Pre-chapter
That night
It was the dead of night.
A violent bang resonated through the deserted arena, so vivid it felt real. A woman burst into the scene, clothes torn and eyes haunted with exhaustion.
“Quick, we have to get out of here before it’s too late—” she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the booming thunder outside.
Beside her stood her beautiful six-year-old daughter, delicate features trembling as she clutched her sleeping garment, the fabric flapping wildly in the gust. The mother hurriedly scooped up her child, urgency etched into her face as she dashed out of the house.
Rain poured relentlessly, gathering in torrents at the foot of the muddy stairs as they descended, their feet splashing in the growing puddles.
The woman, hyperventilating, felt her breath quicken as she plunged into the night’s embrace.
She pulled her coat tightly around her child, her bare foot gleaming starkly in the dark.
Silence cloaked.
They were halfway up the solitary hill leading to the Yggdrasil Elevator when the child began to cry. The sound shattered the stillness, and flickering light from a looming fire danced ominously at the hill’s base.
Out of nowhere, the pounding of galloping footsteps echoed fiercely from behind, jolting the woman from her thoughts. Her face contorted into a raw mixture of terror and steely resolve as she pushed onward, each stride leaving a vivid trail of crimson staining the ground beneath her feet.
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Each step felt heavier than the last, as the scent of damp earth mixed with the metallic tang of blood filled the air. Bare feet, once pristine, were now marred with crimson stains that splattered against the ground.
The footsteps grew louder.
Thunder crashed above.
Lightning split the sky.
Hooded figures emerged from the shadows.
Tension pulsed in the air. Arrows shot up. Bows drawn tight. Metal glimmered with intent.
Eyes fixated on the lone figure—waiting, watching.
Silence deepened. A heartbeat skipped. The hunt was primed.
Desperation lingered. Danger loomed close.
The ominous twang of the bowstrings snapped through the silence, sending chills racing down her spine. She gritted her teeth, her heart pounding in her chest.
And then, in a heart-stopping heartbeat, the storm of arrows was unleashed, slicing through the air in a deadly ballet.
The woman grunted, her body jolting as a barrage of arrows bit into her flesh, blood coating her skin in a gruesome tapestry as her legs buckled. For a brief moment, the world slowed as she faltered, nearly collapsing onto the damp forest floor beneath her, exhaustion clinging to her like a heavy cloak. Yet, summoning every last drop of willpower, she pressed on, determination blazing within her like a fragile flame fighting against suffocating darkness.
Just inches away, the towering form of Yggdrasil loomed overhead, its massive branches stretching toward the heavens like ancient, gnarled fingers. However, just as hope began to swell in her heart, she stumbled over a thick branch, its rough bark snagging at her knees.
As if in slow motion, her legs crumpled beneath her weight, and she sank to the ground, despair washing over her as a heavy fog. In that crucial moment when all seemed lost, the Yggdrasil Elevator swung open with a resounding creak, revealing a swirling void that beckoned her.
“Take her away—save her—hide her identity—they won’t find her—” the woman screamed, her voice cutting through the chaos as she handed her child towards the opening.
The last thing that stood out to me was the kid’s face.
Then she slipped away.
Into the void.
Her features twisted, blurred.
Panic surged.
In a heart-stopping moment, it hit me—I remembered.
I knew her.
I had seen her before.
I had been her.
All went blank.
And then—silence, darkness—nothing.