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Chapter 2: The Forest That Swallows Names
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Scene 1 – The Forest… Evening of Another World
The camera slides between towering trees, their trunks stretching upward until they disappear into the clouds. Their bark is smooth, green—not like a color painted on them, but more like something alive pulsing beneath the surface.
The leaves move slowly… not with the wind, but as if the forest itself is breathing.
Grass shifts under a body lying on the ground.
Slowly… eyes open.
Kiora.
He blinks, lifts a hand to his head. His breath is shaky and uneven.
Kiora (hoarse):
What… happened? Where am I?
Before he finishes, a rough growl tears through the stillness.
He turns sharply.
Three wolves stand behind him. Their fur is pale gray, their fangs unusually long, their eyes… not the eyes of normal animals. Something else looks through them.
The wolves snarl—then leap.
Kiora jumps to his feet, fear exploding through him. He runs without thinking, stumbling through the uneven ground as his heart pounds wildly.
His foot catches on something—he falls.
A wolf lunges.
Kiora rolls aside, the wolf's jaws snapping closed on empty air. He scrambles up and runs again—less like running, more like escaping the very idea of death.
After a long breathless moment, a dark cave appears between the roots of a rocky hill.
He darts into it without hesitation.
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Scene 2 – Inside the Cave
Darkness swallows everything. The drip of water echoes sharply, slicing through the silence.
Kiora collapses to the ground, chest rising and falling rapidly.
He breathes like someone trying to remember who they are.
Kiora (panting):
What is going on…? Why am I here? The last thing I heard… was a voice… and then nothing. Nothing!
He sits up, touches the cold ground, staring into the darkness.
Kiora (whispering):
Wait… what voice?
I can't remember anything…
It's like… I was created just now.
Narrator (low, trembling):
Was it the gate? Or the voice that called to him?
What caused this loss of memory…
and what awaits a boy reborn without a past…
in a world where the weak are devoured and only the strong survive?
Outside the cave, night falls.
But the forest begins to glow.
Trees emit a faint light, insects shimmer, and shapes move in the darkness as if whispering to him.
Kiora curls up, trying to sleep.
The air is cold—cold enough to feel like it's trying to freeze him from the inside.
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Scene 3 – Morning
Sunlight slips through the cave's entrance. A fresh breeze brushes Kiora's face.
A loud rumble breaks the silence.
Kiora:
I'm hungry… really hungry. But if I go out… I'll run into something again.
Another growl from his stomach—louder.
Kiora:
I'll starve before anything catches me. I'll go out quick… and come back.
He steps outside cautiously, holding his hands together as if confirming he still exists.
He walks a little… then spots a rabbit hiding in the bushes.
His eyes widen.
Kiora:
Food…
He lunges, grabbing it tightly.
Kiora (with pure relief):
Yes! I caught it! Finally!
But the moment doesn't last.
A deep roar echoes—far away, yet powerful enough to send birds exploding into the sky.
Kiora freezes. His face drains of color.
Kiora:
I need to go back… now… right now!
He sprints, not daring to look behind him.
Dust trails behind him like a smoky tail.
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Scene 4 – Outside the Cave
He collapses at the entrance, panting. His heartbeat is almost loud enough to hear.
Kiora:
What… was that?
After calming down, he gathers dry wood and starts a small fire.
He roasts the rabbit over it.
When he takes the first bite… his eyes widen slightly, as if life returns to him.
Kiora:
It's good…
He eats it all.
Then he looks toward the deeper parts of the forest—places the sunlight never touches.
Kiora:
I don't know what this forest hides…
But I have to explore it.
Narrator:
Oh fate… what do you plan for a boy with no past,
no answers,
and no idea why he exists?
To Be Continued...
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