His eyes blinked for a brief moment, as if weighing time itself before making a decision.
The sounds of the crowd began to grow louder—abuses, screams, and a hunger for death.
My ears felt numb, yet my heart heard everything. With every breath, a burning sensation spread through my chest.
It felt as if even breathing required someone else's permission. The weight of the chains was no longer just on my hands, but on my soul.
The iron was cold, yet its pain burned hot. Blood dripped from my fingers, falling onto the ground.
For a moment, I looked ahead…
Amidst the crowd, my gaze suddenly locked onto a single pair of eyes.
For a second, time itself seemed to freeze.
Those eyes were staring directly at me. From somewhere deep within my heart, a strange feeling surfaced—as if I had seen those eyes before.
One thing was crystal clear in that crowd—everyone there was possessed by the desire to kill me.
But…
Those eyes were saying something else.
There was no anger in them, no hatred.
Only confusion… and a secret.
And perhaps, the greatest turning point of my story.
My breaths had begun to abandon me. Inside my chest, a strange heaviness grew, as if every breath could be my last. Air was entering my lungs, yet it didn't feel enough to keep me alive.
Then…
Behind the crowd, the girl with those eyes suddenly turned to the left—quick, restless, as if driven by something unknown.
And the very next moment… she disappeared.
For a few seconds, everything seemed to stop.
Suddenly, a white fog began to spread all around. So dense that the line between earth and sky vanished. Only a cold, empty silence remained. My eyes began to burn, and I didn't even realize when they filled with tears. Perhaps it was fear… or perhaps hope, stubbornly refusing to die.
In the midst of that, I felt a hand reaching toward me.
At first, I thought it was an illusion—just a part of the fog. But then I felt the touch of those fingers. They were not cold… they were trembling. As if fear did not exist only within me, but within her as well.
Slowly, that hand reached my chains.
A faint sound of metal echoed… and then…
One by one, the chains began to loosen. With every falling link, the weight on my chest grew lighter.
I lifted my head, trying to see her face, but the fog still hid her identity.
"Who… are you?"
Even my own voice felt unfamiliar to me.
She gave no answer. She simply leaned closer and whispered softly,
"Don't ask questions right now."
In that moment, I understood.
She hadn't come here just to save me.
She wanted to take me away from this place.
But why…?
Through the fog, her eyes shimmered. In that glow, there was no fear…
Only an unshakable decision.
As the last chain fell to the ground, a distant roar rose from beyond the fog—angry, searching, getting closer.
She tightened her grip on my wrist and whispered, almost urgently,
"Let's go… before they remember you're still alive."