"You scream a lot. It's annoying," a voice said from behind Kieth.
He turned sharply, his heart freezing as he saw Aldric holding Serel in his arms. Blood clung to Aldric's mouth like a dried scar, yet he stood there, alive.
"W-what...?" Kieth stammered. The words fell weakly from his lips, disbelief gripping his chest.
Aldric bent down, carefully placing Serel into Kieth's trembling arms. Serel buried her face in his shoulder, her small body shaking as she clung to him. Kieth wrapped his arms around her instinctively, though his mind churned with confusion and fear.
"H-how are y-you even alive?" he finally asked, his voice cracking under the weight of the question.
Aldric's smirk was faint—tired, almost as if he had no energy to muster more. "Don't think the likes of you could kill me, kid," he said, his tone almost mocking but hollow.
Turning away, Aldric walked toward the towering tree, his movements slow, deliberate, and weighed down by something unseen.
"Wait—don't! It's dangerous!" Kieth called, his voice strained and desperate.
Aldric didn't turn back. His voice was calm, yet it carried a bitterness that struck Kieth like a knife. "Don't tell me how to love my own wife. Leave while you can. Most likely, everyone in this forest will die."
Kieth stared at Aldric's back, the silence between them heavy and suffocating.
"What about your people?" Kieth asked hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Aldric stopped. For a moment, he seemed to hesitate. The wind rustled the dead leaves around them, the brittle sound amplifying the void his silence left behind.
"Leave," Aldric said finally. His words were clipped, distant, and resigned. "I'll handle them."
Kieth looked down at Serel, clutching her tighter. She whimpered softly, and without another word, he turned and ran. The shadows of the forest seemed to close in behind him, as if swallowing the path back to Aldric.
---
Aldric stood before the monstrous tree, its gnarled bark twisted into grotesque faces, each one writhing in silent agony. Eyes, burning with rage and sorrow, glared down at him from its immense form.
"I'm sorry for being late," Aldric murmured. His words fell into the stillness of the forest, his voice trembling with a sorrow too vast to contain. "I'm sure you were lonely."
The tree responded with a deafening screech, a sound so raw it seemed to tear through the very fabric of the forest. Aldric flinched but didn't move.
A thick branch lashed out, striking him with brutal force. Blood splattered onto the ground, dark and sluggish, as if even his lifeblood had grown weary. More branches whipped at him, their movements fueled by hatred, yet Aldric stood firm, his eyes never leaving the tree.
Kieth, now far away, heard the piercing wail. It felt as though the sound carried the weight of a million regrets. He pressed his hands over Serel's ears, whispering to her, "Don't look back. Don't listen." His words were more for himself than her.
Aldric took another step closer, his breaths shallow but steady.
"You were cursed because of me," he said softly. The words seemed to hang in the air, heavier than the thick fog that had begun to envelop the forest. "The devil who gave you that curse warned me—if I ever stopped loving you, you'd become a monster. And I failed you. I died, even if only for a moment, and that was enough to trigger it. I'm so sorry, Evelyn."
The tree's roots erupted from the ground, jagged and twisted like the claws of a tormented soul. They lunged toward Aldric, but before they could reach him, they crumbled into dust.
"I'll have to kill you," Aldric said, his voice cracking as if the words themselves were unbearable. "I'll free you from this curse. I'm sorry for being selfish—for keeping you with me all this time. I'm sorry for a lot of things. If I stood here listing them, the day would end before I could finish."
He raised his hand, summoning a sphere of void—a colorless, pulsating orb that seemed to drain the light from the world.
"It's alright, Evelyn. I always loved you. I'll keep loving you, no matter the hardships. Nothing could change that."
A branch impaled him, then another. Blood flowed freely, staining the ground in dark pools, but Aldric didn't falter. His steps were slow but unwavering, the crunch of dead leaves beneath his feet echoing like funeral bells.
"This place is important to you, isn't it?" Aldric said as he reached the tree. His voice was soft, filled with a heartbreaking nostalgia. "This is where we got married. You hated the idea, but you planted flowers here anyway. You didn't mean to, but I think deep down, it was your way of telling me you cared. Maybe you forgot me, but your feelings never truly died."
Tears streamed down his face, mingling with the blood that dripped from his wounds.
"You used to say feelings can't be killed. Even if you hated me, some part of you still held on. That melody you hummed… it was our first dance. I was terrified you'd remember me and—"
The tree screeched again, a sound so filled with anguish it made the very earth tremble. But Aldric only smiled.
He reached out and placed a trembling hand on the tree's bark. Blood seeped from its cracks like tears.
"It's alright," he whispered. His voice was barely audible, yet it carried a tenderness that cut through the chaos. "Never did I ever hate you."
Hugging the tree, Aldric summoned the void sphere. The air around him warped, the void consuming everything it touched.
As the void began to envelop them, Aldric held onto her hand tightly. "I'll go with you," he promised, his voice breaking. "No matter where you go, I'll be with you, Evelyn."
