Chapter 1

The grass rustled beneath my body. A searing pain shot through me, as if a truck had run over me with a thousand bricks falling on top. In the distance, I spotted a figure. Squinting, I made out a young man, perhaps in his twenties.

-He...help...water... A raspy voice, unfamiliar, escaped my dry lips.

The young man rushed over, clasping a calabash filled with water.

-You're still alive? In this deadly forest? He poured the cool liquid down my throat.

I guzzled it greedily, the refreshing wetness soothing my parched insides.

-Aaah. Thank you, I am alive.

-You're welcome. Easy now...

Propping myself up on my arms, I immediately collapsed back onto the grassy floor with a strangled cry.

-Argh!

Searing agony tore through my side. The young man's features hardened.

-Dammit, I told you to wait. You're wounded - a dagger pierced your left side, deep. Honestly, it's a miracle you're still alive, considering those wounds and the fact that this is Ronque Forest.

-Ronque Forest? I managed to hoist myself upright, leaning against a nearby tree trunk. A vast crimson vista stretched out before me - red trees, red grass, even the sky bore a bloody tint. Beautiful, yet unsettling. Unsettlingly familiar.

The young man eyed me critically.

-You're quite the strange one, aren't you? I just said you're gravely wounded.

I studied him - tanned skin, well-defined muscles, piercing gray eyes boring into me.

-It hurts, yes. I just wanted a better view of my surroundings. What is Ronque Forest, anyway?

He frowned at my words.

-You don't know about Ronque Forest? Are you not from around here? His gaze swept over my features.

-Hmm, but you look like a local.

I glanced down at my tanned hands, matching his skin tone. Weird.

-Where are we again?

His frown deepened.

-Ronque Forest. The trees bear this deep crimson shade because of the curse.

I tilted my head back gingerly, the movement sending a fresh lance of pain through my side.

-Huh? What curse?

-You're weird, he muttered, crouching beside me. The whole continent knows the story of how the last murder victim died here. When the 'powered' killed her, she cursed the land with her dying breath. This crimson forest sprung up around her body, a twisted monument to her rage.

The young man's eyes grew haunted as he recounted the tale, sending a chill down my spine despite the warm air.

-So we're in an accursed place? How did I even get here? I asked, cradling my wounded side.

He shrugged.

-Your guess is as good as mine. I'm just a traveler passing through, trying to avoid the forest's dangers. You're the one who seems to have had a nasty run-in with something.

As if on cue, a bone-chilling screech echoed through the trees. The young man tensed, his hand dropping to the sword at his hip.

-We need to move, now. Can you walk?

Gritting my teeth, I used the tree trunk to pull myself upright, swaying dizzily.

-I think so...

He looped an arm around my waist to steady me.

-Just lean on me. And try not to scream...