Chapter 23 Are We Going To Play?

• Belle and Nero sat in a small computer shop, their sanctuary a haven of flickering screens and the cacophony of online gamers. Belle's fingers danced across the keyboard, her brow furrowed in concentration as she searched for any trace of Nero's past. A stack of faded photographs lay beside her, each image a silent plea for answers. Nero, meanwhile, sat beside her, a packet of sugar clutched in his hand. He crushed the tiny white cubes between his fingers, a restless energy pulsing through him. He'd been pestering Belle for sugar since they arrived, his sweet tooth a constant reminder of their shared reality. Belle, though weary, had given in, a small act of kindness in the face of his childlike innocence.
• She sighed, her gaze fixed on the screen, a faint tremor in her voice betraying her mounting frustration.
• "I don't know if this is helping, Nero," she said, her words tinged with a hint of despair. "I've been looking at these photos for ages, but nothing seems to click."