Why do the people we love have to die?
It was the question that echoed in Lily's mind as night fell over the empty house.
That night, she dreamed of a song. A soft melody, like the one her mother used to sing when she was a child.
But at the end of the song, everything turned dark... and a man appeared before her.The only thing she could see was the outline of a wicked smile on his shadowed face.He just stared at her—while she couldn't move a muscle.
The man whispered her name, his voice pulling her into some kind of limbo.
Lily struggled to move.
She was being dragged closer and closer, until—
—No!
She woke up screaming, gasping for air.She had never had a nightmare like that before.Turning on the small lamp by her bedside, she took a deep breath, then got up and headed to the kitchen.
Lily was wearing a blue pajama set and a matching cap.
The house was really big—like a maze.But something caught her attention.The basement was just down a hallway before the kitchen.She remembered her father had always forbidden her from going there.
But what had he been hiding?
Curiosity pressed against her chest like a weight.
— I shouldn't go there, she whispered.— But… maybe it's fine.
She ran to the kitchen and grabbed an old oil lamp from a cupboard.
Lily approached the door slowly.It was a large brown door.The doorknob was stiff, but after some effort, she managed to turn it. Her hands turned red from the strain.
The place was pitch-dark, even with the lamp.
The air felt colder down there.Each step creaked like a cry for help.Lily moved slowly, her heart pounding so loudly she could almost hear it echoing through the basement.
Dust. Cobwebs.The smell was strong—like something that had been locked away for far too long.
She shined the lamp toward the left corner and spotted a shelf covered with a white sheet.Stepping closer, she pulled the cloth away, revealing several stacked cardboard boxes and... a broken picture frame.
When she picked it up, she saw a photo of her parents.
They were smiling.
That's when she noticed something in the opposite corner of the room.It was covered by another cloth—larger, thicker… and strange.The fabric seemed to pulse faintly, as if something beneath it was still breathing.
With trembling hands, she stepped closer and yanked the cloth off all at once.
— Wha…?
Underneath the cloth, there was a towering metallic figure. A robot. It was slightly taller than her, with a sleek and ancient frame, like something out of a futuristic dream mixed with a fairy tale.
It was turned off.
Lily stared at it, unsure of what to feel. Fear? Fascination? Curiosity?
— Is this what Dad was hiding down here? — she whispered.
She reached out her hand but hesitated. She was about to turn away when she slipped on a fallen box and stumbled, hitting her forehead against the robot's metallic chest.
— Ow!
She fell to the dusty floor, rubbing her head. Then she looked back at the family photo, still resting on one of the boxes.
— Mommy... Daddy... why? — she murmured, her voice trembling.
Tears began to fall. She covered her face with her hands, feeling smaller than ever in that cold, strange basement.
And then...
Drip.
The first tear slid down her chin and fell to the floor—lightly splashing on the robot's metallic feet.
Suddenly, a faint humming filled the air.
Lily looked up, startled. The robot's chest glowed faintly, and then… its eyes lit up.
Two soft blue lights shone in the dark, staring at her with a strange calmness, almost human.
She choked on her own sobs, crawling back a little, but couldn't take her eyes off that presence.
The robot moved slowly, as if waking from a very long sleep.
— Activation… complete. — it said in a low, echoed, metallic but gentle voice. — Emotional bond identified… "Lily."
Her eyes widened.
— How… do you know my name?
The robot tilted its head slightly, as if processing.
— Because I was created to protect you.
Lily rubbed her eyes, still aching from the bump.
— Created to protect me...? — she murmured, confused.
The robot stayed still for a few seconds, as if listening to something only it could hear. Then it took a small step forward—its movements smooth and surprisingly silent despite the metal frame.
She stepped back, frightened.
— You… you're what Dad was hiding in the basement?
The robot didn't answer immediately. Instead, it bowed its head slightly, as a sign of respect. The blue lights in its eyes brightened for a moment.
— I was left here to protect you… when the time came.
Lily took a step back, almost tripping over the boxes. The robot's metallic voice sounded strangely kind, almost human.
She turned to the framed photo of her parents and hugged it tightly. Her mother's smiling face now seemed so far away. Her chest tightened, and tears came without warning. Thick, silent, one after another.
— Mommy... Daddy... why?
One tear fell onto the robot's foot.
Immediately, its eyes flared brightly. A hum echoed inside the metal shell, and a panel on its chest opened by itself, revealing a spinning core—a sphere of liquid light that pulsed like a heart.
Lily stepped back, scared.
— What is that?
The robot replied, its voice firmer now:
— The portal. You activated it with your emotions. With your pain.
The glowing sphere in the robot's chest began spinning faster, expanding as if pulling in the air around it. The basement lights flickered. Everything seemed to bend around the energy forming there.
— I… don't understand. Is this real? — Lily asked, her heart pounding.
— You are a child of two worlds, Lily. Your mother… came from another place. And now, it calls for you.
The sphere inside the robot grew until it formed a circle of light, like a liquid mirror suspended in the machine's chest.
— If you cross it, there's no going back the same way — the robot said. — But there you will find answers. And maybe… your mother.
Lily hesitated. She looked at the photo in her hands, then at the glowing portal. The sadness she felt seemed to turn into something new—hope.
She took a deep breath, wiped her face, and nodded.
— Let's go.
With a steady step, she moved closer to the robot. The portal's light wrapped around her like a warm mist.
And then, in a beam of blue light, Lily disappeared.
The basement fell silent, except for the robot's soft hum, which slowly shut down… and its eyes went dark.