Aira closed the curtains with trembling hands. Her heart was still racing, as if she had just finished running a marathon. Fenrir's voice echoed in her mind, but she chose to ignore it. She didn't know what was more terrifying: that voice, or the pair of red eyes that kept haunting her thoughts.
"I'm just tired," she murmured softly, trying to convince herself. She took a deep breath and walked toward her bed. But as she sat down, her eyes were drawn to a small door in the corner of the room. It led to the attic. Normally, she had no interest in going up there. The attic had been left closed for a long time, full of dust, and no one cared about it.
But tonight was different. Something was calling to her, a strange impulse she couldn't ignore.
"Are you okay?" Raka's voice came from the window. He was calling from outside, standing under the guava tree in Aira's front yard. His face looked worried, though it was faintly lit by the streetlight.
Aira opened the window just slightly, letting in the cool air. "I'm fine, Raka. You don't need to worry."
Raka sighed deeply. "Are you sure? I saw you look... really scared when you pulled the curtains."
Aira bit her lip. She knew Raka just wanted to help, but she didn’t want to talk about what had just happened. "Seriously, I'm fine. Just tired."
"If you need anything, I'm here," Raka said reassuringly. "Just call me."
Aira nodded slightly. "Thanks."
After making sure Raka had really gone, she locked the window and turned back to look at the attic door. There was something there. She could feel it.
The old wooden stairs creaked softly as Aira climbed them. Her footsteps sounded like echoes in the stillness of the night. When she reached the attic, the musty scent of dust and old wood immediately hit her nose. The small light in the attic flickered dimly, just enough to illuminate the small room.
She scanned the room. Everything looked ordinary—cardboard boxes, some antique items, and torn fabrics scattered here and there. But her attention was drawn immediately to a wooden box in the corner of the room. The box looked different, as if it had been hidden on purpose. There was a wolf symbol carved on the top. The symbol felt familiar, even though Aira couldn’t tell where she recognized it from.
Carefully, she approached and knelt in front of the box. Her hands trembled as she opened the lid.
Inside was an old blanket with the same wolf symbol as on the box's lid. The color had faded, but the fabric felt soft in her hands. Beneath the blanket, there was something more intriguing: an old yellow envelope with handwriting on the front.
"For Kaela," she whispered as she read the inscription. "Kaela? Who is she?"
She opened the envelope. Inside was a sheet of neatly written handwriting, though some of the ink had faded. Aira read carefully.
Kaela,  
If you are reading this, it means you are old enough to understand who you truly are. Remember, the blood of the wolf runs in your veins. You are the last guardian of the Fenrir bloodline. Never forget your duty. The world needs me, and I need you.  
- Father
Aira read the letter over and over, trying to absorb every word. Wolf blood? Last guardian? What did all this mean? She didn’t even know who Kaela was, let alone Fenrir.
"This doesn't make sense..." she muttered, crumpling the letter in her hands.
Suddenly, footsteps were heard from below. Aira jumped in shock. "Aira, are you upstairs?" Mrs. Santi's voice called from behind the stairs.
"Y-yes, Ma'am!" she quickly replied, hurriedly putting the letter and blanket back into the box. She closed the box and hid it behind a stack of boxes before descending the stairs.
Mrs. Santi looked at Aira with a serious expression. Her face seemed older than usual, as if she carried a heavy burden that had been hidden for years.
"What were you doing in the attic so late?" Mrs. Santi asked.
"Nothing... just curious, Ma'am. There’s a lot of old stuff up there," Aira replied as calmly as she could, though her heart was still racing.
Mrs. Santi sighed deeply. "Aira, sit down for a moment. I need to talk to you."
Aira swallowed nervously. Mrs. Santi’s tone was serious, and that made her anxious. She sat on the sofa, while Mrs. Santi sat opposite her.
"There’s something I’ve been hiding from you," Mrs. Santi finally said. "And maybe now is the time for you to know."
Aira stared at Mrs. Santi in confusion. "What do you mean, Ma’am?"
Mrs. Santi wiped her face, trying to find the right words. "Aira, you’re not my biological child. I found you in the forest when you were just a baby. I was on my way home from the market, and suddenly I heard the sound of a baby crying. I looked around and finally found you under a big tree, wrapped in a blanket."
Aira felt like the world was spinning. "What... do you mean? So, I’m not your child?"
Mrs. Santi grabbed Aira’s hand tightly. "You are still my child, my dear. I raised you, didn’t I? But... I don’t know who your parents are, or why they left you there."
Tears began to flow down Aira’s cheeks. "Why didn’t you ever tell me before?"
"I didn’t want you to feel different," Mrs. Santi replied, her voice trembling. "I didn’t want you to feel like you were alone."
Aira shook her head. Everything she knew about herself felt like a lie. She felt broken, confused, and lost.
That night, Aira couldn’t sleep. Her mind was filled with unanswered questions. Who was she really? What did the letter and the box have to do with her? And who was Kaela?
In the middle of the night, the voice came again. Fenrir’s voice. This time, it was clearer, more firm.
"You must know the truth, Princess," the voice said.
Aira turned around, looking for the source of the voice. "Who are you? Why do you keep appearing in my head?"
"I am your protector," Fenrir replied. "And you are the successor of Kaela’s bloodline. It is time for you to know who you truly are."
"I don’t understand!" Aira shouted. "What does all this mean? Why me?"
Fenrir didn’t answer directly. Instead, a large wolf shadow appeared in the corner of the room. Its eyes were sharp, glinting like stars in the dark night.
"The world needs you, Princess," Fenrir said. "But for that, you must be ready to face the truth."
Aira backed away, her body trembling. "I’m just... I’m just an ordinary girl! I don’t even know what’s happening to me!"
"There is nothing ordinary about you," Fenrir answered. "The blood of the wolf runs in your veins. You are the last guardian, just like Kaela."
Before Aira could ask any further, Fenrir’s shadow vanished, leaving behind an eerie silence. Aira sat on the floor, trying to process everything that had just happened.
The next morning, Aira decided to search for more answers. She returned to the attic, but the wooden box she had found the night before was gone. She searched every corner, but it was in vain.
Who took the box? And why?
Just then, a voice called to her from outside. "Aira! Are you home?"