The scream that tore from my throat did not sound human.
Something was chasing me.
Branches snapped behind me. Heavy breathing echoed through the dark forest. The ground was wet, my feet slipping as I ran.
"Someone—help me!"
A shadow moved faster than I could.
Red eyes.
Sharp legs.
Closing in.
And just before something pierced through the air toward me—
Everything went black.
A few hours earlier.
I was sitting in the garden, doing absolutely nothing.
It was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of afternoon where nothing ever happens. And honestly, that's how my life usually was.
Peaceful.
Ordinary.
Boring.
Then the doorbell rang.
I frowned.
"Who could that be?"
Normally, no one visits our house. Not relatives. Not neighbors. No one just randomly shows up.
The bell rang again.
I stood up slowly and walked toward the front door. For some reason, my chest felt tight.
I opened it.
No one.
I sighed. "Seriously?"
I was about to close the door when something near my feet caught my attention.
A box.
Small. Neatly wrapped. Placed right at the entrance.
"What is this?" I whispered.
There was no delivery person. No car. No sound of footsteps.
Just the box.
I crouched down carefully and picked it up. It was light. Almost too light.
There was a small note attached.
My breath stopped.
It had my name written clearly.
For Hora.
My name.
I stared at it for a long moment.
"There's no way…" I muttered.
No one sends me gifts. It wasn't my birthday. I hadn't won anything. I hadn't ordered anything.
So who sent this?
And how did they know?
A strange mix of excitement and fear filled my chest.
"It's probably nothing," I told myself.
But my hands were shaking slightly as I brought the box inside.
I sat on the sofa and placed it on the table in front of me.
"Okay… let's see."
I slowly opened it.
Inside, there was only one thing.
A bracelet.
It was silver, but not normal silver. It shimmered softly, almost like it had light inside it. Small symbols were carved along its surface. Symbols I didn't recognize.
I blinked.
"That's it?"
I almost laughed at myself.
"I thought it would be something dangerous."
The bracelet looked beautiful. More beautiful than anything I had ever owned.
I reached out and touched it.
Cold.
But the moment my fingers brushed against it, a faint warmth spread through my skin.
"It's really pretty…"
Without thinking much, I slid it onto my wrist.
For one second, nothing happened.
Then—
A sharp pain shot through my arm.
The symbols on the bracelet began to glow.
The room started spinning.
"What—?"
My vision blurred. The walls of my house twisted like they were melting.
I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out.
The last thing I saw was the bracelet shining brighter and brighter.
And then—
Darkness swallowed me whole.
When I opened my eyes, I was no longer in my house.
Cold wind brushed against my face.
Tall trees surrounded me.
The air smelled different. Wild. Heavy.
I slowly sat up.
"This… isn't my home."
A low growl echoed somewhere nearby.
My heart dropped.
And that was the moment I realized—
That bracelet was never a gift.
It was an invitation.
Or maybe…
A trap.