Chapter 99
Written by Bayzo Albion
"I'm asking," she murmured, leaning in closer until I could feel the icy chill of her breath against my skin, "do you fear me?"
I rasped, scrambling for words as my heart hammered in my ears, drowning out everything else. I wanted to say "no"—proudly, defiantly. But my lips trembled, and my voice cracked.
"Y-yes..." I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut. "Yes, I fear you..."
Her grip constricted even more. Darkness swam at the edges of my vision, my breath hitching in my throat. A whimper escaped me, pathetic like a puppy's whine, and then I broke. Tears welled up unbidden, hot and humiliating, streaming down my cheeks. I'd held back through death, through exhaustion... but here, under her unrelenting stare and iron hold, I shattered.
"P-please... forgive me... I didn't mean to... I didn't think..." The words choked out amid sobs, dissolving into incoherence.
I felt utterly worthless. Like a child caught stealing sweets. A fallen god reduced to a sniveling beast. Everything I clung to—my pride, my stubbornness, my cynicism—crumbled to dust.
She watched in silence. Didn't loosen her hold. Didn't strike the killing blow. Just observed, and that made it all the more terrifying.
Her fingers lingered for what felt like an eternity of agony. I sobbed openly, unable to stop, my insides hollowed out. Then, abruptly, she released me.
My wrist throbbed with fire, the skin already blooming with ugly bruises, but the sudden freedom hit me like a gulp of air after drowning. I nearly collapsed to the ground but caught myself, swaying unsteadily.
Her gaze shifted to the bracelet on my wrist—the one from my mother, glowing with a soft white light that had always warmed me, shielding me even when death loomed close.
The Forest Queen reached out slowly and yanked it off. In an instant, the light extinguished.
I flinched as if stripped bare. Without it, I felt exposed, insignificant, utterly defenseless against her piercing scrutiny. My heart sank further, and I realized: now, nothing stood between me and her wrath.
She stared at me for an agonizing stretch, her green eyes stormy with hatred, as deep and wild as the forest depths. I didn't dare move; even breathing felt like blasphemy.
Trembling, I reached out with both hands and retrieved the second bracelet—the spatial one I'd found in the cavern. My treasure, my lifeline, my secret. I offered it to her, palms up, as if to say: Take it, just spare my life.
She glanced at it, and something flickered across her face—disdain, perhaps, or disgust.
Instead of accepting, she slapped my hand away with brutal force. The bracelet slipped from my fingers, thudding onto the moss and rolling a short distance.
I recoiled, bowing my head in defeat. No strength left to fight. I stood there like a beaten cur, not daring to lift my eyes.
Silence enveloped us, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves, as if the forest itself awaited her verdict.
I still couldn't bring myself to look up. The Forest Queen's breathing was cool as a winter gale, and her quiet pressed down heavier than any accusation.
I sniffled, my throat tightening, and blurted out in a rush:
"Th-that... the bracelet... it was a gift from my mother..." The words came in jagged fragments, shaking as badly as I was. "I... I didn't steal it! I swear! It's not loot from the cavern, not some pilfered artifact... it's hers... a memory..."
I held up my bare wrist, where the white glow had once resided, my hands quivering uncontrollably.
"It's always been with me! Mom said it would protect me. I... I wouldn't dare touch what's not mine. Wouldn't steal..." I gasped for air, the words tangling in my desperation, as if I were trying to convince myself as much as her.
My chest felt empty, chilled. Without that white light, I was skinless, shieldless. Even the forest air turned hostile, prickling against my exposed vulnerability.
The Forest Queen continued to stare, her emerald eyes cold and unyielding, boring into me like daggers. No sympathy, no pity—just a silent interrogation: Are you lying to me now?
I swallowed hard, flicking my gaze up for a split second before dropping it again, tears burning my lashes.
"Please... believe me... I didn't steal it..." I croaked, my voice raw.
Slowly, she extended her hand toward my neck. I froze, breath halting in my lungs. Her fingers elongated, nails shifting into sharp, verdant claws—long and slender like razor-sharp blades. I felt their frigid aura brushing my skin, and my heart plummeted into abyss.
