[Episode 2]
Rahi hummed softly to herself as she gripped her basket more tightly.
The strange commotion over the mysterious footprints the hunter had mentioned a few days earlier had died down as if by magic after several nights passed without incident. The people of Ragopa Village were naturally optimistic, and Rahi, thinking, "Surely nothing will happen," ventured a little deeper into the forest than usual.
"Surely nothing will happen."
The wildflowers the village grandmother had mentioned for flower tea were blooming in clusters in a sunny clearing deep within the forest.
The forest was eerily quiet. Even though not a breath of wind stirred, the only sound was the occasional rustling of leaves rubbing against one another. Rahi bent down and carefully picked a purple blossom.
"This should be enough for five bottles of flower tea. If I sell them at the festival, I'll be able to afford one more set of winter clothes."
Rahi smiled faintly as she made her practical calculations. To the taciturn girl, the forest's stillness felt profound. Only the soft rustle of her footsteps brushed lightly across the fallen leaves.
It was just then, as she walked confidently along the familiar forest path.
A chill ran down her spine. A strange, heavy gaze—as if someone were staring intently at the back of her neck.
Rahi instinctively turned her head.
And in that instant, she saw it.
Amid the dense foliage, she saw two yellow eyes fixed on her.
They were the eyes of a beast. But they were on a completely different level from any bear or animal she had ever seen. The girl froze solid in her tracks. Her mind screamed, "Run!" but her body remained as rigid as a lump of iron. A primal fear had paralyzed every sense in her body.
In the distance, the yellow eyes began to blink slowly.
Blink, blink.
The air in the once-quiet forest grew scorching hot in an instant. In the face of that predatory gaze, the only sounds she could hear were her own ragged breathing and the pounding of her heart.
The girl stood frozen in place, locked in a standoff with the yellow eyes for several minutes. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it would burst, and cold sweat trickled down her back.
How many minutes had passed in that standoff? The fiercely burning yellow eyes blinked a few more times, then suddenly vanished completely into the darkness. She couldn't tell if it had closed its eyes or hidden itself in the shadows, but one thing was certain: this was her only chance.
"Now's the time. If I miss this chance, I'll die."
Acting on instinct, Rahi didn't even look back; she pushed off the ground and sprinted away.
Her clothes tore as they caught on a tree branch, and the sound of her shoe soles scraping against the dirt was deafening, but Rahi couldn't stop. Driven solely by the single-minded determination to survive, she raced toward the village.
Only when she was finally out of breath and the lanterns at the village entrance came into view did Rahi stop, drop to her knees, and gasp for air.
"Phew... phew... I'm alive."
The basket was gone—she must have dropped it somewhere—and the flowers she'd picked with such care were surely ruined. But the girl had no time to dwell on such things.
After that day, Rahi didn't go anywhere near the forest for quite some time. For several days, she would wake up in a cold sweat, even in her sleep, feeling as though those yellow eyes were staring down at her, piercing through the ceiling.
But time was a cure. As her fear subsided, various thoughts began to cross her mind.
'What on earth was that?'
For a beast, the gaze it cast upon her was too human; yet for a ghost, the lingering heat felt far too vivid.
Rahi shook her head as she adjusted the basket of vegetables and fruits destined for the lord's castle. Perhaps she had simply been too exhausted and had seen things. After all, since that day, the village had been deathly quiet—not a single rumor of a monster had surfaced.
The castle kitchen was filled with the savory scent of baking bread and the sound of bustling footsteps. Rahi, who had been delivering goods to the castle since she was a child, was quite the favorite among the maids.
"Oh my, is that you, Rahi?"
The first to run over and greet Rahi was Mari, a maid around her age. Mari took the basket from Rahi and slipped a cookie into her mouth.
"Thanks, Mari."
As the sweet cookie melted in her mouth, her tension eased a little. Mari sat right next to Rahi and let her natural chattiness take over.
"By the way, Rahi, you don't look so good lately. Is something bothering you?"
"No."
"Is Alec giving you a hard time again?"
"No, it's not that."
Rahi hesitated for a moment. She considered mentioning those yellow eyes she'd seen in the forest, but quickly kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to spread unnecessary rumors by bringing up a story she wasn't even sure was real or a dream.
"I've just been having trouble sleeping lately."
"Oh, that's too bad. Oh! Come to think of it, our festival is coming up soon."
Mari tapped Rahi on the shoulder excitedly. At the mention of the festival, the maids in the kitchen began chattering excitedly, each chiming in with their own comments.
'I went into that forest to make the flower tea we'd sell at the festival.'
Rahi stood there blankly for a moment, and Mari asked again.
"Rahi, you're going to sell flower tea at this festival too, right?"
"Hmm, I suppose so."
"Your family's flower tea was the most popular last year, wasn't it? I hear there are already a lot of people waiting."
"Huh? Um… well, I'm actually a bit torn this time."
