**Chapter 111: Light and Dark (8)**
Missing?
I raised an eyebrow, instinctively asking her, “Who’s missing?”
“It’s, it’s our new kids! Several of them, they’re all missing… I-I can’t find them!”
The little girl’s eyes were welling up with tears, her anxious gestures turning into a chaotic dance, making her words a jumbled mess.
“There’s this especially mischievous one! She’s definitely the ringleader… With so many bad people outside, where, where could they have gone? Sister, have you seen the Pope? I need to tell him…”
She was looking for the Old Pope!
No way! I can’t let her go over there; there’s a corpse I turned into a popsicle over that way.
I rushed forward and patted Aili’s little head.
“Calm down, just tell me slowly… When did they go missing? What do they look like… and…” I tilted my head, thinking, “Aili, where did you last see them?”
“It was, it was two hours ago…?”
“No way, Aili! Two hours ago, it wasn’t even light yet!”
“Then… one hour ago!”
“When I got up, I still saw Ailei in the side corridor! She completely ignored me when I asked her what she was doing…”
“I saw her too! I saw her near the Main Altar! She looked so strange!”
“Right?! I thought so too…”
“She’s always been a bit weird…”
The two boys with Aili immediately chimed in, bickering back and forth, making my head hurt.
“Slow down, you guys, slow down…”
“Pretty Nun Sister, would you help us find them?”
“Peilo isn’t a nun… she’s—”
“Okay, Aili.”
I cut off the little girl before she could spill her words: “You talk to me about her features. I’ll keep an eye out.”
The kids must’ve just gotten lost or are hiding out of fear. They’re smart enough to know the situation outside, no fool would leave the church now. Aili and the others might have been scared by what’s happening in the hall, worrying for no reason… maybe they’ll show up on their own soon?
It should be fine…
But we can’t let them go looking for the Old Pope just yet.
“She’s… ten years old! A little younger than me, she came with new friends not long ago, the one named… Telle… After that incident, several streets were set ablaze. It seems her parents died in the disaster, and now she has no home… and…”
The little girl stammered, struggling to form a coherent thought. I was anxious to see Margaret and couldn’t help but remind her, “Aili, physical description.”
“Oh, right…” The little girl finally seemed to understand. She wiped her tears, nodding repeatedly at me, “As for looks… she has white hair! Her eyes are jewel-like red, oh so beautiful! She’s really small, but she’s a handful, always disappearing when you least expect it… Sister, I told you about her before; she never listens, and it drives me crazy! It’s such a weird time to be running around…”
I feel you on the headache…
“Got it.”
Seeing Aili rambling on without making progress, I quickly interrupted her again: “Aili, don’t worry, everything will be okay. That girl… she’s definitely nearby. It’s too scary outside for her to have gone far.”
But surprisingly, the little girl shook her head like a bobblehead.
“No! Sister, you don’t understand, Ailei is really bold! She often sneaks out at night by herself, never tells anyone where she’s going, and vanishes without a trace! Even the nuns can’t find her, and it drives everyone nuts! I keep telling her, but she just doesn’t listen. She’s so daring; once I even saw her talking to a snake… and a crow or something… She said those animals would protect her… oh dear, we need to find her quickly. Peilo, please…”
The little girl looked at me with pleading eyes.
I nodded gently.
“Alright. Aili… you, follow me.”
I wrapped my arm around the little girl’s frail shoulders, wanting to get them out of here first.
“Perfect. I need to find Marg…”
To find Margaret and have her instruct any free nuns or clerics to help look around… With that thought, I took a few steps with Aili, and the two boys followed closely behind.
Suddenly, I stopped.
Wait…
Wait, wait!
It felt like something just “boom” crashed into my brain, taking over my nerves. In an instant, my scalp tingled, and my body froze like I’d been electrocuted; my heart started churning with dread, sending chills down my spine.
Cataloma… a new girl… always playing hide-and-seek… no one can find her…
Talking to snakes and crows!!!
What in the world…
“Aili!”
“Ah!”
In my excited state, I shouted, startling Aili, and her little body trembled.
“Sis-Sister…”
The little girl looked up at me, her face a mix of shock and confusion.
But I didn’t have time to think about anything else; I grabbed her shoulders, speaking rapidly, “Are you sure! That little girl is an orphan from the disaster?!”
Maybe my expression scared her; the little girl appeared a bit overwhelmed.
“Sister, what’s wrong… that hurts…”
Ah, I gripped too tight…
“I’m sorry.”
I quickly loosened my hold, straightening her ruffled collar, doing my best to soften my expression, “That little girl… has the church confirmed her identity?”
Aili stared at me for a moment, her eyes deepening with doubt, but she answered truthfully, “Sister, I don’t know about that… she told us that much, but I never asked the Pope… but actually…”
The little girl hesitated.
