The clouds drifted lazily across the sky, staining the horizon with streaks of orange and purple. Beneath the tranquil beauty lay a blood-soaked shore. Lifeless, armoured bodies bobbed in the tide, dragged back and forth by the sea's restless pull. The water — once a clear, familiar blue — had turned a murky, unnatural red. Fragments of armour floated aimlessly, carried further out as the current claimed them.
A thick, metallic stench of blood poisoned the air, mingling with the dying screams of men. Hooves thundered against the wet sand as horses charged past, bearing armoured riders clutching knives and swords. Steel met steel in brutal clashes, the sounds echoing until they slowly dissolved into the distance.
Beyond the cries of battle stood a forest — silent. Its towering trees loomed, their shadows heavy, as though guarding whispered secrets.
THUD. THUD.
Hurried footsteps shattered the stillness. Ragged breaths followed. A woman's piercing blue eyes darted wildly through the trees, her grip tightening around the sleeping infant bundled against her chest. Sweat traced a oath down her face as her body trembled with panic.
Her gaze flicked away from the child and swept the forest once more. Relief flashed through her eyes when she spotted an abandoned hut ahead.
She ran.
As she drew closer, her pace slowed. She peered through the damaged windows, straining to see inside. Nothing — only darkness.
"Hello?" she whispered, her voice barely stirring the air.
No answer.
She pushed open the giant oak door sn slipped inside. Darkness swallowed her whole.
She did not panic. Murmuring softly beneath her breath, she summoned a faint glow. A luminous orange light bloomed in her palm, forcing the shadows back. The room emerged — bare walls, no furniture — then the woman herself.
The light caught her ebony skin, giving it a warm, otherworldly sheen. Her red hair hung in tatters around her face, her dress torn and stained with blood. Exhaustion weighed heavily on her features, yet her unsettling blue eyes remained alert as they searched the room.
They froze.
At the far end stood a crib.
Step by careful step, she approached, the wooden floor creaking softly beneath her feet. The glow did not quite reach the crib, leaving it half-drowned in silence.
She swallowed and moved closer.
Holding the infant close with one arm, she stretched the other above it, eyes closed, moving slowly, as though she could sense danger rather than see it. After a money, she drew her hand back and opened her eyes, a weary bresth slipping from her lips as she gently laid the sleeping baby down. Her vision blurred as she lingered, fingertips brushing softly over the infant's cheek.
Her lips parted, dry and trembling, yet no sound came. Unease flickered in her gaze, as if speaking aloud might summon the very thing se feared. Sh exhaled again, long nd steady, before forcing hereslf to whisper.
"My dead, dear Dydra. Mama will send you some here safe.... a place where no one will hurt you."
Tears pooled in her eyes as she paused, her voice faltering. "A safe.... safe place. Though it's safe, Mama cannot be there with you." Her fingers slid from the infant's cheek to the back of her own neck as she unhooked the heart-shaped locket resting against her skin and pressed it gently into the baby's tiny fists, curling the small fingers around it.
"Take this, my dear," she murmured softly. "It would protect you from any kind of danger." Pulling her hand away, she wiped the tears from her face with the heel of her palm before leaning down to press a tender kuss to the baby's cheek. The ingnt cooed faintly, drawing a small, fragile smile from her lips.
The moment shattered as the hut's door burst open under a violent kick. Her body jolted, fear etching itself across her face as her gaze locked onto the massive figure filing the doorway, deep red eyes burning in the dark towering horns rising from it's shoulders as it stared at her without blinking. Her entire body vibrated as she tore her gaze away from the creature and turned back to her sleeping infant, tears flooding her eyes as she took one last look, her lips moving in a breathless murmur.
The air twisted violently, wrapping as a black wood bloomed open, swallowing the crib — and the baby within it — into absolute darkness before snapping shut. Relief flickered across her face at the sight, fragile and fleeting, barely lasting a heartbeat before something vicious tore into her back. Her blue eyes flew wide as blood spilled slowly from her lips, her body going rigid as the pain dug deeper, merciless, stealing the strength from her limbs. Tears welled as she closed her eyes, as unspoken acceptance settling over her.
With a break yank, her heart was filled from her chest, and sh collapsed to the floor, blood spreading rapidly across the wooden boards as silence reclaimed the room. A massive claw held her heart aloft, blood dripping steadily from it as the familiar orange glow tha once pushed back the darkness in the hut finally vanished, leaving the space submerged once more in complete gloom. Yet within that darkness, the figure's red eyes burned vividly. A low snarl slipped from its lips as it whispered.
"Dydra."
Miles away from the hut, deep within an entirely different forest, a baby's crib suddenly emerged into view. A cool breeze swept through the clearing, and the infant inside began to cry, it's small body trembling as it struggled against the cloth wrapped tightly around it. The sound shattered the stillness sending birds in the nearby trees fluttering away in alarm.
Not far from the crib stood a bit, it's structure carefully concealed among the thick green trees, blending so seamlessly with the forest that it seemed part of it. Moments later, an old woman's voice rang out from within.
"Agatha, dear. Come back." The hut's door burst open as a strikingly beautiful woman stepped outside, draped in expensive clothing