"What's there to think about! I heard lots of important guests from the castle are coming to this festival, so you could probably sell it for twice as much as usual!"
Mari clenched her fists and got excited as if it were her own business. Rahi forced a smile and nodded, but inside she was conflicted.
'I have to sell the flower tea this time. That's the only way I can prepare for the coming winter.'
Rahi sighed quietly to herself and stood up. She had to dry the flower tea two weeks before the festival for it to be marketable. If she didn't act right away, she wouldn't have enough money to get through this winter.
Even though rumors of monsters in the forest were running rampant, for Rahi, who was struggling just to make ends meet, hunger was a bigger problem than fear.
In the end, Rahi headed back into the forest the next day.
It would be a lie to say her steps toward the forest weren't filled with fear. However, this time she resolved to pick flowers only near the entrance, close to the village, rather than venturing deep into the woods like last time.
But perhaps it was because she was in such a hurry. The flowers that were usually scattered everywhere were nowhere to be seen. Just as she was stepping further in, telling herself "just a little more, just a little more,"
Rustle—.
An unpleasant rustling sound came from behind her. Rahi fl인천ched and turned around to find three strangers standing there, their black coats pulled up over their heads.
"We can't go on like this. Let's find a room to rest in today. My feet are screaming in pain."
The smallest of them, with a boyish voice, grumbled. At the rustling sound Rahi made, all three of their gazes locked onto her at once.
"Huh?"
"It's a girl?"
Suddenly overcome with fear, Rahi debated whether she should turn and run. But her body froze before her mind could react. This was because one of the men in black coats strode forward and blocked Rahi's path.
Overwhelmed by their imposing size and intimidating presence, Rahi stood frozen in place, unable to move.
"Huh? What's a little kid doing in such a deep forest?"
The first to approach was a slender, youthful-looking man. When he pulled back his hood, ash-gray hair with a bluish tint spilled out. The man, who at first glance looked like a boy, let out a hollow laugh as if he couldn't believe his eyes. A handle glinted faintly through the opening of his coat.
"Hey, you. Are you mute? Why aren't you answering? Look like you're scared, huh?"
As Rahi flinched and trembled at the man's rough voice, the woman standing behind him brushed her hair back with an air of annoyance and chimed in.
"There's a limit to being scared. It's no good ignoring what people say. Do we look that scary to you? I thought I was being pretty friendly."
"We're just travelers who got lost. Do you live in a village around here? That's perfect timing. We were just about to lose our tempers."
"Let's be honest, sis. We're not lost—you're the one who's been looking at the map upside down."
The woman standing behind her sighed, brushing her identical ash-blonde hair back as if annoyed.
"Do you live in a village around here?"
"Cut it out, Kai. Your lousy attitude is going to make the girl cry."
The woman gently lifted Rahi's chin and scanned her with a cold gaze.
"We can't go on like this. We absolutely need to find a warm room to rest in tonight, so you'll have to guide us. I'll pay you generously. How long will it take to get to the village?"
Rahi was too terrified to answer, gasping for breath.
"Luke. Look at this kid. She looks like she's about to pass out any second. Do you really think a kid like this can show us the way properly? Wouldn't it be faster to just clear this whole forest and find the path ourselves?"
As Rahi gasped for breath in terror, Kai turned to Luke and whispered mischievously.
"Oh, that wouldn't be a bad idea, would it? If we set a fire, the village's location would show up right away. We could just follow the smoke, couldn't we?"
At those words, the woman chimed in as if annoyed.
While the two exchanged their menacing banter, Rahi stood frozen, having even forgotten to breathe. It was because the joke about burning down the forest didn't sound like a joke to her. It was then.
"...Looks like you've scared her so much she can't even speak."
Luke, the tallest man who had remained silent as if dead, finally spoke.
His voice was low and deep. It was as chilling as the resonance echoing from a deep cave, or a sharp blade scraping across ice. Even though he had uttered just a single word, Rahi felt as if the air around her had instantly transformed into tens of thousands of needles, piercing her skin.
Luke slowly approached and bent down to meet Rahi's eye level. From deep within the hood of his coat, Rahi thought his eyes resembled the yellow ones she had seen in the forest a few days earlier.
"...."
Luke stared intently at the silent Rahi. His gaze swept very slowly down from her eyes to her trembling lips and her shoulders, stiff with fear. With every breath he took, the chill and the faint, metallic scent of blood drifted from the gap in his hood and touched Rahi's face.
"Hey, kid. Didn't you hear me?"
The woman shouted from behind him. Her voice carried a chilling pressure that brooked no refusal. Though it was a plea for help, it was effectively an order.
"Don't even think about pulling any tricks. If you get me to the village safely, this silver coin is yours."
"Um, excuse me…"
As soon as Rahi managed to speak, the woman jingled a pouch right in front of her face, as if to drive the point home.
"There, no need for an answer. Just lead the way, kid."
Faced with this offer laced with coercion, Rahi had no choice but to nod before she could even think of refusing.