Lira's stomach growled louder than the wind rustling through the trees. She didn't know how long she'd been wandering, but it had to be days. Her shoes were soaked, her clothes dirty, and the hunger gnawing at her was relentless. She couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten or seen anyone. She wasn't even sure how she'd gotten this far. All she knew was she was alone, and she had to find something, anything, to eat.
She stumbled through the dense forest, every step heavier than the last. The trees were so thick that the sky felt miles away, the world around her drowned in shadow. It was quiet—too quiet—and the silence made her uneasy. She was starting to think she might never get out of here when something caught her eye.
In the distance, through the trees, a faint glow flickered like a lantern in the dark.
Desperation took over, and she pushed forward, ignoring the sharp branches that clawed at her skin. If she could just get to that light, maybe she'd find someone, or at least something to eat. Her feet were numb by now, and the hunger was starting to make her dizzy, but she forced herself to keep moving.
When she finally broke through the trees, the sight in front of her stopped her dead in her tracks.
A garden. But not just any garden. It was a place that looked like it belonged in a dream—or a nightmare. Black roses, their petals smooth as velvet, stretched across the entire clearing, glowing under the pale moonlight. The air was thick with a strange sweetness that didn't smell like anything she'd ever known. It felt... off. The kind of place you weren't supposed to be.
Her head swam as she took a few unsteady steps forward, feeling the pull of the roses like they were calling her. Maybe it was the hunger, or maybe she was just too tired to care anymore. Whatever it was, she ended up collapsing onto the stone path running through the garden, her body giving up under the weight of exhaustion.
That's when she heard the footsteps.
They were soft at first, almost like a whisper, but they grew louder. Closer. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she scrambled to sit up, too weak to move much faster. A figure appeared out of the shadows, stepping slowly into the moonlight.
He was tall, wearing a dark cloak that barely made a sound as it brushed against the stone. A white mask covered the right half of his face, the other side a mess of deep scars that looked like they'd been carved into him with a knife. His eyes, a pale, almost unnatural blue, flicked over her with an unreadable expression.
Lira's breath caught in her throat, too stunned to do anything but stare.
"Lost?" His voice was low, rough, like he hadn't spoken to anyone in a long time. "How original."
She didn't say anything. She didn't even know what to say. She was too hungry. Too tired.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing down at her, then sighed like she was more of an inconvenience than a person in need. "Here." He tossed something toward her. A loaf of bread, a few pieces of fruit, just enough to make her stomach growl louder.
Without thinking, Lira grabbed it, devouring the food like it was the last thing she'd ever eat. She didn't care if it was weird or if he was some kind of stranger. She was starving. The bread was soft, and the fruit was sweet in a way that made her close her eyes and forget where she was for a second.
"You're not the brightest, are you?" he muttered, watching her like she was some kind of animal. "Wandering into a garden of black roses with nothing but hunger and curiosity to keep you company."
Lira didn't answer. She just kept eating, the hunger finally starting to fade. After a minute, she glanced up at him, half expecting him to be gone, but he was still standing there, looking down at her with that cold, emotionless gaze.
He held out a clean white dress, the fabric smooth and almost glowing in the moonlight. "Here. You might as well wear something that doesn't look like you crawled out of a ditch."
Lira blinked. "Uh... thanks?"
He didn't wait for her to say anything else, turning as if he had better things to do. She stood up, feeling embarrassed, but the idea of changing into something clean was too tempting. She awkwardly slipped into the dress, the soft fabric feeling like something out of a dream against her worn skin. It didn't make any sense. She didn't belong here, not in this garden, and certainly not in this dress.
But before she could ask him anything, she did something without thinking. Her hand brushed against his arm as she adjusted the dress, her fingers lightly grazing his skin.
In that instant, something strange happened.
A warm, tingling sensation spread through her fingers, like an electric shock, and for a split second, she saw the scars on his face flicker—then fade. The jagged lines disappeared like they were never there. His skin was smooth, flawless, as if he'd never been hurt at all.
Lira froze, her breath catching in her throat. She pulled her hand away in shock, staring at him. His expression was unreadable at first, but then his eyes widened, and for a split second, she saw something raw and vulnerable flash across his face. Surprise. Panic. It was gone almost instantly, but it was enough to make her heart skip.
"What did you do?" he whispered, taking a sharp step back.
Before she could even think of a response, he was suddenly moving—faster than she could follow. His strong hands grabbed her by the waist and, with shocking strength, he hoisted her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing.
Lira gasped, her pulse racing, but no words came out. It felt like the air was thick in her lungs, as if her body was frozen in place. She couldn't scream. She couldn't move. All she could do was hang limp, her stomach lurching as he sprinted through the garden, his cloak swirling behind him.
"Let—let me go!" she finally managed, but her voice came out in a strangled whisper.
His grip tightened, and he didn't even flinch. "You don't understand," he muttered, his tone sharp, almost angry. "You can't leave. Not yet. Not now."
Her heart pounded in her ears as they neared the edge of the garden, and a dark silhouette loomed ahead—a massive, imposing castle, its towers stretching up into the fog like twisted fingers.
"Where are you—what's happening?" she managed to choke out, but the words felt like they were caught in her throat.
His footsteps didn't slow as he neared the castle gates.
"You're not ready for this," he muttered under his breath, but Lira couldn't quite catch the rest of his words.
The gates slammed shut behind them with a heavy, echoing thud.
And then, just as they crossed the threshold, a soft, haunting whisper filled the air: "She's here."
Lira's heart stopped.
And she realized, far too late, that nothing about this garden, or this man, was what it seemed.