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Branches scratched his face and hands, but he didn't care — all that mattered was getting away from that man
He kept running until he stumbled over a tree root and fell to the ground, cutting his forehead. He turned around, but no one was there. Silence
The only sound was the pounding of his heart
Reishel sat up, gasping for air, his eyes scanning the woods
That's when he saw it — a shadow emerging from between the trees
As he focused, he realized it was a little girl. Her hair floated around her pale face like threads of mist
She wore a torn dress that barely covered her bare feet
In her hands, she held an old, ragged doll stained with dark blotches
She looked at him with empty eyes, tilted her head slightly, and gave a faint smile as she whispered:
"I found you"
Reishel froze in place, his body pulled tight like a string about to snap
Those simple words echoed inside his ears like a curse
He tried to crawl backward across the damp grass, but the girl's eyes remained fixed on him, unblinking, unmoving — like a breathing stone statue
And then… she started walking
Her steps were slow, unsteady
Her fingers were smeared with something dark
"Wait…" she whispered in a choked voice, as if trying not to cry, "Don't run…"
Reishel's heart trembled
The air around him felt heavier, as if the forest itself was holding its breath
He tried to stand, but his legs betrayed him — his body exhausted, his soul frozen in fear
"I'm… all alone…" the girl said, her voice trembling like every word was falling apart
And then, in an instant — she vanished
As if she had never been there at all
But before he could even process what had happened, he heard a distant laugh… echoing from the depths of the forest
That man's laugh!
"You won't escape…" The words made his body tremble
He leapt to his feet and ran again, faster than ever before
He didn't think, didn't feel — only the terror gripping his heart like thorns
But what he didn't know… was that the forest itself was trapping him
Every path he took brought him back to the same place —
The same tree he tripped over
The same dry leaves
The same scattered stones
He was stuck
When he turned to look back, hoping the man wasn't following him, he found the girl standing there again, holding her doll
But this time… the doll looked exactly like him
Reishel stopped
His eyes widened as he stared at the doll — same tangled hair, same torn clothes, even the small bruise on his forehead
His heart pounded wildly, as if it might stop at any moment
The girl slowly raised the doll and squeezed it between her small hands —
And at that moment, Reishel felt a sharp pain pierce his chest
He screamed, falling to his knees, clutching his chest as if something unseen was crushing his heart
The girl smiled, a cold smile, and her lifeless eyes watched him without emotion
"It's your story," she whispered, her voice carried by the wind
"You're the one who wanted it"
The forest started to twist around him
Trees bent downward as if bowing over his body, the ground shook beneath him — everything felt… wrong
Then… the man appeared
He stepped out from the trees, eyes burning with something worse than anger, walking toward him with heavy steps, a twisted grin on his face, repeating:
"Where's the money?... Where's the money?!"
Reishel could barely breathe, his body shaking, the pain in his chest growing stronger with each squeeze from the girl's hands
In a shaky voice, gasping for air, he muttered:
"I don't want this!"
Suddenly, the man vanished
The girl walked toward him and said:
"Then what do you want?... Isn't this what you asked for?"
Only one word could express his pain and what he felt—
"Noooo!" he screamed, his vocal cords straining with the force
The ground cracked beneath him, and he fell into a deep, dark void
Suddenly — he woke up
He was in his large, warm bed, breathing heavily, sweat soaking his forehead
He looked around and saw his maid, Emily, sitting on a chair beside him
"Young master, you're awake? Are you alright?" she asked gently
Reishel trembled, looking at his hands… then at the window
There, a black crow was perched, staring at him with gleaming eyes before letting out a caw and flying away
He grabbed Emily's hands and asked:
"Emily… what happened?"
She patted his hands with a kind smile and said:
"Last night at the ceremony, during your coronation… you fainted from exhaustion"
Reishel began to think, repeating to himself:
"Does that mean… it was all just a dream?"
His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door
His father entered, walked to him, and placed a hand on his forehead
"Are you feeling better?" he asked
Reishel smiled faintly and replied:
"Yes, father"
His father ruffled his hair gently and said in a low voice:
"Get some rest… we'll need to talk later"
Reishel nodded and watched his father leave the room, but the shadow of worry in his eyes remained
Deep down, he knew…
That nightmare held secrets he could not ignore
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