After an hour of travel, the carriage began to slow as it approached a rickety, swaying bridge. It was the first time Zharfa had seen such a pristine river rushing beneath it.

“The water looks so fresh. How much farther do we have to go?” she asked.

“Not much. The town is quite near... Do you know what they call this river? ‘Ab-e-Khafia,’ the River of Secrets!” Samira replied.

“Secrets? What secrets does it hold?” Zharfa asked, puzzled.

“The secrets lie beyond it, not within. You’ll find out soon enough,” Samira said mysteriously.

The carriage driver called out as he pulled the reins, “Ladies! We have arrived at the town of Moudari.”

As the girls entered the town, an unpleasant odor caught Zharfa off guard. The smell of fish pervaded the entrance, causing her to cover her nose. “... What a warm welcome indeed,” she remarked dryly.

“Zharfa, can you hold Zoya for a minute? I have something to do. Don’t worry, just head to the end of the market; there’s a close-out there. I’ll meet you soon,” Samira said eagerly, disappearing into the crowd.

Zharfa, holding tightly to little Zoya’s hand, navigated through the bustling market. Her gaze fell upon the sellers, all wearing large black cloaks. The fishmongers had cloths tied around their faces, likely to mask the vile stench, she thought, but they all seemed to be coughing intermittently. Strangely, other sellers, who also wore long black cloaks, left their faces uncovered. Their yellowed teeth and pungent breath greeted customers with wide, toothy smiles. Their nails were long and filthy, as if they hadn’t been cut in years. They grabbed handfuls of coins from the customers and handed out small white papers in return—something scribbled, but unreadable amid the chaos. The people cheered wildly as they received these papers, items they might not have initially sought.

As Zharfa observed the sellers more closely, the intermittent coughing grew more intense.

Disturbed by this strange environment, Zharfa hurried toward the exit, urging Zoya to keep up.

Upon reaching the end of the market, Zharfa was confronted by the sight of large, towering trees, their dark trunks stretching up as if to pierce the sky. The entire front was obscured by them. “Perhaps a forest,” she mused. Meanwhile, Zoya called out, “Api! Look at these.”

Zharfa’s attention was drawn to a carriage with a man dozing inside, but what captivated her were the two creatures harnessed to it.

They were built like horses but shorter, with long necks devoid of manes. Two straight horns, reminiscent of unicorns, sprouted from their heads. Their ears were so long they obscured their eyes. What intrigued Zharfa most was their dark bluish skin. Tentatively, she reached out to touch one of the creatures, finding it as calm as a still lake.

“[Yawns] Hownnh... Hey? You girls lookin’ to go somewhere?” the carriage man suddenly awoke from his sleep.

“Umm... No, we just wanted to ask, what are these creatures?” Zharfa inquired.

“Hahaha... Noctoorus, they’re called. Perfect little creatures for the path ahead. They move like a calm wind, making no sound but that of the carriage. Their long ears can sense danger from miles away. And their skin? It glows in the dark, a beautiful charm of protection and travel...”

“...If you girls are heading to the shore of Rafayt, it’s just six gold coins for a round trip. But going through that forest? Nah! ... It’s always too dangerous to venture inside.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

Amused by the offer, Zharfa tried to spot Samira in the crowd. She found her near the same eerie sellers of paper, as she calls out loudly with a hand wave, “SAMIRA!! Here, come here.”

With her loud call, Zharfa noticed the cloaked seller glaring at her while Samira, once smiling, now walked toward the exit with a stern face. The call didn’t please the nearby people, as murmurs of disapproval rippled through the crowd.

“What is she shouting about... Doesn’t she see how quiet we are?” a nearby woman remarked.

“Shouting is forbidden here... nothing is wrong here,” another woman added.

Their voices were strange; although they expressed strong concerns, there was a weeping, grieving undertone as if they were truly hurt.

