Aiya's grandmother stayed awake long after Aiya fell asleep, sitting quietly in the corner of the room. Her wrinkled hands hold tight a worn-out charm tied to a leather string. She whispered prayers under her breath, her eyes occasionally flickering toward her granddaughter.
She had seen strange things before, she had lived for ages. She knows this is not just dream, but something that will cross into reality, Aiya is pulled by unseen forces, cursed not broken but soul being troubled.
As the hours passed, Aiya slept soundly, her chest rising and falling in rhythm with her steady breaths. Her grandmother finally allowed herself to rest, though her grip on the charm remained firm.
Leek stood on the balcony of his castle, the cool night air brushing against his face. His sharp eyes scanned the dark forest below, his mind replaying the scene from earlier.
He couldn't shake the image of the girl her pale face, her uncertain steps, and the way her grandmother had pulled her back to reality. There was a strange familiarity but he just couldn't get an appropriate view of her face
Leek turned and walked back inside, his heavy boots echoing against the stone floor. He headed for the room.
He lit a lantern and began flipping through the dusty pages of a worn journal. It belonged to a traveler who had once documented the lore of the forest. The entries spoke of spirits, curses, and mysterious forces that dwelled deep among the trees.
One entry caught his attention
Leek frowned, his fingers tracing the faded words. Could this be what had drawn Aiya into the forest? Was she one of the "marked"?
He closed the journal and leaned back in his chair, lost in thoughts and drifted to sleep.
The next morning, Aiya awoke feeling heavy and drained. She sat up slowly, her head pounding. Sunlight streamed through the small window, but it did little to ease her discomfort.
Her grandmother brought her a bowl of warm soup and sat beside her. "You need to eat, my child. You've been through a lot."
Aiya took the bowl, her hands shaking slightly. "Thank you, Grandma."
She sipped the soup in silence, her thoughts still messed with the events of the night before. She wanted to believe it was all just a bad dream, but the lingering fear in her chest told her otherwise.
"Grandma," Do you believe in spirits? Or am I cursed?
Her grandmother looked at her with kind, tired eyes. "Aiya, you're special. With time you will come to understand, you are not cursed, and yes spirits do exist
Aiya nodded, though her heart felt heavy. She wanted to believe her grandmother's words, but the unknown scared her.
Leek spent the day gathering supplies and preparing to return to the woods.
By evening, he was back among the trees, moving silently through the forest. His senses were sharp, his movement careful. He reached the spot where he had seen Aiya the night before and crouched down, studying the ground.
There were faint traces of footsteps leading deeper into the woods. This wasn't that of a human but much like claws moving from where Aiya had stood yesterday and going depper into the woods. They were light, hesitant, as if the creature walking had been unsure of their path.
Leek followed the trail, his curiosity growing with each step. The forest grew darker and denser, the air colder. He stopped when he reached a small clearing he couldn't find the steps agai. In the center of the woods stood an ancient tree, its gnarled roots twisting into the ground like claws, he stared and studied it for a while and turn his back to leave just then he heard a sharp sound and something passed him like a wave he turned but didn't see anything,he drew out his sword ready to fight.
The air around the woods was heavy, ha ha ha, came a laugh from a creature he heard sounds but not movements, he leek shut his eyes and concentrated on his senses and he got where the sounds where coming from he followed carefully
Tlthe closer he got, the stronger the sound became.
Leek stopped a few feet away when he couldn't hear the sounds and couldn't feel the heartbeat of the creature anymore . He knelt, placing his hand on the ground. The earth felt cold and lifeless, as if all warmth had been drained from it.
He stood and looked into the woods"I will get you " he murmured.
Back at the house, Aiya sat by the window, staring out at the woods. Something was calling to her, pulling at the edges of her mind.
Her grandmother noticed her quietness and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've been through a lot, Aiya. It's okay to feel lost."
Aiya nodded but didn't say anything. She didn't want to worry her grandmother any more than she already had.
The night stretched on as Aiya lay in bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. Sleep felt impossible. Her thoughts swirled with images of the woods, the strange pull she'd felt, and the fear etched on her grandmother's face.
She closed her eyes, trying to force herself into rest, but the moment her eyelids shut, the nightmare began.
She was standing in a dense fog, the cold seeping into her bones. Shadows danced around her, their whispers incomprehensible but filled with malice. A distant sound reached her ears a heartbeat, loud and unsteady, echoing in the stillness.
Aiya tried to move, but her feet felt glued to the ground. The whispers grew louder, almost deafening, as shapes began to form in the fog. She saw herself, her face pale and streaked with blood, her eyes glowing faintly before fading into darkness.
"No!" Aiya screamed, reaching for the vision of herself, but her hands passed through it like smoke. The shadows surged forward, wrapping around her, pulling her down into the earth.
Her chest felt tight as if the air had been sucked from her lungs. She clawed at the darkness, desperate to escape, but it was no use.
Suddenly, she was jolted awake.
Aiya sat up, gasping for breath. Her hands clutched her chest as if to reassure herself that she was still alive. The room was dark, but a faint light from the moon streamed through the window.
Her fingers came away smeared with blood.
Panicked, she stumbled out of bed and ran to the small mirror hanging on the wall. Her reflection stared back at her, but this time around doubled, her second reflection smiled wickedly at her and Instantly disappeared, Aiya turned back in shock but she was the only one in the room, fear gripped her, her legs were feeling weak pale and frightened.
"What's happening to me?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Am I hallucinating she said to herself more like a whisper.