Chapter 1

"Lil sis," I heard voices, but wait, how come I can only hear one? Did I die?

"Euno," I exclaimed, feeling trapped by those delicate arms. "HUH? I can hear three distinct voices, they are wailing, to be precise. I don't know what's happening around me." I tried to open my eyes slowly.

"Eldest Brother, look!" a young lad's tiny voice came from beside me, and then I noticed he was the one shaking my body.

"She's awake! Elder sister is awake!" followed by the wee voice of a child.

"OUCH!" A sharp pain assaulted my head, and fragments of memories came rushing in. I took deep breaths to steady myself. After a while, I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, feeling confused. There I saw three pairs of eyes eagerly staring at me.

"Ugh," I whimpered. "Sis, it's okay, it's okay," the oldest one, wearing a faded blue loose-fitting robe, said as he held my shoulder, trying to support my body. Ah! This must be my oldest brother.

"Euno, don't sit, don't sit," the one holding my hand kept shaking his head. "You can lie down first, okay? Don't force yourself." I looked at him and realized that he was supposed to be my 'twin.' I continued staring at them, unsure of what to do. After a few deep breaths, I finally smiled at them and said, "I'm okay."

"Are you really okay, elder sister? Please don't scare me like that again," the youngest of them said as he slowly made his way to hug me. In his eyes, I saw a great amount of fear and grief. It seemed to tell me that he couldn't bear another blow if he witnessed another scene like this. I lifted my hand and touched his face, such a sweet child who brought warmth yet unknowingly carried pain in his heart because he was just a child and yet he had already suffered. "Shh, it's okay, it's okay," I said, trying to wipe away his tears. This was obviously a five-year-old child, yet so mature that he tried to stop his tears from falling because he feared it would hurt me to see him like this.

"I'm sorry, Cree. This will not happen again, I promise," I said while rubbing his back, as he hiccuped, trying to stop his tears. "Cree, stop crying and let your elder sister rest, okay?" said Allardy, while attempting to lift Cree. The latter nodded and allowed himself to be carried by our eldest brother. I warmly smiled at them as they left the room.

"Here, water. Drink some first," Seeley handed me a wooden cup made of bamboo. I took a sip and exhaled a few breaths. "Are you okay now?" he asked with concern, refilling the clay jar with another cup of water. "Bal," I sweetly called him, and he was taken aback. He staggered a few steps and dropped the cup, then hurriedly ran towards me.

"You really scared me, Bal," I could see tears forming in his eyes. Being twins, he was much closer to me, and as the only girl among them, he was at his wit's end when he saw me lying on the ground like a lifeless body. I smiled comfortingly at him. He only let go when he heard footsteps approaching us.

"Mis—Bellona, are you okay?" When I turned my head, I saw a middle-aged man hastily walking towards us with his crutch.

"I assure you, Uncle Jiang, I am perfectly fine. There is no need to worry," I replied, trying to alleviate his concerns. I looked at them and innocently blinked my eyes, hoping to convey a sense of reassurance.

"I believe I should rest for a while, as I'm feeling a bit sleepy," I added, gradually closing my eyes. I could sense someone tucking me in with a quilt, and soon enough, the sound of footsteps receded as they moved away from me. I needed time to gather my thoughts and sort through my mind. I was uncertain of how I ended up here, but since I found myself in this situation, I resolved to embrace it and live my life, following the path it presented.