VIGNETTE 1. THE MISSING.

I woke up in the morning to the grey light that entered my room. The sky was covered by clouds, and I was afraid that it would ruin our games. I was impatient to go to his room to propose him another round of hide and seek since our last game yesterday was unfinished. So, I tidied up as quickly as I could and started my prayers with the emotion of another day arising in my body.

'Blessed Akarat, the eternal Light protects me. The divine wisdom guides me. Though my path is wrought with darkness, guide my soul to your sacred Light[1]', I said as fast as I could.

He didn't like me to say it that fast. He said I needed to feel the words as they left my mouth, whatever that thing meant. I just did it to keep him happy. I didn't like his sad smile whenever I told him I didn't really believe in anything. He used to say that Akarat was the one that found him and me and that took care of us through those clerics. But I didn't understand that well. I have never met Akarat in my life, like, who is he?

I ran to the corridor of the monastery and started calling his name. There was no response. Everything was in silence. I looked for him in the garden and found Father Zephar watering the plants.

'Good morning, Lennah. Have you rested well, little creature?', he said with the voice one would use to speak to a pet.

I hugged him taking care not stepping on his delicate feet while nodding. He was ancient like the monastery, as he usually told me. His hands trembling left the watering can aside clumsily.

'What is my little girl doing in the garden, huh?', he asked me, braiding my hair as he used to do it taking care of not pulling it.

'I was looking for Caleb. He's not in his room, Zephar'.

Father Zephar was the first person that found me when I arrived lost in that city. The first one, I mean, that really wanted to take care of me.

'Maybe he is eating something, creature. Have you looked in the kitchen?'.

I shook my head.

'Well, you know where to look now. Please, if you find him tell him it is almost time for the noon pleadings. Will you do that for me?', he said with a friendly smile on his pinkish face.

I didn't like that change of plans. Father Zephar was sometimes a little bit frustrating since he didn't let us play all the time we wanted. He used to call my brother for prayers almost every hour of the day. Caleb explained to me that Father Zephar wanted him to be the best priest of Sanctuary[2]. And, in fact, I do believe he will become one, but not now, he has all the time in the world and can do whatever he wants. I mean, he is fourteen. Almost an adult.

I nodded anyway obediently, hoping that the prayers ended up soon, and went into the monastery again.

I lurked in the kitchen to see if Caleb was having breakfast, but it was too late for someone to eat breakfast. He wasn't there either.

I approached the chapel, feeling the bitter flavor of disappointment. 'Oh, please, Caleb, where have you gone?'.

A group of clerics was preaching, but I couldn't see Caleb anywhere.

'Lennah! You are awake! It's a precious time in the morning to pray to our Blessed Akarat', one of them said.

'Oh… I was… I'm sorry', I said with a sad tone. 'I haven't seen Caleb since yesterday, and I would like to play another round of hide and seek with him before it starts raining. Do you know where he might be?'.

Their pink and rounded faces looked at one another in confusion.

'No, creature, isn't he in his room?'.

I told them that Caleb wasn't there, neither in the garden.

'Now that I think about it, he should be with us. It is time for the noon prayer', Sean, the same cleric, said.

'Yeah, you are right. He should be here', another one agreed.

'I'm sorry, Lennah', Sean started saying, 'We haven't seen him'.

I walked away and wandered disheartened the monastery corridors, calling his name. 'Maybe he's preparing a magical function', I tried to cheer up, 'Oh, I love those'.

Convinced that he was probably collecting materials for the game, I started looking for him in the streets of Aaren. I asked every person I knew if they had seen a short boy with dark skin and brown eyes. But no one knew where he was. I was starting to feel I had to give up but then I heard a voice at my back.

'Hey, Lennah', the voice said, 'You're looking for that monk?'.

I turned around and saw the baker with those purple circles around his eyes that he always had.

'Yeah…'.

'I saw him passing by this morning while I was preparing these delicious sweets. Do you want one?'

I approached his stall and looked at him hopelessly. I was truly concerned about Caleb, and not in the mood for those cinnamon buns he knew I liked so badly.

'Where was he headed?', I said trying to sound like a grown-up.

'I don't know. But he took a basket of red petals… Maybe he was going to seduce a woman', his eyebrows went up and down, a gesture I found ridiculous.

As far as I knew, my brother wasn't interested in girls, except in his little sister: me. I'm sure I am his favorite person in the world. But I hadn't seen him interact with any other girl in his life. He was looking forward to being a priest.

'I'm being serious, Conrad. I need to know'.

'You sure you don't want a sweet? I know you like the cinnamon ones', he said trying to elude my question. That was the moment that made me realize he knew something.

I didn't answer, instead, I looked at him with sad eyes.

'Okay, okay, girl… Don't look at me like that', he sighed and made a wry face 'I saw him leaving town. He was going into the forest, I think'.

I thanked him and ran down the street while I heard him saying that it was a dangerous place for a little girl to go alone. I wasn't a little girl. I was nine already.

[1] Blizzard Entertainment sentence from the story launch trailer.

[2] Sanctuary is an imaginary land created by Blizzard Entertainment in the Diablo video games series.