Sofia stayed in her cottage for three days, hidden from the world. Although this forest was her oasis of tranquillity, she didn't dare to leave her home. The events repeated endlessly in her mind. She tried to block them, to distract herself, but it was all she could think about.

Did I do this? She asked herself, still shaken from her encounter in town.

One thing came to mind: bloodline inheritance. It was the only thing that made sense. Yet, her clan’s inheritance was a snake, right? How could it achieve such an effect? Her knowledge of the matter was limited; she needed an outside opinion but was reluctant.

She first thought about asking her brother, but what would he think? She had always been different from the rest while he was the only one who accepted her, but what if she was even more different than he thought? She thought of multiple reasons to explain this phenomenon, but only one struck her as plausible.

I don’t belong here, do I? Am I even my father’s child? Am I even his sister?

Such thoughts swirled in her mind, confusing her even more. She wanted to reject the notion, but something was gnawing at her heart.

This would explain that man's attitude toward me, for one.

Such thoughts made her depressed. She didn't know if she still had anything to live for. Was her whole life only a lie? One thing struck her, though. Why would that man still allow her within the premises if she wasn't of his blood? What did he have to gain? He didn't strike her as a benevolent man caring for an orphaned girl. Besides, they weren't in any way caring.

She didn't know what to think anymore. She barely ate and slept in the last three days, too absorbed in her delusions without any evidence. The mental fatigue caught up to her, and she finally collapsed with a high fever. For two more days, she was bedridden, unable to even rise. No one came to check on her; no one cared. She cried herself to sleep at night, alone and depressed. She didn't see another soul for more than a week, too afraid to expose herself.

Ironically, the thing that kept her down was also what made her rise. Fear is what gave her the courage to go on: the fear of death. Hunger and thirst assaulted her, waking her from her haze. Even alone, she would survive. Although she resolved to live, she wasn't ready to face the world.

She didn't leave her forest for over a month, but at least she found the courage to hunt. Her daily life didn't change much after that: wake up, draw water, wash, hunt, eat, sleep, repeat. Every day felt the same. She didn't know why she lived anymore; she only needed to. She figured that as long as she lived, she would find a reason to sooner or later; at least, that was her hope.

What gnawed at her mind was that her brother hadn't come to see her for more than a month. She knew he was busy, but he rarely went a week without coming to her cottage. Maybe something happened to him, but she was too afraid to ask. What if he simply had enough of her? She knew she couldn't take it, so she merely waited.

More than three months passed since the incident. Her life remained largely the same, but she was more active. She would sometimes go to the forest's edge facing the manor, idly wasting her time hoping to glimpse at her brother. It had been more than three months since he came last. She started to worry that something may very well have happened to him. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to leave.

Days passed while she stood at the forest's edge, months even. Her fears and worries dulled with time. Winter came and went, and she stopped waiting for him. Even alone, her life would continue. While she was still reluctant to leave her forest, she became self-sufficient. She had no more reason to go into town; the forest could provide everything she needed.

And so, spring turned to summer. She had spent an entire year in solitude. Surprisingly, such a thing didn't break her but made her stronger and more independent. Until now, she had always gone along with everything her brother said. She always thought he was right, but now, she could only rely on herself.

She was now almost twelve and started to grow as a woman. She thought she had ingested poison when she began bleeding from her genitals; she thought she was about to die. Nobody ever told her about such things. She could only figure it out on her own. Once she noticed the same thing happening every month, she finally let go of her fears and apprehensions and thought of it as normal.

Her mentality changed as she gained maturity. The once-overpowering fear about her power became mundane; it was just another part of her. Although she didn't know how to control it or even what it was, she still accepted it as a part of herself.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

One small thing was on her mind, however. The merchant sister had always treated her well, but Sofia had disappeared for over a year, reneging on their arrangement. Sofia wondered if she was worried about her. She needed to let her know she was okay. With this, she made up her mind to finally leave this forest. Besides, she reckoned that the boys she encountered had probably long forgotten about her. There was no reason to delay any longer.

Over the year, Sofia had grown quite a bit. Her childish features faded, replaced with an elegant maturity. Her muscles were lean and supple, toned from all the hunting she did, while her breasts began to show themselves. She looked older than she was. It wouldn't be surprising for her to be mistaken for a fifteen-year-old.

Her experiences made it difficult for her to be objective about herself, so she didn't bother to hide like all the times she had before. Besides, she had an objective in doing so. She wondered if rumours about her would reach the family; maybe that way, her brother would know she was still living well. At least as well as can be. She didn't hold much hope, however. Too often, her hopes were crushed, and she had been disappointed.

