She Is Dead

"You have a lot of brothers," Asael mused. "And sisters?"

"I don't have a sister. I'm the only daughter," she answered honestly, wanting to give hints about her lineage to Asael.

Asael slowed his steps, his gaze darkening as he turned toward her.

For a moment, Asael said nothing. Then, in a voice that barely masked an unknown sorrow, he murmured, "I have a sister, too."

Lara caught the strain in his voice, the weight of something unspoken. Her curiosity flared.

"What happened to her?" She inquired, trying to make her voice expressionless.

Lara felt a chill ripple through her. The words were simple, but the agony behind them was unmistakable.

Asael hesitated, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. When he spoke, his voice was distant, as though recalling a memory too painful to bear.

"She went to visit our cousin in another town for her coming-of-age ceremony. She never came back."