Prolog
Lavi squinted against the rain as he looked up at the mountain in front of him. He couldn't see it from here, but he knew the headquarters of the Black Order was up there. That was his goal. He had to make it up there, no matter what.
"There has to be stairs," he said to himself, dropping his gaze to look around the base of the mountain. He would do it if he had to, but it would be safer for both of them if he didn't end up having to climb the side of the mountain.
As the rain started coming down harder, Lavi pulled the hood of his jacket up. Since he was wearing it backwards, the buttons buttoned up at his back, he was able to cover the little head of red hair that rested just under his chin. He would get soaked, but he didn't care, as long as his baby sister was okay. Maybe it didn't even matter anymore if she got wet enough to get a cold, but he refused to acknowledge that possibility. He just had to save his sister. And the Black Order could do that.
Holding his baby sister firmly against him, he started running along the base of the mountain, watching the wall of rock as he went for any sign of stairs or a path up. After what felt like forever of running, he skidded to a stop, his eyes on a carving in the rocks. It was almost impossible to see, but it was there. The symbol of the black order. He walked over to it and ran his fingers over the carving. Nothing happened. He pushed it, thinking maybe it was a hidden button. Sure enough, the symbol sunk into the rock under the pressure, and just to his left a doorway opened up.
"Found it," Lavi grinned, then looked down at his sister's covered head. "Don't worry, sis. You'll be okay now."
He hurried into the passageway. Once he was inside, he pushed back his jacket's hood and carefully pulled his limp sister out. After carefully setting her on the dry, hard stone ground, he turned his jacket around on him so that he could undo the buttons. Then he wrapped his sister up in the jacket, swaddling her like moms do to babies, with the hood coming out near her head so that he could use it to cover her again if he had to. Then he carried her against him as he started running up the underground stairs.
It was eerily silent in the cave as Lavi ran, and it seemed to go on forever. Hundreds of stairs, hours of running. It should have been exhausting after a while, but Lavi just had one thought, one purpose, in his mind, something that probably would have kept him going until the end of time, if necessary.
He had to save his sister.
Finally, he emerged from the cave and ran to the front door of the Black Order's headquarters.
"Let us in!" he started screaming against the pouring rain, holding his sister tightly against him to protect her from the weather. He'd pulled the hood up to cover her head again. "Let us in! Please, you have to let us in! Please! Let us in, please!"
When nothing happened, he stopped, breathing heavily, and looked down at the little girl in his arms. Her eyes were closed, like they have been for days, and her skin was too pale. But his eyes focused on the star on her forehead, standing out starkly against her pale skin.
He squeezed his eyes shut and started screaming again, even louder, "PLEASE! I DON'T CARE IF YOU LEAVE ME OUT HERE, BUT YOU HAVE TO HELP MY SISTER!"