The wooden carriage moved through the frozen forest.
Dox was carefully noticing everything around her.
Her hair was a mess. Her arms were ripped, and thin lines of red flesh could be seen.
She was enslaved not too long ago.
The only thing she had with her was a locket of an old woman and an unforgettable promise she made to that woman.
'to not cry unless needed.'
The wooden-caged carriage stopped.
"Hey! Get down."
The slavers ordered every kid to come out of the cage.
Every kid followed.
The ones with dead eyes instantly followed.
Dox also followed.
not out of servitude but out of interest and will to live.
She looked around the frozen forest.
It was dark and cold.
day or night, there is no exception.
The wooden-caged carriage stopped with a dull creak.
"Hey! Get down."
The slaver's voice cut through the cold air like a whip.
One by one, the children climbed down from the cage. Their feet touched frozen ground, some stumbling, some moving as if their bodies acted without thought. The ones with empty, dead eyes obeyed instantly, as though resistance had already been carved out of them.
Dox stepped down as well.
Not out of fear.
Not out of obedience.
But because she wanted to live.
She lifted her head and looked around.
The forest stretched endlessly in every direction. Towering trees stood like silent sentinels, their branches heavy with frost. Even though the sky suggested it was daytime, the light barely reached the ground. A dull, bluish gloom clung to everything, as if the forest itself rejected warmth.
It's always cold here, she thought.
Always dark.
The slavers gathered the children together and led them a short distance away, to a clearing shielded from the wind by fallen logs and thick trees.
There, a fire was already burning.
Real fire.
The crackling sound made several children flinch, unused to warmth. The orange glow reflected in their eyes, chasing away the white haze of cold, if only a little.
"Sit," one of the men said, his voice rough but not cruel.
The children were guided to sit around the fire. No chains were pulled tight. No one was kicked or shouted at again.
Soon, a pot was placed over the flames.
The smell drifted through the air.
Curry.
And meat stew.
The scent was rich—spices, fat, warmth. It wrapped around Dox's senses before she could stop herself. Her stomach twisted painfully.
A wooden bowl was handed to her.
It was warm.
She stared at it, confused.
"Eat," the man said. "You'll freeze if you don't."
Around her, the other children hesitated. Some stared in disbelief. Some began eating immediately, shoveling food into their mouths as if afraid it would disappear.
Dox lifted the spoon slowly and tasted it.
It was real.
Hot. Salty. Filling.
For a moment, the forest felt far away.
These slavers… she thought quietly.
They're different.
They spoke calmly. They didn't hit anyone. They added more wood to the fire so the children wouldn't shiver. One of them even wrapped a blanket around a boy who wouldn't stop shaking.
Maybe, Dox thought, gripping her bowl, this time… they're not bad people.
She almost allowed herself to relax.
Almost.
Then—
A sound echoed through the forest.
A deep, wet crack.
The fire flickered violently.
The trees shook.
Birds burst from the branches, screeching as they fled.
"What—?" one of the men muttered, standing up.
The ground trembled.
From between the trees, something massive moved.
Branches snapped like twigs.
A monster emerged.
Its body was grotesque and swollen, covered in uneven fur and hardened flesh. Its arms dragged against the ground, claws carving trenches in the frozen earth. Its mouth split open unnaturally wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth stained dark.
A low, hungry growl rolled through the clearing.
Children screamed.
The fire was kicked over as panic spread.
"Damn it!" one of the slavers shouted. "It followed us!"
Another man stepped forward, gripping his weapon with shaking hands.
Then—he stopped.
He looked back at the children.
At their terrified faces.
At Dox, frozen in place, clutching her bowl.
The man smiled.
It wasn't a cruel smile.
It was tired.
"…Guess this is it," he murmured.
He turned toward them and shouted, voice cutting through the chaos.
"Listen up!"
The monster roared, shaking the air.
"Run!" the man yelled. "All of you—run! Don't look back!"
The other slavers stared at him.
"You idiot—!" one began.
"Shut up," he snapped, never taking his eyes off the monster. "We can slow it down. That's enough."
He looked back at the children one last time.
"Go," he said, softer now. "Live."
Dox's chest tightened.
For a split second, she wanted to cry.
But she remembered.
Don't cry unless needed.
She clenched her fists.
"Move!" she shouted, grabbing the nearest child's hand.
She ran.
The children ran with her.
Through the snow.
Through the darkness.
Through the frozen forest that seemed endless and cruel.
Behind them, the monster's roar swallowed the sound of battle.
Dox didn't look back.
She ran.
Because she wanted to live.
She ran.
she didnt want to let that man's sacrifice end in vain.
She looked back.
The man was still fighting.
She ran with all her might without looking back again.
soon she reached a part of the forest.
The other children were scattered through the forest.
She slowed down due to exhaustion.
Her steps began to slow.
She pushed the bush.
When she pushed the last bush.
The next sight shocked her.
The field has no trees within a radius of what seemed to be 10meters.
At the center lies a crimson-orange blade.
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To be continued ;)
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