So, for the first time in what seemed like forever, she made the trip to the town, a bag full of pelts on her back. It was high time she sold them as she couldn't store them forever. She gained entrance to the town easily enough, but people seemed to give her looks. She didn't bother much with them as she knew they never held her in high regard; their staring wasn't unexpected, yet something about how they looked at her felt strange. She was used to looks of disdain, yet something was different.

She shrugged and ignored the feeling. She didn’t have the energy to care about people unrelated to her. She approached the familiar store yet found it hard to enter; she hesitated. All her previous resolve seemed to crumble once faced with the possibility that she might not be welcomed.

Sofia noticed that the store had changed substantively in merely a short year. The storefront was now more elegant and colourful, attracting the gaze of the passersby. It seemed that business was booming. Would the sister still be interested in what she had to offer?

Many people stopped and stared at the young woman standing listlessly in front of the store. She felt their gaze crawling all over her skin; it gave her goosebumps. She wondered what was wrong with them. Did they have nothing better to do?

She checked her clothes, wondering whether her outfit was out of place, but what she wore now wasn't much different from everyone around her. She was glad she took her brother's advice and bought clothes bigger than necessary the last time she was here; otherwise, she wouldn't have anything to wear, as all her previous clothes had become too small.

She heard footsteps quickly approaching from her side. She turned and saw a young man, maybe about eighteen years old, standing beside her with a stupid smile on his face. The man saw her looking him in the eyes, and a rush of red coloured his face. He turned his head away and coughed in embarrassment.

Sofia couldn’t help frowning, wondering what the man wanted from her. He couldn’t be asking her to leave here, right? She waited a moment, but the man remained silent. Once the man finally found his resolve and turned to face her again, she was already gone. He hung his head in dejection and left with a heavy heart.

Sofia entered the building, wondering what this was all about. She had no clue what the man wanted from her, but she had no inclination to find out. The looks she received once inside weren't much different, only much more subdued. She shrugged; there was no point in hesitating anymore now.

She finally saw a familiar face at the reception desk, and for the first time in a long while, Sofia smiled. The woman manning the desk had helped her a lot in the past when she didn't know much. She recalled that she was the sister's secretary.

While apprehensive of her reaction, she approached and stopped before the desk. Sofia was too absorbed in her thoughts to notice the atmosphere around the spacious room. Men looked at her with desires in their hearts, while women looked at her with interest and others with envy. Unbeknownst to her, she was the centre of attention as everyone stopped their work once she passed by.

Noticing the sudden shift, the woman at the desk lifted her head from her paperwork and gave an intimidating glare to all of her colleagues, whom they didn't dare to meet. They all turned away in unison as the usual bustling work atmosphere turned to silence. Everyone opened their ears, clearly interested in why this girl visited their establishment.

The lady at the desk scoffed but let them go for now. It seemed their attitudes were due to a lack of training; she would make sure to remedy this afterwards. As if knowing her thoughts, all the people in the room shuddered as if the grim reaper loomed over them.

"What can I do for you today?" the lady said professionally. Whether a demon or a goddess came to her desk, her attitude wouldn't change in the slightest.

Sofia looked her in the eyes and started fidgeting. She was much more nervous than she anticipated. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. Her gaze was now firm. The lady at the desk was surprised to see the shift, but her professional smile didn't waver a millimetre.

“Long time no see,” Sofia said after calming down. “Is sister in? I have some business for her.”

The lady frowned, examining the young lady before her. Her memory was excellent, but she was unfamiliar with that young woman. Maybe she was one of the staff's family? It wasn't until a moment passed that something finally clicked in her mind. She couldn't be referring to the manager, right? There's only one person that stubborn manager lets her call her "sister."

“Sofia?!” she exclaimed. “Wow, you’ve changed so much I didn’t even recognize you. What have you been up to? It’s been more than a year. The manager’s been asking about you, you know? You could have said something if something came up.”

Sofia could only show a wry smile as relief washed over her. She had missed this sense of familiarity.

"I'm sorry. I..." Sofia tried to explain, but her words failed her. How could she even explain this? Sorry, things happened, and I wanted to die, but now I'm better, just wouldn't cut it. She could only keep silent.

The woman noticed her reluctance and didn’t push further. Her gaze could only soften when she looked at the little girl she had watched grow up. She was now a young woman in the prime of her life.

"Come," she said as she took Sofia by the hand. "The manager was worried sick once we lost all contact with you. I'm sure she will be overjoyed to know you are fine."

Her words slightly melted the frost that had taken root in Sofia's heart over the last year. She could finally feel a glimmer of warmth enveloping her.