Samira rushed toward the exit, saying, “What were you thinking? Come on, we have to go now.” She grabbed her little sister’s hand and started walking briskly.

Zharfa exclaimed, “Samira! Why are you rushing off? Look at this carriage—the man said he could take us safely for only six coins.”

Samira turned to the carriage man and bluntly said, “Six gold coins you ask? No thanks... we’re better off on our own.”

After refusing the offer, Samira resumed walking with Zoya. “Zharfa! Are you coming or not?”

“What’s gotten into you, Samira? And why are you heading into that dark-looking forest? Even the man said it’s dangerous.”

Samira rolled her eyes, uninterested. She stepped closer to Zharfa and spoke in a private tone, “He’s trying to rob us. You don’t see it, but I know. The forest of Siyahzan isn’t as dangerous as they make it out to be. If you do what I do and we stick together, we’ll be fine. It’s the shortest path to Rafayt. The forest might look vast, but it’s not that dense.”

Zharfa remained silent, considering Samira’s words. Though they seemed plausible, she hesitated as she gazed at the towering, sky-reaching trees shrouded in darkness. “But Samira... I...”

“But what? Unless you’re scared, Zharfa. We can always turn back.”

“Scared? Ha! Me?” Zharfa chuckled nervously. “I was just concerned about little Zoya.”

As they both turned their attention to Zoya, they saw her confidently walking into the forest without hesitation. Samira smiled and began following her.

“This is trouble... Hey! Are you two just going to leave me behind?” Zharfa called out, rushing to catch up in fear of being left alone.

All three entered the Forest of Siyahzan.

“Samira, did you know about this place before? ‘Siyahzan’—it feels and sounds so dark. Why is that?” Zharfa asked, her voice tinged with unease.

“Zharfa, what do you know about the Great Beginning of Alqarah and its people?” Samira replied, turning the question around.

“Well, I know that King Arjomand founded this place with his four thousand companions,” Zharfa answered.

“Four thousand? Huh... There were fifteen thousand people during his time. But after the great slumber, only four thousand remained. The rest? All perished.” Samira leaned in closer, her tone eerie. “And do you know where they were buried? Right here, in this forest. Countless bodies lie beneath these trunks.”

Shocked and confused, Zharfa asked, “But why did they die?”

“I don’t know the full story, but it’s said they weren’t true Alqarahns, likely cruel outsiders.”

Before Zharfa could ask more, she heard hissing sounds to her right. It seemed as if the tree trunks were trying to communicate. She stared at them, and the trunks began to move away on their own. Alarmed, Zharfa looked around and saw other trees moving as well. She felt as though she was in a nightmare.

“SAMIRA? Can you see? They’re moving!” Zharfa called out, her voice quivering.

“Zharfa, what are you doing standing there? MOVE!” Samira urged.

Zharfa was bewildered as harsh voices, crying and grieving, emerged from the forest.

“Why have you come here? To laugh at us and ignore us?” a voice shouted.

“You killed us and left us to rot. Why?” another voice sobbed.

The wind picked up, and the trees seemed like they were going to collapse on them. Terrified, Zharfa started breathing heavily and collapsed. Samira held Zoya close, shielding her ears. Then, standing boldly, she called out to the voices of Siyahzan.

“You want the truth, huh? Then listen. You all deserved it...” Her words made the voices recoil in fear, their cries echoing, “NOOO! Don’t say that...”

Samira continued, “YES! You heard me right... You deserved it. Everything that happened.”

The cries slowly faded away, and the forest of Siyahzan returned to its eerie silence. Samira, holding Zoya, helped Zharfa up, and they hurriedly tried to make their way out of the forest.

“I told you to follow what I do. So why did you stop, Zharfa?” Samira asked while running.

“I don’t understand what just happened, Samira. And why are we running when the voices have gone?”

“The forest is angry. We can’t stop for a moment here. We need to keep moving!” Samira said urgently as they neared the exit.