One hour earlier.
Krahn's mother woke up from the noise outside. She saw that the rain has already stopped, and so, realized that those hunters from the palace might actually resume their searching. Since they failed to find the white-haired person in the village. They decided to look in the forest mountain where Krahn and her mother was.
This put those two in danger. She can hear the sound, of the noise of someone's annoying voice. Shouting to his men, "Have you found her?!" Krahn's mother can hear them loud and clear.
She's afraid of something might happen to this child, and she can't let that happen.
"I know that ever since that day, there will be danger in both of our lives. It's because of you why I am here, and now we're being hunted down." Krahn's mother uttered softly as she neatly warped her sweater to the sweet young girl who's in her dream.
"I only want to use you for my revenge, however, Krahn. You showed me the affection, the loving daughter, and everything. Something I didn't care about before." She rubbed her hair, patted and even smiled gently at this child. Although the regrets linger within her expression. The mother continued to caress her daughter more than anything else.
"I'm not your real mother. But you made me feel I was."
This shifted gradually as she faced her hand, taking out the red pendant she kept for almost her lifetime to pass it through this child, she put on the necklace in her daughter as she finally kissed her forehead.
"Take care of yourself. I hope you find your real Mother soon." and one last time she ruffles her hair, "This Mother will be going to protect you until the end. My sweet Krahn."
She stood up firmly. Snatched one more glance to her dear child until she decided to leave that place without any resort of regret.
***
Krahn's perspective.
Gasped. I opened my eyes in surprise. I'm chasing my breathing as if I was being chased by monsters. I sat for a while; everything was too quiet when I realized it. The sound of the rain is nowhere to be heard of; the chirping birds were the only noise that I overhear.
"Mother's sweater…" I wondered a little more about why I am wearing my mother's sweater. I also noticed that she wasn't here with me, it's dangerous outside but if she went out early then she should be here by now.
I was expecting mother that I didn't bother to ask myself where'd she go, why is she out. I waited for almost an hour for her, sitting in the corner while reminiscing what happened in our village back then.
Those merciless people burned our village looking for me. They intend to kill me, "I'm afraid of them." I can't even imagine what will happen to me if I cross my path to those people.
I shivered a little, "But why is it… Mother is not here yet? If she just went out for food she should be here by now." I can't go out on my own to search for her. I fear I might get found by those people.
However, if something happened to my mother? I can't let that happen. It's me that they want, I won't let anyone hurt her. I've finally come off with the decision to go outside this small shelter we used for the rain. When I got out, I saw some imprinted shoe-steps in the mud.
I trusted my instinct that this was my mother's footprints. The footprints continuously imprinted out of this place. I glanced to my sides, looking if someone is actually around but there's no sign of anyone. "Perhaps, if I follow these footprints. This will lead me to where Mother is."
That's why I started to walk. Following these shallow footprints left by her. While I'm on the walk, I decided to call out for her in a soft tone voice. I'm not familiar with this forest, I don't want to get any attention from anyone in here. Wolves, weird creatures, or even a human.
"Mother…!" I also checked the bushes nearby, and even the large rocks around. But there's none of her to be seen. It wasn't that long before the footsteps led me to the riverbanks. "The footprint stopped here." It seems mother must have crossed this river herself.
Gazing upon the other side of this river. The other side was covered by a thick fog, I barely see anything on the other side. "But the footprints lead to the other side." I'm quite troubled by it, although I know to myself that I can't just stop here.
I sighed, leaving no other option. I crossed the river; the river's current was rather strong than it usually is but I didn't flinch of getting on the other side. I carefully crossed on it, gratefully, nothing worse happened and I successfully went on.
Once I glanced back to where I was before, the shuddering fog engulfed that side this time. "...Is it me, or this fog is odd?" I mumbled to myself, puzzled I was. I didn't bother much of it.
Deciding to continue looking for my mother. I didn't see any footprints here, however; I noticed some blood trails this time. Leading me to somewhere. I can somehow feel a dark rooting sensation that is giving me chills. The whole place was a horror itself; the trees aren't healthy; they are actually dying. The ground was so dark as if it was dead.
I was scared but my legs continued on walking forward. Desperate I was just to find my sole mother who I think went to this hellish place.
"Mother! Where are you!" because I was tired of just following the blood trails, I began calling her. But the only thing that answers me is this wind blows and some, crow?
I paused, noticing that there was a crow in the tree. It seems to be watching me. "What?"
As carrion birds, they eat the dead, making them embody death and lost souls. Some say they are reincarnations of the damned soul that once left the world. In short, they are evil creatures just like monsters and such.
"Caa!" the crow suddenly made a sound as if it replied to my question. "No good. I don't understand you at all." I turned my head away, looking in the murky dark direction.
"Ohh~" I gasped when I heard a human sound from the uplift. When I gazed back to the crow, a young—is it young? I don't know, but the crow turned into a boy who has a dark circle below his eyes. Black hair and his red eyes were flashing in the dusk.
My heart began to race fast; the sensation that I feel right now is beyond the level of fear. What in the world is this thing? He turned into a human-like—magic?!
"What an ill-mannered to speak with no respect to the spirit of this forest." I was bit puzzled. This thing began speaking to me, now he is saying I didn't respect him. "But I didn't know that there's a spirit here. You were a crow minutes ago…" I replied.
"What a bird-brain." he then insulted me, "Wha?" actually, you are the bird here not me.
"What are you doing here…Wait, you're not a human. What are you?" I'm bit flustered, stepping back to where I stand. "What do you mean I'm not a human? Can't you see I'm very different from you—"
I gasped when the crow boy abruptly appeared right in front of me, and that's not all of it. He cupped my cheek harshly as he constraint my face side by side. "You're not a human. What kind of creature are you—"
I slapped his hand away as I made a frustrated glare at this rude crow boy. "What do you think you're doing?! I don't have time for this!" I shouted at him. The crow boy speaks as if he was a real spirit.
It then laughed. "Rude! You're so rude! I want to punish you right now. Come here you ungrateful thing, I will banish you to your end—" thus, he absolutely sounds annoyed at me.
But this is not the time to play around with him. Whether he is a spirit or not, I pushed him away from me and resumed my searching for my mother.
"Banish me when I found my mother."
"Wha…?!"
It was my first time meeting such a creature but what is his problem? He was the one who approached first. Then he is calling me rude, geez. What kind of spirit is that? Tch.
"I saw a dead body near the cliff. She's a peasant woman who was covered in blood." My eyes were widened when I heard him talking about a woman. I glared at him once more, "If you are lying… I will hunt you and cook you! Remember that!" before I even run to where he said that he saw a woman.
I threatened him. "...I'm not lying!" and he actually replied in some sort of childish manner. I breathed heavily, rush toward the cliff, although I don't actually know where the cliff is. The crow actually flew right in front of me like he was guiding me toward it.
When I reached the said location…
My eyes began to shed some tears, even when I'm not close to her, I can recognize her. She's lying there, lifeless, bathing in her own blood. They killed her, my mother…
"This can't be real…"