Sitting in the depth of the pit, Lane kept his neck craned upward.
The silhouette of the small figure standing above looked even more mysterious in the hazy light.
Suppressing the sting in his ankle, Lane steadied his voice.
"Who... who are you?"
The question barely escaped Lane's lips.
His eyes still held that sparkle, but now they were clouded with deep curiosity.
He blinked and strained his mind.
The silence of the ruins seemed to transform into the echo of a memory.
Suddenly, from behind the memories of dark rooms and chains, a blurred scene emerged.
He remembered the time when they were all being dragged in chains to this ruin-like place.
On that rocky, dusty path, where there was only suffocation and the shadow of fear, he had seen this girl.
She wasn't with the crowd.
Instead, she was standing all alone and silent in a secluded corner of the path.
At that moment, her loneliness had been etched into Lane's mind forever.
A flash of recognition lit up Lane's face.
"Wait! I remember now," a slight chirp returned to Lane's voice.
"It's you!"
"When we were first brought to this ruin-like place... you were standing there all alone in that corner of the path."
"I remember it clearly."
The girl above tilted her head slightly, her eyes still full of questions.
She probably hadn't expected that in such a terrifying atmosphere.
Where everyone was only worried about their own survival.
Someone would remember a girl standing alone in a corner so vividly.
Lane raised his hand slightly against the wall.
As if trying to get a closer look at her.
"But you... what are you doing here in the middle of these ruins?"
"Are you also locked here with the rest of us?"
Standing at the edge of the pit, the girl remained silent now.
Her gaze fixed on Lane's wounds that told the story of that dark prison.
Standing at the edge of the pit, the girl remained silent.
Her gaze fixed on Lane's wounds.
After a few moments of heavy silence, she blinked and asked in a very low, almost whispering voice.
"Are you... badly hurt?"
"Not exactly hurt," Lane replied, nursing his ankle.
"It's just that my foot got twisted the wrong way."
"If it were fine, I'd have been out of this pit easily."
"I was just sitting here wondering what to do, but now that you're here... could you help me?"
The girl tilted her head for a moment, inspecting the rubble around her.
Then she gave a brief reply, "Yes, I can."
"Is there a piece of wood or something up there?" Lane asked, reaching upward.
"Take a look, do you see anything?"
The girl initially looked around with her wide eyes but saw nothing but rubble.
She slowly shook her head 'no'.
Lane nudged her again, "Can you look again? Maybe some wood or equipment I can use?"
The girl nodded silently and vanished into the dark ruins.
Lane waited below; amidst the stillness, he heard the faint sound of her footsteps.
After a while, she returned with a long, old rope.
"I found this," she said. "Should I throw it toward you?"
"Yes, definitely!" A spark of hope flashed in Lane's eyes.
The girl gripped one end of the rope firmly in her small hands.
And tossed the other end down to Lane.
Lane grabbed it tightly.
In his mind, he assumed she would tie the other end to a heavy stone or a pillar.
And then pull him up with that support.
Lane put his weight on the rope and began to climb.
He felt the rope being pulled up with remarkable stability.
But as soon as Lane's head rose above the edge of the pit.
And he saw the scene before him, he was stunned.
There was no stone, no pillar.
The girl hadn't tied the rope to anything.
She was simply holding it with her tiny hands.
And without any help or support, she was pulling Lane's entire weight up.
Using only the strength of her arms.
Lane's eyes widened in disbelief.
That small soul had brought him up to safe ground with unimaginable strength.
As soon as Lane reached safe ground, he forgot his own pain and scrambled to his feet.
Without wasting a moment, he almost snatched the rope from the girl's small hands.
Instead of admiration, his face was now filled with deep concern and anxiety.
"Are you crazy?"
Lane took her tiny hands in his and began examining them.
Turning them over as if searching for a wound.
"Does it hurt? Are you injured?"
The girl remained silent, but Lane's agitation only grew.
"Why did you have to do that? You shouldn't have taken such a risk."
"It would have been better if I had waited there until my foot was fine and climbed up myself."
"If you were going to help in such a dangerous way, it would have been better if you hadn't helped at all and just stood there quietly!"
Lane's voice was raised, but it wasn't anger—it was pure worry.
He walked around her, checking for any other scratches.
Then his eyes fell on her clothes, which had become soiled with dust and debris.
Without a second thought, Lane leaned down and began brushing her clothes with his hands in a very gentle manner.
He carefully flicked away every speck of dust.
As if she were something incredibly precious.
Throughout this, the girl stood as still as a stone statue.
She didn't utter a single word, nor did she resist.
She just kept staring at Lane with her wide, deep eyes.
Her silence was even more mysterious than the stillness of the ruins.
But Lane, oblivious to it, was completely absorbed in cleaning her and fretting over her well-being.
After Lane finished brushing the dust off her clothes and stood up, he realized her eyes hadn't wavered from him for even a second.
She was staring at him with such strange, intense eyes.
As if reading a map on his face.
"You did a great job," Lane said, giving her a reassuring smile.
"But promise me you won't do something so risky again."
Then, looking into her eyes, he asked, "By the way, can you tell me your name?"
The girl blinked and very softly repeated the word, "Name...?"
"Yes, your name," Lane said again.
The girl mimicked Lane's tone and asked, "Name... what name?"
Seeing such innocence, Lane's heart melted.
He felt as if this girl was completely unaware of the world's ways.
He smiled and placed a hand on his chest.
"My name is Lane. Can you tell me yours now?"
The girl's lips moved as she repeated, "Lane..."
She didn't reveal a name; instead, she simply turned and began walking with small steps.
Lane looked around; he had completely lost his sense of direction.
He thought, 'Better to follow her than to wander alone.'
He slowly trailed behind her.
Eventually, they reached a path lined with strange-looking houses.
The architecture and the surrounding silence filled Lane with wonder.
Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of that white railing.
Beyond the railing, several small and large houses were visible.
A spark of joy appeared on Lane's face; he felt as if he had found a way out.
He was about to turn back when the girl suddenly grabbed his hand.
There was a strange strength in her tiny grip.
She practically pulled Lane across that white railing.
She led him to a massive doorway that looked like a black hole.
It had no doors, just a thick, dense darkness that seemed ready to swallow anything.
Lane froze, startled.
The sight of that darkness made his heart race.
The girl looked at him and for the first time spoke clearly, "You should leave through here."
"No, I'm going back," Lane refused, panicked.
"I have to go to Luka. I'll come back another time... goodbye."
As Lane turned to leave, the girl called out his name for the first time, "Lane!"
Lane stopped. There was a strange pull in her voice.
"Can you sit here for a moment?" she asked.
Lane couldn't refuse such an innocent plea and sat down on the ground.
The girl stroked Lane's face with her small hands, took his hand in hers, and said in a very serious tone:
"You can go back, but will you do one thing for me?"
Lane looked into her eyes. "What is it?"
"Will you marry me when you grow up?"
Lane was stunned.
Hearing such a question from a little girl left him speechless.
He didn't quite understand the full meaning of the word 'marriage' himself.
But seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, he simply nodded.
"Alright, I will definitely marry you when I grow up."
Lane stood up and moved toward the dark portal.
As he left, he turned back and asked, "Won't you come with me?"
With a faint smile, the girl replied, "I am perfectly fine here."