Alicia awoke to the cold breath of the night wind.
Her body shivered faintly.
Her eyelids fluttered open. Her breathing had steadied, yet the pain in her leg remained, sharp and unrelenting.
The first thing she saw was darkness.
She shifted slightly, then lowered her gaze to check her wound. Thankfully, the bleeding had stopped.
"…huff…"
Alicia tried to stand.
But the moment she moved her leg—
throb—
Pain shot through her.
She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to endure it… until tears slipped out without her noticing.
Limping, Alicia made her way toward the mouth of the cave.
When she reached it, moonlight spilled across the forest. Bright… far brighter than she had imagined.
She swallowed.
She wanted to go outside.
But—
the image of the wolves' savagery resurfaced in her mind.
Their snarls.
Those cold, merciless eyes.
Claws and fangs aimed straight at her.
Alicia froze.
Thump—thump—
Cold sweat ran down her back.
She took a step back.
"…no…"
Alicia abandoned the thought of leaving the cave.
She sat down again, leaning against the cold stone wall. But the memories refused to fade, clinging to her no matter how hard she tried to push them away.
Tears streamed endlessly down her face.
"Mom… Mom… Mom…"
"I'm scared… please help me…"
She hugged herself as she sobbed.
The horrifying events replayed over and over in her head, crushing her chest until it felt hard to breathe.
And in that moment—
without realizing it, a vow formed deep within her heart.
She would never…
ever go into the forest again.
---
Several hours earlier, in her small shop—
"Thank you for your patronage."
Kalia smiled as she handed a potion to the last customer of the day.
The shop door closed softly.
Ting—
The small bell chimed once… then fell silent.
And that was when—
she realized.
Alicia hadn't returned.
Not since midday.
Kalia turned her gaze to the small clock on the wall. The hands pointed to three in the afternoon.
"…She's late."
Her chest tightened.
Her expression stiffened instinctively.
Without hesitation, she closed the shop early. She pulled down the window shutters and locked the door firmly.
Click—
Kalia stepped outside, her eyes fixed on the distant forest.
"Oh dear, Alicia…" she murmured softly.
"You're making your mother worry."
Her feet carried her forward almost on their own.
On the way to the forest, she ran into a townsperson.
"Oh—ah, goodness… Miss Alchemist. The shop's already closed? That's unusual," the man said with an awkward smile.
Kalia returned it with a thin one.
"Yes. I closed early today."
"I-is that so…" he replied, sounding uneasy.
"By the way, you're heading toward the forest, right? D-did you run out of medicinal herbs?"
Kalia shook her head gently.
"Oh, no. We still have enough stock for a few weeks."
She drew a quiet breath, then continued as calmly as she could.
"I'm looking for my daughter. Alicia. She asked permission to enter the forest this afternoon to gather herbs… but she hasn't returned yet."
The man's expression changed.
"Oh… Alicia," he murmured, his gaze shifting slightly away.
Then, as if recalling something—
"Ah! Y-yes… I did run into Alicia earlier at the forest entrance."
Kalia's heart pounded, but she forced her voice to remain steady.
"I see."
"Yes… but… it is strange," he continued hesitantly.
"Usually Alicia is only in the forest for two… maybe three hours at most."
He frowned, deep in thought, then fell silent.
The unease in Kalia's chest grew heavier.
"Thank you for telling me," she said, bowing politely.
"If you happen to see Alicia again, please tell her to come home right away. I may still be looking for her."
"Ah—y-yes, of course," he replied quickly.
Kalia turned and resumed walking.
But she hadn't gone far when—
"Ah—wait a moment, Miss!"
She stopped and turned.
The man jogged over, his face tense with worry.
"What is it?" Kalia asked gently.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again. His hands clenched at his sides.
"Um… I-I'm not sure whether I should say this or not…"
A bad feeling crept into Kalia's chest, but she kept her gaze calm.
"It's alright. Please go on."
He swallowed.
"S-some time ago… there were people who said they encountered monsters."
"Monsters that are supposed to be… deep in the forest."
Thud—
Kalia's heart sank, though she forced her expression to remain composed.