My mind went blank, consumed by terror. One more second, and she'd slit my throat as easily as severing a blade of grass.
But she paused. Halted. Closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, as if the forest itself inhaled her fury.
In the next instant, her claws trembled and dissolved like mist. She lifted the hand holding my mother's bracelet—the one tie to my past, now dim and lifeless.
Then it ignited. In her palm, it filled with light, but not the gentle white flame of memory. Now, it pulsed with the essence of the forest: thick, green, primal energy of life, as if thousands of roots and leaves had poured their vitality into it.
And in a flash, she didn't hand it back—she hurled it straight at my face.
The metal struck my cheek with a stinging lash, leaving a burning welt. I yelped, clutching my head, and the bracelet clattered to the ground at my feet.
I didn't dare look up. Stood there, head bowed like a condemned child before the executioner.
"Pick it up," she said softly, but her words echoed through the trees as if the forest amplified them.
When I finally risked a glance—she was gone. Only the swaying branches remained, as if she'd melted into the woods, leaving me utterly alone.
The bracelet lay on the earth, glowing faintly, almost beckoning: Take me.
I hesitated for what felt like ages before moving. It rested right at my toes, pulsing with that soft light, but there was no warmth in it now. It seemed alive, breathing, watching me with the same intensity as the Forest Queen moments ago.
I extended my hand—slowly, fingers shaking, as if afraid it might bite. My heart thundered, overpowering the whisper of the leaves.
My fingertips brushed the metal. A shiver raced up my arm, and I jerked back as if scorched. It wasn't hot—cool, actually—but beneath that chill lurked a power too alien for me to grasp.
"This... it's still Mom's bracelet..." I whispered, more to reassure myself than anything.
I gritted my teeth and reached again. This time, I didn't pull away. I lifted it, feeling it vibrate like a foreign heartbeat trapped inside. The white light mingled with a verdant glow, thick as sap from snapped branches.
Carefully, I slipped it back onto my wrist. A tremor coursed through my body, as if roots slithered through my veins alongside my blood, and my breaths filled with the cool dampness of the woods.
I stood motionless. This was no mere trinket anymore. It bore the Forest Queen's mark.
I realized then: she hadn't spared me out of forgiveness. She'd marked me instead.
Survival brought no joy. Instead, a crushing weight settled over me, like being pinned beneath a mountain's rubble. The Forest Queen had departed, but her gaze lingered, searing me from within. I didn't feel saved—I felt degraded. As if I'd betrayed... what? My homeland? My parents? Myself? Everything at once.
My mother's bracelet was back on my wrist, glowing softly, but it wasn't the same comforting light that had once warmed me. Now, it was tainted with something foreign, heavy, sylvan. I stared at it, unrecognizing, and it felt wrong to call it "Mom's gift" anymore.
The thought of returning to the city like this was unbearable. I pictured the crowds, the clamor, the merchants' grinning faces, and knew: no. I'd step into that chaos, and every stare would remind me of my worthlessness.
So, I stayed in the forest.
That evening, I kindled a small fire—nothing grand, just enough to chase away the chill. I snared a rabbit, my hands still unsteady as I skinned and roasted it on my skillet. The scent was simple, smoky, and familiar, a grounding reminder of normalcy. I watched the pan gleam in the flames—my ridiculous "Non-Stick Shield"—and for the first time that day, a sliver of peace settled over me.
I ate mechanically, barely tasting the tough, oversalted meat, but my stomach growled in grateful relief. Afterward, I wrapped myself in my cloak, leaned against a sturdy tree, and let the night settle around me. The forest murmured indifferently, its whispers drifting through the branches, as if reminding me how small my troubles were to the ancient world around me.
"How I long for home… but where is my home? Will I ever find it in this world?"
The words left my mouth in a faint breath, swallowed instantly by the dark. For a moment, even the forest seemed to pause—as if waiting to see what I would do next.