In the middle of the forest, a lullaby echoed. Its mesmerizing voice reached their ears, making both of them startled.
He stood up, looking cautiously in the direction of the forest as he muttered, "Where is this sound coming from?"
But his senses didn't react; they were calm as water, making him more confused. The lullaby kept ringing in the air, attracting Sera.
She stood up, glancing in the direction. She muttered, "I think I heard something."
"What?" he said, squinting his eyes, wind lifting his hair as he glanced at her.
Whereas Sera, in a low voice, muttered, "I heard someone cry."
"Cry?"
"Yes… it's coming from that way," pointing her finger toward a forest, which was covered under the shade of dark. An ominous aura emanated from it, distorting everything.
Noen stared at it intensely, still unsure, yet he decided to move. He said, calling her name,
"Don't carelessly wander off and stay beside me, ok?"
She nodded before they both started to move.
After a while—
They stood facing the forest, staring at it.
As Noen pushed a branch, stepping inside, Sera followed behind him.
They both went deep into the forest, following the slow humming of the lullaby, but something was different.
As they kept getting closer to it, the voice felt distant, going farther away from their ears.
Till the sound became a single variable, almost inaudible by human ears, but for him, the sound felt like a scream… a scream of someone's frustration.
Sera questioned, "Mister, I can't hear the voice."
But he just looked in a direction, almost certain, as if he was sure.
"The sound has not vanished."
Eyes glowing, he drew his blood on the ground, stretching it further, trying to see what's happening deep inside.
A vision formed in front of his eyes, but soon after, it vanished, resisted by an unnatural force, as if it was saying it didn't want to be seen.
His eyes frowned at the interference. Moving back, he called Sera—
But she was not there.
Looking at her absence, panic surged inside him.
"Where did she go?"
Instantly dashing around to look for her, but to his surprise, he came back to the same place no matter how hard he tried.
He cursed, "This fucking thing just had to happen now…"
His eyes grew more worried as, in the sky, the moon shone red, covering everything in a deep red hue.
"Mister? Mister…?"
She called for him while her feet trembled from fear, but Noen was nowhere to be seen.
Silence crept around her, and with the flowing wind, the same voice echoed, but clearer this time—
"Why don't you wake up… see, your mama's here…
Please look at me with the same smile you always had…
Look, I brought some food, so please wake up…
Don't look at me with such innocent eyes…
Why don't you eat… see, it's warm food…"
The voice faded into silence.
Before everything changed.
The whole world shifted into a rustling village.
Where Sera stood quietly, looking at a mother singing for her child.
"Hmm… hmm… hmm… hmm…
Sit still… let me fix your hair…
You'll look pretty… just like a star…
Don't move now… it won't take long…
There… all done… my little one…"
"Close your eyes… if you feel tired…
Mama's here… right by your side…"
"Here, it's done."
"Do I look like a princess?" the child said happily, looking at her mother.
"Yes, you do, my little queen."
"But I'm a princess," she said, pouting.
"Yes, yes, my little princess."
"Now wait for mama to come back from work like a good child, okay?"
"Yes," she said, smiling like a flower as her mother patted her head.
"Yes, good girl."
"Now go there and play with your toys and eat on time."
The little girl nodded, instantly dashing back to her toys, while her mother looked at her affectionately.
Glancing at a torn paper marked with a birthday cake, she smiled one last time before leaving the house.
At the footpath, she sang continuously, hoping… just hoping someone would give her some money.
But everyone just passed by, not even stopping for her.
Her eyes saddened, looking at the empty cloth, but she didn't stop. Her thoughts were filled with the happy memories of her daughter. She kept her pace, eyes determined.
"For her birthday," she thought.
The day turned to dusk. Her throat started to get sore, though she only gathered a few pennies, while she stood completely covered in dust.
Looking at the sky, she instantly rushed toward a bread shop, smiling.
"At least she won't be eating soup today," she said.
The sun was setting. Rushing back home, she opened the door, smiling.
"Mama is back—"
She froze.
Her eyes went pale as the bread fell from her hands.
Thump.
Her eyes tearing up, her hands trembling, she moved closer. The room was filled with silence—no murmur, just her and…
In front of her was just blood.
A sea of red, spilling everywhere.
The stench slowly reached her nose. She moved closer, her hands trembling, as she saw her daughter's body, unmoving, still as a log. Her clothes were drenched in blood, dripping as it stained the floor.
"Why…?" she asked. "Why… why… why… why…?"
Her eyes trembled, unable to believe it. She stepped outside, then rushed back in—but nothing changed.
Her body was still.
Still.
She ran outside again, grabbing her hair, slapping her face continuously, but again, nothing changed.
Standing motionless outside the door, falling to her knees, she stared at the entrance, hiccuping in tears.
"Please… this is not… this can't be real…
No… no… no… this… this can't be real…
Why… it was her birthday… she was happy… so why…?"
She scratched her face, blood dripping down, when from behind, laughter echoed.
Voices of something worse than monsters.
"Hahaha… look at her… how she's crying…"
Their eyes stared at her smugly before their voices turned cold.
"We warned you about it, but you refused to pay the interest…
Now you understand what happens… hahaha…"
His men standing beside him also laughed, staring at her, their eyes filled with lust.
"Well… you are beautiful… and anyway, you can have another… with us…"
Their tongues slid out, saliva dripping down.
But none of that mattered to her. Anger had already taken over, and despair gave her strength.
She grabbed a knife covered in her daughter's blood, lunging at them, completely losing her mind.
"Emily… mama's home…"
"Here, eat this…"
She brought the bowl close to her, feeding her with a spoon. Just as it touched her mouth—
Everything turned dark.
Behind her, three skulls hung, as she looked at her dead daughter, smiling eerily as she hummed the same song.
Feeding her… soup.
The lady's face was covered in bruises, her hair torn, staring at the bed with an indifferent smile.
Eyes stuttering each time as she kept feeding the dead body.
Days passed.
But the door of the house never opened.
Months… years…
The whole village was covered in fire. Monsters roamed all over the place, while the same old worn house still stood.
Burning in the flames—
And instead of screams, laughter echoed across the sky.
Along with a haunting lullaby…