I heard a sound.
The faint creaking of wooden wheels…
A carriage?
That could only mean one thing — a nearby village.
Hope flickered, weak but persistent.
"Just a little more," I whispered to myself. "Hold on, Riven… your eyes… they can see through the dark now."
I blinked slowly, realizing it was true — my left eye shimmered faintly in the shadows, illuminating the faint outlines of trees and stones.
A gift from the curse… or perhaps its price.
---
> The longer I went without food, the heavier my thoughts became.
Hunger gnawed at my mind like a beast with endless teeth.
A distant sound snapped me back to focus — a low, soft moo.
A cow? Somewhere close.
I crouched low, picking up a broken piece of wood from the ground. The edges were rough, but sharp enough.
If I could just…
I tightened my grip and moved closer.
Each step was slow, silent. The forest air was still; even the wind seemed to be holding its breath.
I raised the wooden shard, heart pounding—
—and then, pain.
A burning sting erupted behind my left eye.
The world twisted.
---
> "Riven…"
Voices.
No— not voices. Their voices.
My mother and father stood before me.
Their faces pale, eyes filled with sorrow… and hatred.
"You let us die," my mother's voice trembled.
My father's tone followed, colder, sharper:
"Why are you still alive?"
"Why didn't you die with us?!"
---
"STOP IT!!!" I screamed.
My voice shattered through the empty forest.
Tears blurred my sight, and still, their images did not fade.
Then came laughter.
Low. Cruel.
Echoing from everywhere and nowhere.
---
> "Hahaha… Riven…"
The Demon.
His presence pressed against my chest like a crushing weight.
"Your parents wish you were dead," he whispered, grinning.
"Shut up!" I shouted back. "Don't you dare—!"
But he only laughed harder.
Then, the pain returned— fierce, electric.
"AHH! My eye— what's happening!?"
I fell to my knees, clutching my face.
The Demon's voice softened to a whisper, almost kind.
"You are part of this world now, Riven."
"What… what does that even mean!?" I gasped.
He smiled — I could feel it, even without seeing him.
"Survive, Riven… and we will meet again."
---
I opened my eyes with a gasp.
Sweat drenched my clothes; my heart was still racing.
The forest was quiet again.
Only the sound of my trembling breath filled the air.
"What… was that?"
"Part of the world?"
I touched my burning eye. It pulsed faintly beneath my skin.
A curse… or a destiny?
Either way, I knew one thing—
That night, something inside me had changed forever.
---