Chapter One: The Wall

“Hiss…”

Lily was forced to stop her work; she had pricked herself again.

There was nothing she could do—her mind was restless, making it impossible to concentrate on her tasks. The sky had already begun to darken, yet John’s “screening patrol” team had not returned to the largest orphanage in Dunlon, the British Empire. Not a single member had come ahead to inform them that this time, it would take longer than usual.

Glancing at the wound on her finger, seeing the bead of blood emerge, Lily suppressed her urgency and raised her voice toward the stairs: “Ander, are you there? Could you bring me a band-aid?”

She soon heard a child reply from downstairs:

“Sister Lily, Ander should be in the common area on the third floor. I’ll go get him.”

Footsteps echoed from the spiral staircase, quick and light.

Lily immediately called out, “Will, be careful! Don’t run on the stairs.”

Not long after, she heard hurried footsteps again. A boy with short, flaxen hair poked his head out from the staircase, tossed a box of band-aids to Lily, and dashed back down.

Lily couldn’t help but cover her face, wondering what on earth he was up to.

“He must be playing on the computer again! Even at a time like this, he’s still in the mood,” Lily silently grumbled about Ander.

She sighed softly and turned toward the enormous round window at her side.

On the glass, she could faintly see her own reflection: brown, softly curled long hair tied loosely behind her, a slightly raised nose, pale blue eyes appearing silent in the dim light. Her lips were pressed together, freckles across her cheeks lending her a childish look, but the close-fitting, round-collared blouse added a touch of maturity.

Lily had no interest in her own image; she was only trying to see further beyond the window.

“Where has John’s team gone?” she murmured, but Lily was destined not to find the answer. None of them at the orphanage had ever considered such a question, especially since they were almost certain there was no one left inside the “wall.”

Thinking of the “wall,” Lily closed her eyes—for she could not forget the scene she had witnessed:

It was as if the science fiction films shown to the children had stepped into reality… No, it was reality mixed with science fiction—a wall made of mist. She could tell it was mist because the wall churned and flowed visibly, stretching up to the sky, forming a tiny hole at its peak. Peering into the deepest part of that hole, Lily could see a chaotic blend of dark purple and black.

“Surely John hasn’t suddenly decided to explore inside the ‘wall’? If he had, the others in his team would have stopped him…”

The more Lily thought, the more her head ached. She tossed aside the clothes in her hands and withdrew her gaze from outside, knowing that no matter how hard she tried, she could only see within a range of twenty-four meters.

She patted her hands, gently slapped her cheeks, took a small breath, and stood up, stretching her legs to relieve the slight numbness from sitting sideways for so long. Her expression twisted a little with the discomfort.

She decided to find Hugh and Aiden—waiting any longer was pointless. If the clock struck six and John’s team still hadn’t returned, she would lead a group of children to search for him herself.

It was better to take action than to wait for things to happen.

The orphanage Lily lived in had been built in the Gothic style of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, though inside, for practicality, it had many floors and rooms, resembling a church. In the early days, many vagrants would knock at its doors seeking aid from the church, only to be disappointed—the real church was in another district. The vagrants would curse the orphanage, throw stones, and even undo their belts in angry protest.

This forced the first headmaster to fence the orphanage with iron railings and hang a prominent sign at the gate: Saint Lance Orphanage.

They even arranged for children and teachers to distribute simple maps at the entrance, guiding visitors quickly to the real church in the other district. Gradually, things improved. Of course, these were stories from the last century, when the orphanage was first founded.

Now, after a renovation in the early years of this century, the orphanage was both vintage and infused with modern city conveniences. The children enjoyed facilities like a simple elevator to the attic and electric water heaters in the bathrooms.

It must be said, the British government cared deeply for Saint Lance Orphanage, the largest and oldest in Dunlon.

Lily didn’t take the elevator; it only ran between the first floor and the rooftop.

Lily intended to go to the third floor common area, where Hugh or Aiden would surely be found. The orphanage had only five floors, so there was no need for the elevator.

As she descended the stairs, Lily saw several children whispering at the fourth-floor railing. The children noticed Lily, waved, and greeted her.

Lily responded with a forced smile. The children were still unaware that John’s patrol team had been gone far longer than expected, feeling no tension yet—the duration of John’s “screening patrols” was always unpredictable.

The third floor’s common area was spacious, able to accommodate nearly seventy people at once. It was packed with facilities: simple fitness equipment, a sponge brick playground for the younger ones, even a row of computers like an internet cafe.

As expected, Lily found Ander engrossed in a game at the computer zone, with Aiden standing beside him, watching intently.

Ander, wearing headphones, didn’t notice Lily approaching, but Aiden quickly saw her and Lily signaled him to keep quiet.

Lily moved close to Ander’s computer and, with practiced speed, pressed the power button below the screen. Amid Ander’s cry—“I didn’t have time to save!”—she pulled Aiden away to a resting area.

“Aiden, I came to tell you my decision: if John and his team haven’t returned before the six o’clock chime, I’m going to form a second team to search for him.”

“All right, I’ll… go too,” Aiden replied with his usual brevity, pausing as always when forced to speak more than two words.

Lily was momentarily at a loss. She had imagined many ways in which Aiden might oppose her or try to stop her, but she hadn’t expected him to accept so easily, even volunteering to join her.

“John is a good man—I want… to save him.” Aiden said, tucking strands of pale yellow hair behind his ear and then gesturing below, miming carrying a backpack.

Lily’s eyes grew red. She wiped them and nodded, signaling Aiden to go; his gesture meant he was heading off to prepare supplies for the expedition.

It seemed she would have to inform Hugh after the fact… Without further hesitation, Lily began searching the floors for suitable members for her second team.

Yet Lily knew she could not force any child to risk their safety with her. She had to make sure they understood the dangers. With this principle in mind, Lily decided to gather the children together and explain, saving time instead of going to each one individually.