Lily surfaced from darkness slowly.
At first, everything was blurred—sound before sight.
Muffled voices drifted around her like distant echoes through water.
"Is she waking up?" a woman whispered.
"I think so," another voice answered.
A pause.
Then, softer—
"Poor child."
The words brushed against Lily's mind before the voices grew clearer.
"This is what the academy has done for centuries," a man said, his tone low and conflicted.
"And we, as guardians, are meant to care for the children assigned to us," the woman replied.
A sigh followed.
"I know, Leon. But it still feels so cruel."
A sharper voice cut through the room.
"That is enough, Amaria."
Silence.
Then a hushed whisper—
"She's awake."
Lily's eyelids fluttered open.
Sunlight streamed gently through a tall window, warming her face. The brightness made her squint at first, and everything appeared as soft shapes of gold and white.
Her first instinct was immediate.
"Mama?"
