Rosalind.

I arrived at the sweets shop, scanning the crowd as the doorbell chimed. The God of Wisdom's cryptic words replayed in my head—someone familiar, but not Art. The place was warm and inviting, with the scent of sugar and baked goods filling the air. It was busy, but no faces stood out immediately.

I walked further in, my eyes still searching. Everyone seemed like just another stranger, wrapped in their own lives. Who could it be? I pondered as I moved toward the counter, trying to piece together the puzzle.

The God wouldn't have sent me here without reason, so there had to be something—or someone—I was missing.

"Someone help me! Please, I'm lost! I want my mama!" I heard a little girl cry.

I hurriedly followed the young girl's cries and stopped when I saw her—a young girl with dark green hair and blue eyes.

"Hey, hey, little girl, are you lost?" For some odd reason, this girl looked familiar, but that wasn't important right now.

"What's your name?"

"Katharina," she said, sniffling a bit.

"That's a beautiful name. Do you know where your mama might be?"

"I think at the castle," she said.

The castle? Does she work there?

"Oh, is your mama a maid or something?" The little girl shook her head. "No, Mama is the princess," she said.

"The princess?" I asked, surprised. I had never heard that the princess had a child.

We talked for a little while, and it turns out this little girl is the stepdaughter of the princess of the kingdom. So, the princess is engaged to someone.

I knelt down to be at eye level with Katharina, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that this little girl was connected to the royal family. The princess having a stepdaughter? That was definitely not something I had heard about before.

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"Alright, Katharina, let's get you back to the castle then," I said softly, offering her my hand.

She took it, still sniffling a little but looking relieved. "Thank you..."

As we started walking, my mind raced. Who was this child's father? And how had such a big piece of information gone unnoticed? The God of Wisdom had said I'd find someone familiar, and this girl—her green hair and those blue eyes—triggered something deep within me, but I couldn't place it just yet.

We made our way through the streets toward the castle, and I couldn't shake the feeling that this girl was more important than she seemed. Whoever her parents were, there was more to this than just a lost child.

For a while, we walked toward the castle, but I started to feel a strange aura. The streets grew emptier and emptier, and the few people we passed gradually disappeared. Katharina let out a small sneeze.

"Katharina, you mustn't—" Before I could finish my sentence, I bumped into a wall. Confused, I quickly turned around, but Katharina was gone.

The streets were completely deserted, and a thick fog had rolled in, making it hard to see anything.

Panic set in immediately. One moment, Katharina was beside me, and the next, she was gone, vanishing as if swallowed by the thickening fog. The streets were eerily empty, devoid of the usual hustle of city life, and a chilling aura seemed to seep into the air.

"Katharina?" I called out, my voice echoing in the unnatural stillness.

No response. I scanned the fog, trying to spot any sign of her, but there was nothing but silence and the cold, creeping mist. My instincts screamed that this was no ordinary fog—it felt like a trap, something conjured.

I cursed under my breath. "Damn it."

"Show yourself!" I shouted into the fog, my voice now laced with both anger and apprehension.

I heard chains rattling as a figure dressed

in all black approached me.

"Ahh!" I gasped, reaching for my sword, but

before I could draw it, the figure hurled the

chains at me. They wrapped tightly around

my wrist, and with a brutal yank, it tore my

hand clean off, leaving a gushing, bloody

mess.

Pain surged through my arm like wildfire,

my vision blurring as I stumbled back,

clutching the bleeding stump where my

hand had been.

The figure in black loomed

closer, the chains rattling ominously, as if

taunting me. My heart pounded in my

chest, the fog thickening around us.

I grit my teeth, forcing myself to stay

conscious, to stay focused. Blood loss was

a real threat, but l couldn't afford to pass

out here. Not with Katharina missing. Not

with this thing coming for me.

"You think this will stop me?" I spat, pain

lacing my voice, but defiance burning in my

eyes.

The figure didn't respond, but the sound of

chains rattling again was enough to push

me into action.

The sound of the gunshot echoed through

the fog, and the figure staggered back. I

didn't wait to see the result.

I bolted, the pain in my arm nearly unbearable, but I couldn't stop now. I had to find Katharina. I had to end this.

I tried to turn and run, but an agonizing,

searing pain shot through my back. It

wasn't just pain-it was destruction. My

spine, the very core of my body, was ripped

clean out. I collapsed onto the cold,

unforgiving ground, my arms weak and

trembling as I desperately clawed at the

earth. Every inch I dragged myself forward

felt like an eternity.

"Dammit, I don't wanna die..." My voice was

a rasp, barely a whisper, drowned out by the

thumping footsteps closing in behind me.

The figure, relentless, methodical, stopped

just behind me. The weight of impending

death settled over me like a shadow. My

breathing hitched, my heart racing faster

despite the growing numbness in my limbs.

I couldn't see it, but I could feel its

presence-towering, looming, waiting.

Then, without warning, a sharp pressure

pressed into the back of my skull. It was

the figure's foot, and it had no mercy.

Crack. The sound echoed in my ears as my

skull began to fracture under the weight.

Pain exploded through my head, sharp and

blinding. I gasped, blood trickling from my

eyes, warm and thick as it clouded my

vision.

The pressure increased. Pop. I felt my

eyeballs rupture, the world around me

fading into nothing but dark shadows. My

body convulsed, but I was powerless to

stop what was happening. My

consciousness flickered like a dying flame,

and with one final, sickening splat,

everything went dark. My body, once a

vessel for life and fear, was reduced to

nothing but a crushed, broken shell. I was

dead.