The void paused. From within, Evelyn's form materialized. Her white hair fell in soft waves, her face peaceful and serene, as if all the pain had left her.
Aldric wiped the tears from her closed eyes, his fingers trembling.
"I love you," he whispered, his voice trembling with both grief and relief.
With one final look, he closed the portal, removing her—and himself—from the world.
The forest fell silent, as if mourning their departure. The place where they stood was empty now, except for the white liliacs, its petals trembling in the wind.
Aldric's love for Evelyn had never wavered. Not once. Even when she hated him. Even when she forgot him. Even when she became a monster.
His love remained true to the end.
---
The forest had gone quiet. Kieth kept running, his footsteps crunching against the frost-laden ground as he noticed the once-twisted trees straightening. Their monstrous shapes faded into peaceful silhouettes, as though Aldric had finally brought order to the chaos.
But Kieth didn't stop. His body begged for rest, the adrenaline draining from him like water through a sieve. Each step sent sharp pain shooting through his limbs, yet he kept moving.
He glanced down at Serel, her head still buried against his shoulder. She was safe—for now.
"Good job, Serel," he murmured, a warm smile breaking through his exhaustion. "You can look up now."
Serel raised her head slowly, her innocent eyes meeting his. A small, relieved smile spread across her face.
Kieth rubbed her head gently. "It's going to get cold soon," he thought as a chill breeze began to bite at his skin. The sun was setting, casting long shadows over the forest, and the air grew colder with every passing moment.
He pressed onward, his breaths coming in uneven gasps. Snow began to fall, light at first, then heavier. The flakes clung to his hair and lashes, piling up on the ground and making each step harder.
"When... will this forest end?" he whispered to no one, his voice trembling with fatigue. His body shivered violently, and his lips cracked in the icy air.
The trees loomed above him, their irregular sizes a reminder of the chaos Aldric had quelled. He felt relief knowing the forest had been saved, but dread lingered in his heart. "The village won't be pleased to see me," he thought grimly.
Serel stirred in his arms, pushing against him weakly.
"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice rasping.
"I'm warm, Papa," she said softly, her hands fumbling with the thick leather coat she wore. "I don't feel cold. My face is burning... let me down."
Kieth froze, his mind racing. Warm? How could she feel warm? He was trembling, barely able to keep himself upright in the freezing cold, yet she was overheating?
She began to shrug off her coat, but Kieth caught her hands, pulling the fabric back over her. His breaths quickened as a memory surfaced—a mundane, ordinary moment from high school, suddenly crashing into his consciousness.
---
"Kieth, wake up!"
He jerked upright, his classmates' muffled giggles pulling him from his nap.
"Uh… sorry," he muttered.
His professor glared at him, clearly annoyed. "Goodness gracious, Kieth. Pay attention! Do you even know what I was talking about?"
Kieth blinked, still groggy. "Yes! Yes, I do."
"Oh really?" The professor raised an eyebrow.
"You were telling us about diseases and their causes," Kieth said confidently.
The class burst into laughter, and the professor sighed, rubbing his temples. "That was yesterday's lesson."
Kieth smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Well, could you sum it up?"
The professor exhaled deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll only explain this once more, so listen closely."
"When a person is exposed to extreme cold, their body works to conserve heat, which can lead to hypothermia. In the early stages, the skin may feel warm because the body is redirecting blood flow to the core. But as the condition worsens, confusion sets in, and the body begins to shut down. If someone in extreme cold says they feel warm, it's a sign their body is in severe distress. Immediate action is critical, or they may not survive."
---
Kieth's breath hitched as the memory faded. His professor's voice echoed in his mind: "If they say they feel warm, their body is in severe distress."
"No…" Kieth muttered under his breath, panic surging through him.
He yanked off his own heavy coat, wrapping it tightly around Serel. She struggled briefly but stopped when she saw the desperation in his eyes.
"It's okay," he whispered, though his voice cracked. "It'll be alright. Just stay warm, okay?"
Serel didn't understand, but she obeyed, peeking out at him from the cocoon of cloth.
The snow grew heavier, the biting wind slicing through Kieth's thin shirt. His legs felt like lead, each step more grueling than the last. He stumbled, falling to his knees, but he forced himself up, clutching Serel tighter.
The forest seemed endless, a labyrinth of snow and shadow. Kieth felt the warmth of his body slipping away, leaving him colder and more fragile with each passing moment.
Finally, he spotted a hollow tree trunk, its opening just large enough to provide shelter. He staggered toward it, collapsing inside with Serel still in his arms.
He hugged her tightly, burying his face in the cloth that covered her. Tears streamed down his face, hot against his frozen skin.
"It'll be alright," he whispered, his voice trembling. "It'll be alright. It'll be alright."
The snow continued to fall outside, muffling the world in silence. Inside the hollow tree, Kieth clung to serel, his whispered reassurances carrying through the stillness like a fragile thread of hope.
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