Maybe she saw my serious expression and understood something felt off but didn’t quite get it; her little face was adorably confused, like she didn’t know whether to keep talking.
Seeing this, I hurried her along, “Actually what?”
“Well… I think she seems a little different…” Aili sniffled, rubbing her cheeks with her hand, “Sister, saying things like this about others isn’t nice… but since you asked… I’m just being honest. Sister, Ailei is so pretty; I don’t believe she’s from a common family… Normal kids couldn’t have such beautiful skin, and I’ve never heard of anyone with hair and eyes like that… I think she must come from a noble background like you… but others might not want to say, and there’s probably a reason, so I wouldn’t ask…”
“…”
Ah…
It feels like I just hit the jackpot.
“…Sister?”
“Aili, let me ask you.”
“Mm.”
The little girl stood up straight.
“Recently, a lot of people in the city have gone missing. Aili, do you know about this?”
“Mm, I know. I actually wanted to warn you to be careful… But then I found out you’d already left. But thinking back, you wouldn’t be scared of those bad people, right? Sister, when are you coming back—”
“Let’s not talk about that. I’m asking you, with the missing people, have they found any culprits?”
On hearing this, Aili’s eyes flickered, and then she shook her head.
“Never heard of anyone being found… After that, the city just…”
“Then, that one named—”
“…Ailei.”
“Mm, Ailei. When was the last time you couldn’t find her? Dusk? Nighttime?”
“Both, I think; it’s always mysterious…”
Suddenly, Aili’s eyes widened.
“Sister, are you suggesting… no way! Sister, Ailei is just a little girl! She’s not even eleven yet; where are you even going with this—”
“Sister, it’s not what you think.”
Aili couldn’t possibly understand…
But maybe things aren’t as I think they are; I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Perhaps she’s just a mischievous little girl, and it’s all just coincidence…
I rubbed Aili’s fluffy little head again.
Ah, my head hurts…
“Sister, let’s go find them. Aili… do you think she might go anywhere?”
Aili looked gloomy: “I don’t know, she never tells us…”
So I turned back to the two boys.
“Then you two, where did you last see her?”
The boys exchanged glances, and then one of them replied, “Sister, I saw her in the morning. Ailei woke up really early today, but she looked a bit… Although she’s usually strange, today felt extra weird. When I asked her what was wrong, she just ignored me, and I got upset and didn’t talk to her again… But I saw her heading towards the central hall; I don’t know what for…”
“Sister, I saw it too! Behind the central hall is the Main Altar, where the Pope usually prays and holds services. Sometimes we go there, and I saw Ailei walking that way in the morning… After that, I lost track of her.”
Behind the central hall… the Main Altar…
“Aili, take me there.”
“Sister, we’re usually not allowed in there; Ailei wouldn’t—”
You can’t go in, but that doesn’t mean the Abyss can’t.
“Take me there.”
Upon hearing my firm words, the little girl hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
“Okay then…”
After saying that, she turned and headed back the way we came, with me closely following behind. I noticed the little boys wanted to tag along and turned to say, “You two, help me out, okay?”
“Sister, you say!”
“You two, go to the front hall. Find a nun and tell her Margaret… tell the Saint, just say…” I tilted my head, thinking, “just say Peilo went to find… the little girl in the mud. And tell her about the Pope…”
…what to say about the Pope; the kids could never get that clear… I’ll speak to her in person when I see her.
“Forget it, we’ll just say that one. Remember?”
The little boy nodded repeatedly, “Uh-huh, we’ll remember! Don’t worry, pretty sister; we’ll take care of it!”
After having the little boy repeat it back to confirm they remembered correctly, I let them go. Then I quickly walked towards the Main Altar with Aili.
I don’t know if…
Maybe she’s not even there anymore… But I need to confirm personally; maybe I’ll discover something… I hope things aren’t as I imagine…
Together with Aili, we crossed the corridor, made our way down to the front hall, navigated through the crowd in the central hall, and passed through the garden behind the central hall. Ahead, there was a tall blue-white wall with a large iron gate locked up tight.
Just like the second floor, this place was empty and eerily quiet.
“Aili, I’ll go find someone to unlock the door…”
“No need.”
I shook my head.
“This is where the Main Altar is?”
“Mm.”
“Creeeak—”
Suddenly, a hoarse cry rang out from the sky.
I jumped, and then heard Aili yell excitedly, “It’s a crow! Peilo, that’s Ailei’s crow! She’s definitely nearby; she must be—”
The little girl bounced with joy beside me. I looked up at the large black bird circling above in the courtyard, taking a deep breath.
“Aili, get out of here.”
“Sister…?”
“Get out of here, go find the Saint. Tell her… about the little girl in the mud. I’ve found her.”
