CHAPTER 1

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The sun was warm on my face. That kind of warmth that seeps into your skin and makes you forget about the world for a while. I could hear the faint sounds of my mother humming as she worked in the garden, and the rhythmic thud of my father chopping wood in the distance. I let the wind carry those sounds to me as I lay in the grass, eyes half-closed, watching the gentle sway of the tall grass surrounding our family farm. Everything felt so… still.

I don’t remember the exact moment the sky changed, but I felt it before I saw it. The air shifted—no longer the gentle breeze I had enjoyed moments before. My heart, once calm, now raced in my chest. I sat up quickly, looking toward the forest beyond the farm. The wind howled now, sharp and unkind, biting into my skin as if warning me to run.

That’s when I saw it.

A towering figure, its form dark and twisted, breaking through the trees like they were nothing. A demon. Its eyes burned red, bright like embers, locked onto our home. I couldn’t move. My legs refused to respond, my mind screamed at them, but they were frozen in place. I just… stood there.

“Niv!” My father’s voice broke through the shock, and he grabbed my arm, pulling me back toward the house. “Get inside! Get your mother!”

I snapped out of my trance, my body finally obeying. I ran—no, I stumbled—back to the house, shouting for my mother. “Mom! Mom, we need to go! There’s something in the forest!” My voice cracked, trembling with fear I couldn’t control.

She looked up, her face a mix of confusion and concern. “What’s wrong, Niv? What—?”

And then she saw it. The demon, now closer, its blackened claws reaching toward the sky as it took another step forward. My mother’s eyes widened, and she grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the back door. “We need to leave. Now.”

But it was too late.

The demon was fast. Too fast. By the time we made it to the back of the house, it had already ripped through the front, the sound of splintering wood echoing behind us. My father’s shouts filled the air, followed by a sickening thud. My stomach dropped. I wanted to scream for him, but the words wouldn’t come.

“Run, Niv! Run!” My mother pushed me toward the edge of the forest, toward safety, but I couldn’t leave her. Not like this.

“I won’t go without you!” I shouted, tears streaming down my face.

“You have to.” Her voice broke, but she didn’t let me turn back. “We can’t fight this.”

But my father… my father was still in there.

I turned to look over my shoulder, and that’s when I saw it. The demon… it stood over him, my father, who lay unmoving on the ground. A deep, unnatural laughter filled the air as the demon raised its clawed hand, ready to strike the final blow. I screamed.

“NO!”

And then my mother was in front of me, shielding me from the sight. “Niv, go. Please.”

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I ran.

I didn’t know where I was going, or if there was anywhere safe. The world around me blurred, my vision clouded with tears as I sprinted through the trees, the branches tearing at my skin. I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. All I could hear was the sound of that laughter echoing in my ears, and the sickening crunch of my father’s final moments.

I ran until my legs gave out, collapsing onto the forest floor, gasping for air. My chest heaved with sobs, the weight of what had just happened crashing down on me all at once. My father… my mother… they were gone.

All because of that thing.

The world grew darker as the sun began to set, but I couldn’t move. My body was broken—not physically, but emotionally shattered beyond repair. I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry until I couldn’t feel anything anymore. But I didn’t. All I could do was lie there, numb and empty, as the forest closed in around me.

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The hours passed slowly, and I watched the shadows of the trees grow longer, swallowing the last remnants of daylight. The warmth that had once caressed my skin had vanished, replaced by a bitter chill that seeped through my bones. I curled into myself, hugging my knees to my chest, as if somehow that would shield me from the truth.

But there was no escaping it.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my father’s lifeless body. I heard his final cry, felt the weight of my mother’s hand on my back as she pushed me away. The last thing she ever said to me echoed in my mind. “Go.”

And I did.

I left them behind to die.

Anger rose up inside me, hot and fierce. How could I have run? How could I have just left them? My body shook with rage, my fists clenched tightly enough that my nails dug into my palms. I should’ve stayed. I should’ve fought. Maybe… maybe I could’ve saved them.

Or maybe… it wouldn’t have mattered.

I took a shaky breath, trying to calm the storm inside me. What would staying have done? That thing—whatever it was—it wasn’t something I could’ve fought. My father, as strong as he was, couldn’t even stand a chance against it. And my mother… She had seen it too. She knew. That’s why she made me run. She wanted me to live.

But what kind of life was this?

The tears I had fought so hard to hold back finally broke free. My chest tightened, and sobs wracked my body. It hurt to breathe, every inhale felt like a knife twisting deeper into my lungs. I pressed my forehead against the rough bark of the tree next to me, gasping for air as my grief consumed me.

It wasn’t fair.

Why us? Why now?

I didn’t know how long I sat there, crying into the darkened woods, but eventually, the sobs slowed, and the numbness crept back in. I wiped my face with the back of my sleeve, though it didn’t do much to stop the constant flow of tears.

I had to do something.

I couldn’t just stay here, hiding in the forest like a coward. My parents were gone, yes, but I was still alive. I was still breathing. My hands, shaking as they were, still had strength left in them. My legs, weak from running, still had the power to carry me forward.

I stood slowly, leaning against the tree for support as I caught my breath. My legs wobbled, threatening to give out beneath me, but I forced myself to stand taller. I couldn’t let the weight of what happened crush me. Not yet.

I glanced back toward the direction of the farm, though it was far out of sight now. All that was left of my old life lay back there, in the ruins of what used to be my home. And somewhere in the wreckage… that thing still lurked.

A cold determination settled in my chest.

I wasn’t strong enough. Not yet. But I would be.

Whatever that thing was, whatever demon had come to take everything from me—it would pay. I would find a way. I would become stronger, learn whatever I needed to. And when I was ready, I would find it. I would destroy it.

I clenched my fists, the anger returning, burning hotter now, more focused.

“I’ll kill you,” I whispered, my voice hoarse but steady. “I don’t know how… but I’ll kill you.”

The wind rustled the leaves around me, a soft, eerie whisper, as if the forest itself heard my vow. I didn’t care. Let it hear me. Let the whole world hear me.

I would find that demon. I would find the power to stop it.

And I wouldn’t stop until it was dead.