"I'm afraid…"
"…Alicia might have run into one of them."
Kalia fell silent for a moment.
Then, in a low but resolute voice, she replied—
"Thank you for telling me."
The instant those words left her lips, she broke into a run toward the forest.
Her steps quickened, her chest tightening as anxiety flooded her thoughts.
Alicia… please, don't let anything happen to you…
But she soon realized—
running alone wouldn't be enough.
Kalia raised her hand.
Aether flowed in response to her will.
"Fly."
Her body lifted gently from the ground.
She steadied herself in the air for a brief moment, then—
Whoosh—
She shot forward toward the forest.
The afternoon wind lashed against her face, her hair whipping wildly behind her. Her mind was consumed by a single, inescapable fear.
Upon reaching the forest's edge, she descended.
The Fly spell was released, and her feet touched the ground lightly once more.
She stepped into the forest at once.
"Alicia…!"
"Alicia… where are you, my child?"
Her voice echoed between the trees.
She pushed aside bushes with her hands, her eyes scanning her surroundings without pause.
"Alicia… can you hear your mother?"
"Alicia…!"
There was no answer.
Her chest grew heavier by the second.
Then—
she saw it.
Scratches carved into the tree trunks.
Trail marks.
Kalia stopped, placing her hand against one of the markings.
"…This…"
She followed the signs one by one, her pace steadily quickening.
But suddenly—
the markings ended.
And on the ground, not far from there, lay a bag.
"…?"
Kalia approached, her heart pounding violently.
When she lifted the bag and looked inside, her eyes widened.
Inside were provisions and potions she herself had prepared.
"Isn't this… Alicia's bag?"
Her hand trembled slightly as she clutched it.
She looked around, searching for other traces—footprints, broken branches, signs of a struggle.
But there were none.
Not a single one.
"…Alicia…"
Pain pierced her chest.
She held the bag tightly, then pressed deeper into the forest, refusing to stop.
Mother will find you.
---
Alicia's body shivered faintly as the night wind slipped in through the mouth of the cave.
For some reason, it felt colder than it should have—like winter had never truly left, even though she knew it had already passed.
She hugged herself tightly.
Grrkk…
The sound from her stomach echoed softly through the silent cave.
Reflexively, Alicia pressed a hand to her abdomen.
"I-I'm hungry…" she whispered, gently rubbing it.
Her stomach was empty.
Her throat felt dry.
Her face must have been deathly pale.
Perhaps because she hadn't eaten since midday… let alone had anything to drink.
Gulp—
She swallowed.
Her throat stung, as if scraped raw from the inside.
Alicia closed her eyes for a moment.
She truly didn't know what to do anymore.
She wanted to leave this cave.
She wanted to go home.
But the memories of earlier that day surged back—those howls, the wolves' eyes, the pain in her leg.
Her body stiffened.
She couldn't think clearly.
There was only one thing she wanted now—
to survive… and get out of this forest.
Alicia took a deep breath.
There was no other choice.
With the last of her resolve, she finally decided to leave the cave.
She rose slowly.
When she moved her leg—
throb—
She winced, enduring the pain as she began to limp forward.
Once outside the cave, she paused.
She looked right… then left… carefully checking her surroundings.
Silent.
No growls.
No suspicious movement.
Still, she remained alert.
The forest was divided into two regions—the outer forest and the inner forest.
The outer region was considered relatively safe. Monsters rarely appeared there.
The inner region—
was where monsters dwelled.
Although many medicinal plants grew there, the risks were far greater.
Alicia studied her surroundings closely.
The trees were denser.
Moonlight struggled to break through the canopy.
Her chest felt heavy.
"…It seems…" she murmured softly.
"…I wandered into the inner forest."
Now everything made sense.
"No wonder I found so many medicinal plants earlier…"
Alicia slowly clenched her fist.
If she wanted to survive, she had to find her bag.
Inside it was food.
And… a healing potion.
She swallowed, then began moving carefully toward the place where the wolves had attacked her earlier.
Even though her leg still throbbed with pain, she forced herself onward.
Because now—
she had only one priority.
Finding that bag.