When I entered the forest, I suddenly felt something from behind. My mom embraced me.
She whispered,
"Don't be afraid, Lyra. We'll escape this forest together."
"But why would we want to escape? Dad is in this forest, we need to save him."
"No, Lyra. Your father is still at the front. Come, let's go back."
"No! I want to see Dad!"
I ran forward.
"Hey, Lyra, honey, let's go home together."
I started sprinting. My legs burned, but my desire to see my father was stronger.
But when I got close to where the voice came from, a terrible smell hit me.
The smell of blood.
What I saw next was horrifying. A body lay there, barely recognizable. But I recognized the pendant on his wrist.
It was my father.
I broke down crying.
My mother tried to comfort me.
"I didn't want you to know."
A loud sound interrupted her.
Blood splattered across my face. I watched as my mother was beheaded.
Her body collapsed at my feet. It took me a moment to process what had just happened.
Then, from the shadows, my father stepped forward.
I stood there, frozen in shock.
"Hey, Lyra, honey. Let's go home."
I ran.
For some reason, it didn't chase me.
But as I fled, I heard it.
The sound of it eating my mother.
Tears streamed down my face as I kept running.
Eventually, I found it, a bunker. Without hesitation, I rushed inside and hid.
Over the ten years I spent in the forest, many people entered. Every time, there was a loud sound when someone stepped in. I tried to save the first few, but I failed every time.
Eventually, I gave up.
I couldn't save anyone.
Until,
The day Yuki entered the forest.
"Oh, another person has entered the forest."
"He'll die too. There's nothing I can do."
But then I heard a voice.
An angel spoke:
"Please save him. If he dies, the world will end."
"Oh, I'm finally going crazy. Does that mean I'm close to dying?" I muttered.
"No. Believe me. If you help him, you will escape this forest alive as well."
"You know what. I've already given up on life. I'll try to save him."
I stepped outside and saw him standing there, staring at the Mimic.
"This is the person who's supposed to save the world?" I thought.
The rest, you already know.
POV: Yuki (Present Day)
"I don't really know what to say," I said softly.
"I'm just happy that, after ten years, there's finally someone else alive in this forest besides me," she replied.
"Wait, the food supply is gone!" she suddenly shouted.
"Oh yeah, sorry."
"It was food for both of us," I said awkwardly.
"And you didn't think it would be smart to hunt for more?" she snapped.
The next thing I knew, I was outside with a sharpened spear and a crossbow.
Well, I guess I can't complain, since I ate all her food.
I should probably apologize when I get back.
I looked around for animals. Surprisingly, the forest didn't feel as dangerous during the day. Maybe it really didn't attack in daylight.
After walking for a while, I heard something. I tightened my grip on the spear.
Movement in the bushes.
I focused, holding my breath.
Then,
A small white rabbit jumped out.
"Oh. It's just a rabbit," I sighed.
I aimed carefully with the crossbow. I'd done this plenty of times in games. It couldn't be that hard.
I pulled the trigger.
The bolt flew forward.
And missed.
"Are you kidding me?" I shouted.
The rabbit bolted away.
"Great. Just great."
After wandering for a while, I found another animal, a deer.
A much bigger target.
"Don't mess this up," I muttered.
I approached slowly, step by step, trying not to make a sound. My heart was pounding.
I raised the crossbow. Took a deep breath.
And fired.
This time, it hit.
The deer cried out and ran.
"Shit!"
I chased after it, branches hitting my arms and face.
"I can't lose it!"
Eventually, it slowed and collapsed.
I stopped, breathing heavily.
"I got it."
I walked over.
It was heavy. Way heavier than I expected.
"Lyra made this look easy."
I started dragging it back.
But then.
That feeling returned.
That heavy, suffocating feeling, like something was watching me.
I stopped.
"Not again."
I looked around. Nothing.
But my body wouldn't relax.
Something was there.
Then I heard it.
A faint voice.
"Yuki."
My heart dropped.
No. Not now. Not during the day.
"It's fake." I muttered.
"Yuki, over here."
My body started to turn on its own.
"Stop." I whispered, forcing myself to look forward.
Don't listen. Just go back.
I took a step.
Then another.
The voice grew louder.
"Yuki, please."
A sharp pain shot through my head. I dropped the deer.
"What is this."
The forest changed.
The air grew heavy.
The wind stopped.
Everything went silent.
Slowly, I turned my head.
And then I saw it.
A figure stood between the trees.
Even in daylight, it was there.
Watching me.
The figure didn't move.
But I felt its gaze.
Then,
It smiled.
My body froze.
"This is bad." I muttered.
Slowly, I picked up the deer and stepped backward. One step, then another.
I didn't take my eyes off it.
Then a voice echoed in my mind:
"Oh child of proficiency, your path is carved with suffering, drenched in misfortune. You may crawl through the night and see the sunrise. But if you falter, if you stumble. Rejoice in your death here, for it will come swift and absolute. Survive and perhaps I will allow you and that girl to leave. Fail and this forest will feast on what remains of you."
And then.
It disappeared.
Just like that.
Gone.