Chapter 69

*Poppy*

As I entered the dense and eerie forest at night, the darkness enveloped me like a heavy cloak. The trees loomed overhead, casting long, shadowy shapes that seemed to shift and dance in the faint moonlight. Twigs cracked beneath my feet, and the rustling of leaves in the breeze sounded like whispers in the darkness. Each step felt heavy with the weight of the unknown, and every distant hoot of an owl or rustle in the underbrush sent shivers down my spine. Despite the creepiness, there was a strange allure to the mysterious atmosphere of the forest, which drew me deeper and deeper into its depths.

I walked barefoot along a path covered with dry autumn leaves. A heavy, cold fog spread around me, but my bare arms did not shiver. I walked unruffled as if none of these inconveniences affected me.

I suddenly heard a child's laughter somewhere in the distance, and my previously unshaken heart beat painfully. A feeling of loss and pain shot through my body, and instinctively, I ran to