in the elm tree?”
“Yes!”
...
Creak...
The tavern gate swung open. A man reeking of alcohol stepped out into the cold street. He turned and waved to his friends inside.
“It’s getting late. If I don’t get home now, my wife will tear me to pieces, along with my non-existent mistress.”
A roar of laughter and whistling erupted from the tavern, peppered with jeers.
The man grinned good-naturedly, lit his lamp, and started for home.
As he passed a dark alley next to the tavern, he heard a woman cry for help, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps.
He stopped and saw a figure dart out of the alley into the borderland of light and shadow, only to be seized and dragged back into the darkness. Cries and the sounds of a struggle echoed in the night air.
The man was cautious and not a fool. After a moment's hesitation, he turned without a second thought and headed back to the tavern to get help from his friends.
But he had no idea what he had just encountered.
Inside the loud, lively tavern, men were laughing and drinking. No one noticed when one of the gates creaked open, though there was no one behind it.
Only a lamp came rolling down the steps.
In the silence of the dark alley, a quiet voice whispered, “Why didn’t you help me?”
“I was going to get help! I was going to save you...”
The voice was cut short by a sudden crunch.
A moment later, a faint whisper drifted out: “Why didn’t you help me...”