I continued walking through the forest in search of water. Moving between the trees was a task so exhausting it was hard to describe; the ground was uneven, roots jutted out everywhere, and low branches blocked my path at every step. Still, I refused to let myself stop.
As I walked, a thought crept into my mind—one I didn't want to welcome…
What if I don't find water?
I froze for a fraction of a second, then shook my head hard, as if I could force the thought away. No. I don't want to think about that. Dying again… just recalling the sensation was enough to make my stomach churn.
"Stop thinking…" I muttered to myself, trying to distract my mind. "Think of something else."
Minutes passed as I kept moving without pause, my breathing uneven, my focus gradually fading. The forest seemed endless, identical in every direction—until my eyes caught something different.
A flower.
But it wasn't an ordinary flower.
It was massive, far larger than my head, growing alone in a small patch free of grass. Its petals were wide and elongated, their colors shifting between deep crimson and dark violet, traced with faint lines of pale gold. At its center, the heart of the flower lay open, dark, emitting a dim glow, along with a heavy, sweet scent that crept into my nose.
I felt something strange.
As if the flower… was calling to me.
I took one step forward without thinking. Then another. I didn't know why I was doing it. My mind knew something was wrong, but my body moved on its own, as if an invisible thread were pulling me toward it.
"What…" I whispered, but my voice came out weak, powerless.
I drew closer, my eyes unable to leave the mesmerizing flower. Its beauty was unnatural—excessive, almost overwhelming. And yet, I couldn't stop.
Suddenly—something landed on it.
A butterfly.
Or… something like a butterfly.
It was larger than any butterfly I had ever seen, its wings wide and translucent, shimmering with shifting colors, like light reflected on the surface of water. For a moment, I felt pure awe…
But that feeling didn't last.
In less than a second, the petals snapped shut. A wet, nauseating sound followed, along with a swift motion.
The butterfly—or that creature—didn't even make a sound.
It vanished.
I saw the petals clamp together violently, then slowly open again, the center now stained with a dark fluid. The sweet scent instantly turned sharp and suffocating.
I froze in place.
The shock snapped me back to reality, like cold water poured over my head. I took a step back without realizing it, my heart pounding violently, my breaths quickening.
"…What the hell was that?"
I spun around sharply, my heart racing like it was trying to escape my chest before my body could.
Then—I ran.
I fled from the place with everything I had left. I didn't look back. I didn't think. My injured foot sent sharp jolts of pain with every step, but I ignored it completely. Fear was stronger than any pain, controlling my body, driving me forward without mercy.
I ran for a distance I couldn't measure. Seconds? Minutes? Time lost all meaning. Until my lungs felt like they were on fire and my chest was about to burst. Only then did I stop, barely certain that I had put enough distance between myself and that flower.
I bent forward, resting my hands on my knees.
"Oof…"
I slowly began to catch my breath, and my mind gradually regained its ability to think. That was when the questions crept in.
What just happened?
What is wrong with this world, damn it?
Why are there monsters everywhere?
I pressed my palm to my head, trying to organize the chaotic thoughts crashing into one another.
"Not even an hour has passed without running into something that wants to kill me."
"…Did I end up in hell?"
The thought sounded ridiculous, but in that moment, it felt logical. I slowly shook my head and began thinking seriously.
"But I… I haven't committed any major sins… have I?"
My mind started digging through trivial, insignificant memories that had nothing to do with what was happening now. "Does stealing some money from my mom count as a sin?" I asked myself with strange seriousness. "Would someone be punished for something like that? Is… is the heavens punishing me now?"
The more I thought, the more absurd the ideas became, but fear made me cling to any explanation, no matter how foolish.
I lifted my head and suddenly shouted at the sky itself, "Mom! I'm sorry! I promise I won't steal from you again!"
I waited.
One second. Two. Ten seconds.
Nothing happened.
I didn't wake up. The world didn't change. I wasn't suddenly pulled into a safe place.
I hadn't raised my hopes to begin with, so I didn't feel real disappointment. I simply… accepted it in silence.
"Worth a try…" I muttered to myself with faint sarcasm.
I slowly turned around, searching in every direction, trying to understand where I was now.
A sound—
It made my heart leap in my chest. I immediately turned my head toward its source, almost unable to believe it.
And there… between the trees, the scene opened up.
A lake.
Its waters were calm, reflecting the dim light filtering through the branches above, its surface gently rippling. It was shockingly beautiful—so much so that it felt like it didn't belong in this hellish world at all.