GLADE

Minutes ago, my family died.

Maybe it was hours ago—I don't know. All I know is that they are no longer alive. The last thing I saw before I fled was my family lying on the ground, covered in blood, their eyes turned toward me. It was all because of that man—the one I now call the Devil. I had to escape that cursed place. I couldn’t stay in that hell any longer and risk my own life. I left my family, my siblings behind. I had no choice. There was nothing I could do. I couldn't save them from that demon. I was in a pitiful state. The only thing I could do was try to get as far away as possible from that hell and from him.

I found myself running into the depths of the dark forest. I had no idea where I was going. I just kept running, never looking back. My lungs burned from the effort, but I couldn’t stop—not now. Not for my daughter, not for myself, not for my people. I instinctively placed my hand on my swollen belly. I felt my daughter’s kick under my palm. Drawing strength from the baby I longed to meet, I kept running. I didn’t care about the thorns and branches cutting my skin—I just had to get away. At the very least, I had to save myself and my daughter. I kept running, for my people, so I could return stronger.

"Ahh!!"

My foot caught on a tree root. I wrapped my arms around my belly to protect my daughter. When I fell, I hit my elbows and knees. A wave of pain surged through my groin and made me groan.

"Not now, my little one. Please, not now, my princess. Just a little longer, my love."

Despite the pain, I forced myself to stand. It was difficult, but I managed. I had to keep going—if not, they would take my daughter from me. I couldn’t allow that. I couldn’t lose hope. I wouldn’t let my daughter fall into the Devil’s hands.

"She must be here somewhere. That bitch can’t have gotten far in her condition. Stop dawdling and find her, or I’ll fill your skulls with your own blood and drink it."

The voice I heard shook me with fear. It was the voice of my worst enemy—the murderer of my family. The man who turned my life into hell. The man I once loved madly—my husband. Now, I hate him with every fiber of my being. That hatred is what kept me going all this time. Somehow, I kept moving forward. I couldn’t run anymore in this state, so I started looking for a place to hide. Hiding in a dark forest may sound easy, but knowing the army behind me, I realized how impossible it really was.

As I searched for cover, I noticed a faint glow among the rocks. I felt drawn to it and began walking toward it without thinking. It felt like something was calling to me from there. I surrendered to that feeling. As I approached the light, it was as if the stones moved aside to let me through—or maybe I just wanted to believe that.

"Damn it!"

The warmth trickling between my legs intensified my fear. My daughter was coming—at the worst possible moment. I instinctively placed my hand on my belly again. I picked up my pace and walked faster toward the light. Holding onto the stones around me, I kept moving. I noticed the trees were thinning. A few steps later, I saw a massive boulder in front of me.

"This is the end."

The boulder was too big to go around. It loomed before me like a mountain. I reached out, hoping to find some way past it. As the minutes passed, the fear of being caught overwhelmed me. The pain grew worse. I couldn’t even walk anymore. Tears started rolling down my face.

"What a cursed fate I have. I’m sorry, my daughter. I’ve failed you."

I collapsed, leaning against the rock. I couldn’t go on. The pain was unbearable. I could feel my daughter coming. I clutched the grass on the ground. The pain was terrible, but being alone hurt even more. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for whatever was to come. I decided to surrender to fate. I hadn’t expected to give up so quickly, but there was nothing more I could do.

"Look, the labor has already started."

"Good thing we arrived in time."

Amid strange whispers, I understood those words. I opened my eyes. In front of me stood beautiful, well-dressed women. I looked around—I was still in the same place. But who were these women?

"The ones… chasing me… where are they…?"

I barely had the strength to speak. The pain was numbing. The increasing contractions were the only thing keeping me conscious.

"They can’t find this place, my Queen. Don’t worry."

I wanted to believe the woman’s words, but it didn’t seem possible. This was my husband’s land—he could find anything here. He knew every inch of this forest. The pain intensified again. One of the women adjusted my posture and gently parted my legs.

"You useless fools. How can you not catch a single pregnant woman? Why do I even keep you around, you dogs?"

I heard my husband’s voice and tried to get up. The women stopped me. I looked at them with pleading eyes, but it was no use. I saw him in the distance. My breath grew shallow. The women kept working calmly to help me give birth. Under different circumstances, I might have been grateful, but right now, I was trembling with fear. He was getting closer. Soon, he would see us. His soldiers were running past us without even glancing our way.

"Come on, dear. Deep breath and push."

The voice of an older woman brought my focus back. The fear, the pain—everything was a blur. I took a deep breath and pushed.

"One more time. It’s almost over, my girl. Hold on."

I pushed again. Then I heard my daughter’s tiny cry. The relief after the birth washed over me. I closed my eyes. When the woman placed my daughter in my arms, I felt like the happiest person in the world. I held her close, kissed her. When I looked at the women, they were all smiling at me.

"Who are you? Why couldn’t they see us?"

The woman who delivered my baby sat beside me. She took my daughter from my arms and smiled at us both. She gently ran her hand through my hair like a mother would.

"This is the Forest of the Dead. No one can find you here."

"What forest? What dead? Damn it—when did I die?"

I thought I had escaped that tyrant. But these women spoke of a place for the dead. There’s no other way I could’ve come here. A living person doesn’t belong in the Forest of the Dead. It doesn’t make sense.

"We’ll explain everything. Just stay calm, my girl. You’re not dead—don’t worry."

"Who are you? Don’t lie to me. I failed. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t save anyone."

"You’ll learn everything in time. For now, we must go. We don’t have much time left."

"What don’t we have time for?"

The woman raised her hands over me and closed her eyes. She started whispering words I didn’t understand. Sparkles flowed from her hands over me. As the star-like lights poured over my body, I had to close my eyes. The ground beneath me began to vanish—I felt like I was rising. The last thing I saw before darkness took me was the disgusting silhouette of my husband.