I look around me and notice that the forest I am in looks surreally similar to the forest that I grew up in, although a slight sense of intrigue lingers in the air. I hear a rustle in the trees around me and I look around but I cannot determine where the sounds are coming from. The rustling stills, and I take a step forward when I hear a faint, ghostly whisper echo from the forest depths.
"H-help... me..." breathes the hushed voice, "I w-want to die..." The voice sounds very childish, and youthful, like the voice of a ten or twelve-year-old. I twist myself around in an attempt to identify the location but it seems to be untraceable. Suddenly, I feel an eerie prickle of the hairs of my neck sticking up and I hear a strained, deathly breath behind me.
I glance over my shoulder making eye contact with a young girl, she appears to be the age of 12, with raven-black hair, and dead-pan grey eyes, that look like they have seen and experienced death one too many times, with the wisdom of millions of lifetimes. She looks at me innocently and tilts her head.
"Kill me," She says in a silent yet demanding tone, still looking at me, her face full of sorrow and despair. I turn to face her completely, and she reaches out to my left side, grabs, and pulls a sword then holds it out to me. It is the same dark-bladed sword I can never find when I need it. "Please kill me with your s-sword," the girl continues, "I must die, help... me..." suddenly the girl faints, and the dark sword hits the ground with a thud.
She lies on the ground cold, still, and lifeless as if she died. I kneel over her and check for her pulse, but I fail to find one, I think she died. I stand there too shocked to move or think as the cool breeze rustles the leave as it drifts through the forest.
I don't know what to do, I mean a twelve-year-old girl is lying dead in front of me, and I don't know why. I lean over to pick her up to carry her somewhere proper for burial, but before I get within two feet of her she gasps very harshly like she was holding her breath for a dangerous amount of time. She looks at me with her lifeless, grey eyes and frowns, she grabs my sword and shoves it into my arms, the sudden thrust of my blade startles me and I nearly drop it.
"Kill me," She pleads to me, her voice cracking with immense emotion, "I don't want to suffer anymore..." She bows her head in defeat awaiting for me to kill her. I look down at the sword in my arms and wonder what kinda cruel world would ask me to kill a child. I put the blade down on the ground and sit next to the girl, and hug her close.
"It is ok," I start, and I can feel her tears soaking through my clothes as she cries in my arms, "I am sorry I can't kill you but I will do anything in my power to help you in any other way," I say this hoping to calm her down, and I responded with her arms wrapping around me in a sense of longing. "May I know your name?" I ask curious if I am reaching out too far.
"K-Kayda... Servia..." She says through teary gasps, and I hug her close, hoping to comfort her as long as possible. She rests in my arms for several minutes and after a while, her crying calms down to a gradual whimper.
I hear a sudden rustle behind me and I can feel Kayda flinch in my arms. Someone is coming up behind us. I turn my head to meet the gaze of the unexpected visitor, and I see a familiar face. It is Aki, she finally found me. The look on Aki's face appears to be one of immense relief, and she rushes up next to me.
"Kieraieda, we need to go," Aki states frantically, her face of relief replaced with one of urgency, "We are being hunted, we need to go, leave the girl we can't have her dragging us down." Aki grabs my left hand and tries to pull me up, but I refuse.
"You are as heartless as existence himself, Aki," I start, and I am answered with a hateful glare from Aki, "This girl needs help and I am not leaving her for dead." I get up on my own with Kayda still in my arms, "Let's go but I am not leaving Kayda alone." Aki glares at me with severe malice, grabs my hand, and drags me deeper into the forest.
"I told you not to call me Aki," She growls, obviously pissed, although I don't know what else to call her, Aki is the only name I know.
"Then what do I call you, you never gave me your name," I ask, knowing that my tone is an irritated one, and I follow her as I await an answer.
"If you want to call me by a name so bad then call me Kaya," She replies through her clenched teeth, "Aki is a wanted name, and I have no idea what kind of people could be lost in this forest with us." Suddenly I trip on the root of a large tree and fall down a hill that was just to our right, dragging Kaya down with me.
We roll down the hill, and I can feel rocks and branches poking into me from all over. I try to keep Kayda safe as we roll down the hill but I am not very successful, as she gets a few scratches on her face as we fall down. It isn't very long before we hit the ground, but when we do I notice that Kayda is oddly silent and still, I rush over to her thinking she might be dead, but I am relieved to see her still breathing and that she is only unconscious.
Deeper within the forest, I can hear a roar that grows closer, and then it vanishes, thinking we are safe I try to shake Kayda awake with my free hand, and right when I hear her stir I feel a heavy breath on my back, and curious to see what it was, I make I contact with the most terrifying creature I know.