Bko) The Frozen Smile

The smile frozen on Bko's mask never changed. Not when his grandfather Elias's scream tore through the stillness of the night on the farm, not when the lights went out, leaving him alone in the darkness. The mask was his armor, hiding a whirlwind of emotions that he refused to show. Elias had disappeared. Swallowed by the night, by the wind that howled like a hungry animal. Bko, guided by the small flame of a lighter, followed his grandfather's trail through the deserted farm. Shadows danced on the periphery of his vision, playing with his senses. A childish, ghostly laugh echoed through the night, making his hair stand on end. The trail led him to a dark forest, where the trees seemed to writhe in agony. He found Elias's amulet on the ground, broken in half. A tightness in his chest. That amulet, carved in dark wood, was the only memento Elias kept of his deceased wife. In the center of a clearing, a circle of ancient stones. In the middle, a blue glow pulsed like a sick heart. The air turned icy. Bko felt a presence, cold and oppressive, crushing him with its invisible immensity. Elias's voice, weak and distant, seemed to come from another world. "Bko... run away..." But Bko did not retreat. With a slow and deliberate gesture, he removed his mask. The frozen smile disappeared, revealing a young face, marked by determination. He would not abandon his grandfather. No matter the cost. The Entity manifested itself. An invisible force, palpable only by the cold it emanated and the buzzing that vibrated in the air. The fight was silent, desperate. Bko, armed only with his courage and the memory of Elias' gentle smile, faced the supernatural creature. Time lost its meaning. Bko used his wits, dodging the invisible attacks, searching for a weakness in that ethereal presence. The fight left him exhausted, wounded, but not broken. When the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon, the Entity retreated, disappearing like mist in the wind. In the center of the stone circle, Elias lay unconscious. Bko put the mask back on his face. The frozen smile hid the tiredness, the fear, the pain. He carried his grandfather in his arms and returned to the farm. Life on the farm went on. Elias never remembered what had happened that night. But Bko remembered. The memory of the Entity, of the silent fight in the clearing, would be forever etched in his memory. He knew that the world was more than it seemed. And that, behind the frozen smile, there was a strength capable of facing the darkness.