Ashes

Arch III. The Longest Road. Entry 3. Step by Step

Number Nine slowly opened her eyes, feeling the world around her begin to take shape. For the first few moments, she didn't even understand where she was or what had happened. Her head was buzzing, and her body felt like it was in a fog. Gradually, the realization came - the memory of what had happened to her rolled over like a wave, causing a sharp pain throughout her body.

She tries to sit up, but pain shoots through her, making her freeze. Nine feels the heat coming from the wounds on her neck and realizes that her skin is burned. Cold sweat breaks out on her forehead, and she instinctively touches the affected area, but barely touches it before the sharp pain pierces her even more.

It was quiet around her, but her own screams that night echoed in her head. She tried to take a deep breath, but her breathing became rapid, and her heart began to beat in unison with the pain. She realized that she was not alone here. There was a rustling sound somewhere nearby.

Nine felt the fear creeping up on her, but she tried to focus. She needed to move. She decided that she needed something to ease this pain. She slowly raised her hand, trying to find something cold. A slight chill ran through her body, and she realized that she was shirtless. She had never felt so vulnerable in her life, but the physical pain forced her to focus on how to ease the pain. The thought of water came to mind, of how it could cool the wound on her neck that still burned like fire.

A young man came out from a dark corner of the room, where the rustling sound was heard. He walked slowly so as not to frighten the girl, because he knew what she was feeling at that moment.

Number Nine sat on the floor, pressing her hand to the burn on her neck, as if she didn't want anyone to see it. Pain pierced her, and every breath was difficult. When she saw the young man, she immediately wrapped herself in a blanket and crawled to the wall. There were two conflicting feelings in her head - fear and hope.

The young man stopped a few meters away from her and dropped to one knee. He knew that Nine was going through a difficult moment, and his appearance could cause even more fear. He was prepared for this - he himself had experienced something similar many years ago and learned to live on, seeing the light even where there was none.

"You have nothing to be afraid of," he said. His voice was calm and full of understanding. He looked into her frightened eyes, letting her see the sincerity and support in his own. "I'm here to help you."

Nine looked at him with distrust, but there was still a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Holding the blanket with one hand, she extended her other hand to him, letting him know that she believed him. The boy sat down next to her. He knew that the girl was shirtless. After all, he had been able to heal the wounds from the whip lashes a little. He noticed how she pressed her hand to the burn on her neck again, and suddenly he felt that pain. After all, a similar burn would forever remain on his neck, too.

"Number Nine, then," he began in a quiet voice, trying to calm her down. "I'm Number One, and... I want to help you."

"How? How can you help without knowing how I feel?" She replied in a trembling voice, full of pain and distrust.

One leaned towards her to get a better look at her face. At that moment, she got a good look at him: short, tousled white hair and eyes that were so similar to Lord Ritsu's. But it wasn't him. It was another man, very similar to him, only older. Nine saw a scar from a similar burn on him, but it was the number 1.

"I know what it's like to feel lost and vulnerable. I've been there before." His voice was full of understanding. "Let me help you with your burn. No one helped me at the time, so I had to do everything myself."