The entity waited for a full minute to make sure everything had settled before getting up and checking for any injuries. He heard the rustling of grass drawing closer and turned to see the woman, seemingly unharmed despite the dirt and leaves tangled in her messy hair.
He was about to ask her if she was okay, but when he saw the frustration on her face, he stopped. He watched her brush off the remaining leaves clinging to her hair, but despite her efforts, it still looked dirty and disheveled.
Nevertheless, her beauty still radiated, and it was only then that he noticed there was no sign of harm on her, despite the crazy stunt she had pulled.
The entity couldn't take it anymore and spoke, "Hey, do you know what's going on?!"
"Also, those strange things—"
The woman just shook her head left and right, appearing equally clueless.
"I-I don't know either."
She meekly glanced at the ground.
"H-hey… Uhm…"
"I need help getting out of here. Will you help me?" She spoke with obvious hesitation.
The entity heard it and couldn't help but sigh in resignation.
"Help you? I need help myself."
The woman's eyes widened.
"Oh! Are you lost too?"
"W-which village did you come from?"
The entity was about to reply when he felt the breeze of the cold wind pass by. His body involuntarily shivered, and then he noticed the surroundings had become foggy. He saw the woman use one arm to hug herself and then turn her gaze back at him.
"Is it just me, or is it cold out here?" she asked, confirming the sensation he had just felt.
The entity looked left and right and saw that they were still in the same place—same trees, same forest—and he wondered why he felt the need to confirm that.
Over time, the air around them grew chillier, and they watched in unease as frost began to form on the plants, trees, and everything in their surroundings.
'What now?' The entity thought as his body began to shiver uncontrollably.
He rubbed his hands together in a futile attempt to warm himself, but the cold only seemed to intensify.
"I'm getting out of here. You wanna come?" he asked, starting to move his feet, not expecting a reply. To his surprise, the woman followed behind him.
"It seems we're in a tight situation." Fog formed as he spoke, his breath visible in the extreme cold. "We can't continue like this. We need to find shelter."
He walked in the direction where the trees were denser, but as time passed, his strength began to abandon him. As he shivered, feeling goosebumps prickling his skin, he realized the cold had penetrated through his bones.
Behind him, the woman was in no better shape. Her body was covered in frost, and her eyes showed signs of weakness.
When they reached a point where the canopy thickened enough to offer some cover, he quickly found a tree to lean against.
He glanced behind him to see if the woman had followed, and sure enough, she was there, finding her own tree to sit by. She crossed her arms tightly and buried her head in them, attempting to shield herself from the cold.
The entity observed her, noticing that she seemed to be suffering more from the cold. Her clothes were torn, and he wondered if they were meant for sleeping, because they certainly weren't suitable for the outdoors.
'She'll die if this keeps up.'
No matter what her body was made of, there's no way it could shield against the cold, he thought.
'Maybe I'd die first.'
He observed himself and was disheartened when he saw the cheap white tunic and worn, faded blue trousers he was wearing, offering little protection from the biting chill. Even his leather shoes looked shabby and ill-suited for the rough terrain.
"I don't know where we are," the woman spoke suddenly, surprising the entity, her head still buried in her arms.
"But if we just follow the direction where the sun sets, maybe..." She paused, her voice fading. Then, she continued, "Maybe then we'll get out of this crazy place."
The entity couldn't be bothered to reply; his voice would fail him. His body was becoming more uncomfortable by the second. The cold was biting deeper now, and when he looked around, he saw that the moisture on the ground had turned to ice. It felt unnatural, as if the very earth itself was freezing beneath him.
He rubbed his hands together again, desperate for any relief. That's when a fragment of memory resurfaced—vivid and fleeting—a portable device that could create fire. There were many ways to make fire, but this device felt different. It was unique, almost as though it didn't belong in this place.
The entity felt warmth inside of him as he tried to recall its name but couldn't quite remember it. Only the good feeling of it lingered in his mind. If only he had that device with him now, he thought, maybe they'd stand a chance against this growing cold.
Helt felt a wave of clarity swept over him as the memory flowed. He saw a flash of an image: a kid lying prone while reading a book. Although he couldn't see what kind of book he was reading, or the kid's face clearly, he felt a deep connection to him.
He remembered the name 'Ethan'.
'Who is that kid and Why do I remember his name?' He frowned.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the frost covering his body begin to melt. He was trying to figure out what those memories meant, his focus not on the real world. When he finally did, he saw his hands were unbelievably encased in a dark yellow light, and his eyes widened in shock. He stopped rubbing them, but the light remained. Strangely, he didn't feel any heat.
In a panic, he waved his hands, but instead of the light disappearing, fire burst forth from them. He froze, confusion surging through him.
While this was happening, the woman was staring at him, longing in her eyes as she watched him try to fan out the flame.
