As the Sun reaches its horizon, the guards after taking in such horrific scene immediately sat on their horses and left for their kingdom to report back what happened in the village. Though the path to reach the kingdom is rough, dense forest and quick sand everywhere.

  The tree leaves were rustling, the sunlight barely even touched the ground, bugs and birds filling the area with noises as the horsemen riding on their horses were making their way back to their kingdom

  In middle of the rush a horseman who was in his late twenties fell off his horse, he screamed and the other horsemen stopped their horses and looked back. The leader got off his horse and inspected the view a bit before turning back to his comrades. His expression is stern as he adjusts his men-yoroi and spoke up in a harsh commanding tone.

  "Oi! You morons, find Brother Dai before he gets lost!"

  *His voice harsh as he looks at the guards expectantly.*

  As soon as the leader commanded, all the guards got off their horses and scattered around to find where their lost comrade is who's screams are still echoing in distance.

  The forest was thick, older than memory, and darker than it had any right to be at noon. What should have been dappled sunlight filtering through green leaves was instead a choking shadow that strangled every beam. The towering pines and gnarled oaks leaned in like conspirators, whispering secrets the guards couldn’t hear—but felt.

  “Lord?” one of the younger guards called, his voice cracking. “I swear I heard Dai scream.”

  Another voice echoed through the woods then, distant, panicked, “HELP! Gods, please—!”

  They all froze.

  A crow shrieked overhead. Then silence.

  “Northwest,” muttered Yuma, a tall man with a scar down his cheek. “That was him. He’s alive.”

  The leader, Lord Renji, didn’t move. He stood with his arms crossed, half in shadow, eyes fixed somewhere past the trees—expression unreadable.

  “Lord?” the younger guard turned to him, tense. “We can’t just stand here.”

  Still nothing.

  “Lord!” snapped another guard. “That was Dai! He’s alive, he’s—”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “He’s gone,” Renji said quietly, like a man stating a fact, not mourning a comrade. “That wasn’t him.”

  The guards stared, stunned.

  “But—”

  “I’ve heard that voice before,” Renji interrupted, his gaze still locked into the trees. “Same words. Same tone. Twelve years ago. In the Hintermere Pass. That man died screaming too.”

  A branch cracked. The sound didn’t come from the direction of the voice.

  All heads turned.

  Just beyond the nearest tree line, something moved—low and slow. Not quite crawling. Not quite walking. They could hear it breathing, raspy, deliberate. Something large.

  Another scream, closer this time.

  “Help! Please, I’m here! I’m hurt!”

  It was Dai's voice again.

  But this time, it was 'too close.'

  And coming from *every direction*.

  The shadows deepened.

  Something smiled in the dark. The forest turnung crimson slowly swallowing everything in it.

  "Lord! What's going o-"

  The sentence never completed, As the sun sets, the kingdom nearby who sent their guards- The Hayashi Kingdom was in a state of panic, In the Palace of the Hayashi Kingdom, their Emperor, Hayashi Kenzo who was anxious about his warriors which haven't returned was sitting uncomfortably on his throne as trying to figure out what happened to them fidgets with his royal white Yakuta as his gaze darts over the empty throne room of his.

  The moon hung low, casting a silver glow over the garden that stretched out from the grand windows of the Hayashi Kingdom’s palace. Inside a room, the heiress sat in solitude, her posture regal, yet weighed down by an invisible burden. The room was sparse in decoration—delicate, yet barren—like the girl herself. The wind, gentle yet persistent, brushed against the paper sliding doors, as if beckoning her to step outside, to join the world beyond.

  Her gaze, however, was fixed firmly on the night sky, where the stars blinked like distant promises. She was dressed in a simple robe of pale blue, the fabric trailing like water, though it could never wash away the thoughts clouding her mind.

  "I wonder what it's like, out there," she murmured to herself, her voice barely a whisper. The question hung in the air, drifting like smoke. Her fingers absentmindedly traced the rim of the porcelain cup beside her, the tea inside long since gone cold.

  Outside, the vast expanse of the kingdom seemed endless, stretching into a horizon she had only seen from behind the safety of these walls. The delicate cherry blossoms swayed, their petals floating like dreams. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of a lone flute echoed in the night—soft, mournful, but beautiful. Her eyes closed, letting the music fill the empty space between her thoughts.

  In this silence, she could almost forget who she was supposed to be—an heiress, the future ruler. The weight of her title felt heavy on her shoulders, its expectations and responsibilities closing in. She had been raised to lead with strength, to rule with grace, yet at times, she wished for nothing more than to let go of it all, to be free from the golden cage her lineage had crafted for her.

  The heiress sighed deeply, her breath catching in her throat as she glanced once more at the moon, its light reflecting in her dark eyes. She wondered if there would ever be a time when she could step outside the palace and breathe the air of freedom. Or if she would be forever bound to the kingdom, her heart tied to a crown she hadn’t chosen for herself.

  "Perhaps one day," she whispered to the stars, "I will be more than just the daughter of Hayashi. But for now, I wait."

  And with that, she let her gaze linger on the heavens, as if waiting for an answer only the night could give.

  There was a gentle knock on her room's door, the words "Young Lady, May I come In?" Comes from the other side of the door, a gentle and caring feminine voice.

  The heiress hesitates for a moment before answering in a voice smoother than any honey.

  "Come in...."

  *An old lady in a simple pale kimono, her face wrinkled yet her face was filled with warmth and care, her eyes falls upon the features of the heiress, her beauty is unmatched, her fair skin and slender build makes her look more elegant, her long wavy brunette hairs falls over her shoulders like a waterfall.*

  "My dear, you look conflicted...."

  The observation of the old servant shocked the heiress, she's taken aback for a moment before she maintains her composure and before she could even speak the old lady again spoke up, her voice caring and gentle as ever.

  "Hayashi Sayuri Kaede, I've raised you since you were just two summers old, l know you better than anyone else, you're a girl with dreams, I know that very well."

  After a while, Sayuri was roaming around the palace with a swirl of thoughts in her mind, on one hand she was overwhelmed by her recent conversation with the old Servant, and on the other hand scared after hearing the news of the guards who still hadn't returned back.