Fire was devouring the night itself.
Wooden houses collapsed one by one, their crackling blending with screams, while smoke rose into the sky and choked the moon. The narrow road running through the village was no longer a road—it had become a corridor of graves trapped between flames.
The woman was running.
She carried a baby in her arms.
Each time her feet struck the ground, it felt as if her bones were shattering, but she could not stop. Her breath was knotted in her throat. Her lungs burned, her heart pounded in her ears.
The baby stirred restlessly.
His hair gleamed almost white under the moonlight. The woman pulled him closer, as if her arms alone could shield him from the entire world.
"Hush…" she whispered.
"Please… just a little longer…"
But the blood…
The blood had already awakened.
She heard the sounds behind her.
Steady. Silent. Determined.
This was not the sound of human footsteps.
Assassins.
The kingdom's secret units—entities trained to identify those who bore cursed blood and eradicate them at the root. There were no faces behind their masks; only duty.
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
Before the woman could even understand what was happening, a piercing pain tore through her arm.
An arrow.
Blood burst forth with the sound of flesh being ripped apart. She staggered—but did not fall. She clenched her teeth and swallowed her scream. Pain was weaker than fear.
She kept running.
As she passed the last house of the village, flames licked at her hair. Buildings collapsed one after another, illuminating the darkness of the night. She did not look back. The moment she did, everything would be over.
When she plunged into the forest, the world changed.
Trees swallowed the darkness, branches clawed at her face, roots tangled around her feet. The ground was mud, the air heavy. But this place… this was familiar to her.
The mountain path.
Up ahead, hidden among the heights, was a secluded house.
Her breathing had turned ragged. With every step, she felt the blood draining from her body. When her legs trembled and gave way, she dropped to her knees—then forced herself back up.
"No…" she whispered to herself.
"Not now."
At last, she reached the area near the mountain house.
With trembling hands, she pulled out a basket.
As she laid the baby inside, her eyes filled with tears. She looked at his small face. He knew nothing yet—neither the curse, nor the blood, nor the cruelty of this world.
"I wish…" she murmured.
"I wish I could protect you from all of this."
She bit into her palm.
Blood.
A few drops fell onto the edge of the basket. Using blood art, she suppressed the traces, silencing the echo of the cursed blood. For a brief moment, the forest exhaled.
Then she picked up a small wooden toy and tucked it in, wrapping the baby as if in an embrace.
She stood up.
This time, she deliberately stepped heavily, making sure her footsteps were loud. She ran in the opposite direction of the mountain path, drawing the assassins' attention.
And it worked.
The shadows changed course.
The woman was no longer running to escape.
She was buying time.
But her body…
It could no longer endure.
Blood loss, exhaustion, and fear merged into one. Her knees buckled. When she lifted her gaze to the sky, she saw the moon.
The moon…
It was turning red.
The woman slowly sank to her knees.
She pressed her palms into the earth. Blood seeped between her fingers and spread across the ground. The air grew heavy. The wind fell silent. The forest was swallowed by stillness.
"Blood Art…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"Crimson Moon."
The sky darkened.
The moon turned completely red.
And blood began to rain.
Every drop falling from the sky drowned the world beneath it. The assassins screamed. Their vision blurred. Blood striking their exposed skin burned like poison. Their breaths were cut short.
With her last strength, the woman forced herself to stand.
She struck one down.
Then another.
But the price…
Her blood was being drained.
Her life was being torn away.
She collapsed to her knees. Darkness crept into her vision. A strange sense of peace appeared on her face.
"Live…" she whispered.
"Just… live."
The final drop of blood fell onto the earth, shimmering under the moonlight.
And everything fell silent.