In the corner of his vision, he saw her eyes blink rapidly, opening and closing as if trying to confirm if it was all just an illusion. But the fire remained, its flames burning steadily. The entity could even hear the crackling sound as it consumed the air.
The woman stood up shakily and began to walk toward him until she was standing directly in front of him, close enough to feel the heat radiating. Her eyes reflected the light, filled with longing for the warmth.
"I-It's real?!" Her voice trembled.
She even stepped closer to him before collapsing to her knees.
The entity stared intently at his burning hands, the flames flickering as if answering his unspoken questions. He wanted to extinguish the flame, but he didn't know how. He supported himself by using the tree behind him as he stood up, but during the process, the trunk of the tree suddenly flared up. He was startled and immediately backed away to avoid being caught in it, but strangely, he felt no heat at all.
The fire, as if it were alive, climbed and climbed until it fully engulfed the tree. The cold couldn't stop it. That's when the entity noticed his burning hands were subsiding, returning to normal.
"Ah, so warm…"
He could hear the woman murmuring behind him but he couldn't be bothered as he was thinking of how he did what he did.
The entity stared intently at his hands which had died down the flame. Next he checked the state of his body and it felt warmth from his head to toe Yet he could clearly see the trees that were covered in white.
The moments passed and the flame continued to battle the cold. Just when it got comfortable, The woman spoke, grabbing his attention.
"Did a rat bite you too?"
"No?" He replied not understanding the question.
'Wait. Does she know something about this?' He suddenly thought.
He stared into the woman's blue eyes and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
The woman momentarily stared at him before standing up meekly. She then cast her gaze down, her face full of sadness as she tried to hide one foot behind the other.
"Then, can you tell me how you got here?" she asked.
"I don't know. I can't remember anything," the entity said, telling the truth.
"Do you mean… You lost your memory?"
The entity nodded.
"What about you? I saw you waking up on the ground."
"I-I fell from a cliff."
The entity was speechless.
'Is there a limit to this woman's sturdiness?'
"I mean—" The woman suddenly paused, then continued, "I fell from a cliff into an ocean. I must've been swept up by the waves."
"I see. Then how did you get to the forest?"
The woman's eyebrows knitted together as if trying to remember something.
"I vaguely remember waking up on the shore then—" She paused to think. "Then I must've walked myself into the forest and got lost."
Then, suddenly, the entity realized something.
"Oh! I remember a hand before. You must have found me and woke me up."
"I-I guess. I'm not sure. It felt like a vivid dream, and I wasn't the one controlling my body," the woman replied.
Then their conversation stopped. Only the sound of the fire crackling could be heard when she suddenly asked, "Did you really lose your memory?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be here. This forest is abnormal."
The entity immediately noticed her wariness ease.
"Earlier, how did you do that?"
The entity thought of an answer.
"I'm not sure. I guess the feeling just came."
The woman nodded her head.
"Then, do you kno— I mean, remember anything about the Church of Light?"
"Church of Light?" The entity tried to remember but couldn't recall anything about it.
"How about demons? How much do you hate demons?" the woman asked next.
The entity frowned.
'Demons, they sound scary. But why would she ask that?'
He shook his head left and right.
As if successfully verifying his confusion, the woman breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sorry, Im just making sure you wouldn't tell on me. If you really lose your memory then I guess it's ok."
"Listen, I think we're experiencing the same thing. Look."
The woman turned around and showed her calf, which was marked by an upside-down heart tattoo. The miasma was still visible.
"Do you have anything like this in your body?"
"I don't know, I never got the chance to check."
The woman turned back.
"You should know it even if you haven't seen it. It's like… it's like giving you a weird feeling."
"Well, I don't feel anything like that."
"A-are you sure?"
The entity nodded.
"Can you explain to me what you're trying to convey?"
The woman sighed and was momentarily silent.
"I thought you were cursed like me."
"Cursed?"
She sighed once again, then began telling her story to the entity. Basically, she had been bitten by a demonic rat, but the wound had been replaced by the strange tattoo. She only discovered this in the forest, and she didn't know why no one had told her about it.
Her story took a drastic turn when she found herself alone in the forest after running to find the shore, leaving behind a man who had just awakened. But she couldn't find the shore and was suddenly attacked by killer plants. That's when she realized her body had completely changed.
"My body felt weird. I could feel its strength. I recovered very fast. I could even survive any attack thrown at me."
Her body shivered as she continued.
"I feel a surge of power. But I hate it. It's like what I read in books."
She looked him in the eyes and said, "This power belongs to the demons."
"Ah! I'm sorry I got very serious all of a sudden," she said with an apologetic smile.
"What are those demons? You keep mentioning them."
"They are the scum of the earth. They come from the abyss."
'Abyss?'
The entity was about to ask her further about the demons when a flash suddenly appeared in his mind for the second time today. This time, he saw a man in the sky, fighting what seemed to be a dragon.