Chapter One: Lost Girl

A small stream wended through grass and into the rocks. It rippled through the mossy stones and fishes bubbled in the river near it.

It was another day and the sun was high in the sky and the sound of cicadas buzzed through the trees. The sunlight felt warm to the touch yet turned cool under the shade. The grass and soil are still damp from the dew and the birds chirped calling out to one another to make sure the others are safe.

Everything around her had something by their side, something that won’t make them feel alone and yet here she is, alone in the forest with no one but herself. But this didn’t bother her, in fact, it was peaceful and serene. She could do anything she wants and she is free on her own.

Julia lived in a small hut made of sticks, dried leaves, and planks that she had a hard time cutting. By braiding dried vines together, she managed to create ropes that held the pieces of her home together. Sometimes one side of the house breaks down out of nowhere and somethings the strong winds blow her house away, but there is nothing that a quick fix can’t do.

Living in the forest was fun, most times, but it was extra difficult sometimes. Things don’t go the way she plans and she would starve on most days. It was hard for her to hunt and kill and the wind always seemed to stop her from creating fire. She would be lucky if she could find berries on some days and even luckier if there were a lot of fish around.

It was difficult and she’s not used to this. She has no idea where she is and she has no memories of her past. She just woke up two months ago in this forest with only a notebook, a pencil, and a small knife. It’s like somebody purposely threw her out here and left her with a small knife and let her know that ‘Hey, I’ll abandon you here, take a knife.’

She has no idea where she came from or who she was before. All she remembers is that her name was Julia, a twenty-year-old female, and—and—that’s all she remembers. She knows that there are other humans like her in a civilization.

The first few weeks were especially hard on her. She had no idea about to do or where to find food or where to sleep. She would just walk in the forest for hours and yet it seems that she never found the end of the forest, or even a small village or town.

She laid down on the grass. “I can’t keep on living on like this, I’ll die of hunger,” she groaned.

Her black hair needed some extra washing because plain water from the stream isn’t enough to make her feel squeaky clean and her only clothes—which is a white short-sleeved nightdress that reaches down to her knees—is not that white anymore.

Julia’s palms reached down to her stomach when she felt a rumble. She’s hungry but she has no food on her plate. Even though her body was heavy, she forced herself to stand up and gather the tools she needed to hunt. A long stick that has a sharpened stone at the top was good enough for a spear and her small knife.

She ventured out to the forest nearby and looked for fruits or berries that she could take with her. Today, she wanted to at least hunt a deer or at least a rabbit. She was sick of eating fish all the time and she feels like she was going to develop gills if she eats one more.

Hunting was never for her. She was weak and would fall down all the time. She had no luck in hunting like she had no luck in looking for a family that she thinks doesn’t exist. Because if she had a family, why would she be out here in the wilderness looking for scraps of berries to eat. And even if she had a family, she would hate them. She would hate them for abandoning her out here and not even trying to look for her.

“Oh”

It seems that her wish has been heard when a small wild rabbit landed right in front of her. Her eyes sparkled in joy as she licked her lips imagining the tender taste of meat inside her mouth. She could imagine herself roasting the meat and eating it for dinner and she gets hungrier as every second passes.

She carefully aimed her spear at the rabbit keeping herself steady so she doesn’t scare it. Her concentration and determination are at their peak when suddenly, she felt an itch on her nose. She tried to hold her breath and concentrate to the point that her eyes were watering. She begged herself not to sneeze for what it feels like an eternity when finally, she couldn’t hold it in.

She sneezed.

And the rabbit heard it and ran away.

Julia could never let the opportunity pass and started running as fast as she could to chase the rabbit. They passed through trees, crossed streams, and finally entered an area that she’s never been to before. The area started to turn darker and silent. The place was heavy with fog and she could barely keep her eyes on the rabbit. Air was cold and humid and the trees grew tall that sunlight could not enter their canopies.

She was put to an abrupt stop when the rabbit jumped down into a cliff at the entrance of a large cave. She almost fell down to her death on large spikes of rocks if she hadn’t noticed that it was already a cliff.

“That was close!” she gasped, holding on to the truck of a small tree that randomly grew outside of the large cave.

Looking around, she noticed that this was the first time she’s been to this area. She just now realized how creepy the place is. It was awfully silent and only the dripping of water echoed throughout the entire cave. What’s even more surprising is that there are red threads surrounding the cave forming a web-like spiral in the center.

Julia immediately thought that it was a bad idea to enter the cave. The cave shouted danger, and the air was filled with tension. Something was inside this cave and she didn’t want to risk being eaten alive by a monster that lurks inside it.

She was about to turn her back and return to her home when she heard the sound of heavy chains being dragged around on the ground. The air whispered something in her ear and immediately, she was hypnotized by it. Something inside the cave was calling out to her and every step she takes outside the cave became heavier and heavier as if something inside was tugging on her and begging her to go back in.

She couldn’t let it pass. She knew that even if she were to leave, she wouldn’t be able to sleep thinking about what was inside this cave. She decided to take a quick look and run outside as fast as she can.

The rocks were steep to climb down and some of them were mossy and slippery. She didn’t have a torch or any source of light but she could see what was in the cave and the red threads seemed to glow and gave the cave some of its light. The sound of chains bothered her again and as she walked into the narrow pathway of the cave, the sound became louder.

The narrow pathway led into a much larger room in the cave. Julia stumbled when she saw a large circle with different lines etched onto the ground. The circle had stars and unfamiliar symbols drawn inside of it. She was sure that someone came here and drew it and hung the red threads.

Her eyes narrowed into a darker area of the cave, the sound of the chains sounded like it came from that area. She was too scared to step into the large room so she stayed at the narrow entrance, keeping her distance from the unknown being lurking in the darkness.

“Mate.”

She heard a whisper but couldn’t understand what it was. A human being emerged from the darkness wearing nothing but trousers. Julia gasped when a man trudge forward, his upper body full of scars and fresh wounds. Thick metal cuffs were chained to both of his wrists and his ankles and heavy chains that looked like they could anchor a boat dragged behind him.

Julia couldn’t clearly see his face but she was sure that the man’s eyes glowed bright red, contrasting against the darkness. The stranger raised his hand as if to reach her but immediately lost consciousness and his body fell forward.

Before the man hit the ground, Julia ran towards him and caught him midway. The man was two times bigger than she was and she was already tall for an average girl. She slowly laid him down on her lap since he was heavy for her to support.

She stared at him, not knowing what to do. This was the first time she ever made contact with another human ever since she lost her memories.

She blinked.

What now?

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END