My heart was pounding, and whether it was happiness or nervousness or a combination of both, I was not entirely sure. I stepped out of the side entrance and not waiting for anything, straight away ran on the same path I had taken the previous night which I was familiar with now. Last night, I felt tired quickly, but tonight was different. Despite touring the city with my brother since morning, I seemed to have more energy than before. Even I was surprised that I was not yet tired. One had to remember that the grounds of the Royal Palace of Abetha were extremely huge, housing several structures and buildings that served as the residences for the royals and offices for the officials; and the capital where it was located was the largest city in the entire kingdom.

Time seemed to have completely stopped everywhere, and before I knew it, I reached the forest. My heart was pounding inside my chest as I stood for a while to catch my breath. Though I felt scared, I had to go through this again. I thought of the previous night; aside from passing out, nothing happened to me so this time I should be fine too.

​​

Stepping past the outermost circle of trees, I carefully tread my way through the forest. With the foliage of the tall trees covering the sky, it was so dark I could not see where I was stepping on. Only with the help of the trees as I groped my way forward could I continue to walk in the dark. However, I kept my pace slow as I do not want a repeat of last night. I was careful not to step on rocks nor anything not firm underneath my foot. I also made sure my clothes would not tangle much with the branches.

I could not determine how long I had been walking when I started to feel a little tired and thirsty. I cursed myself for not bringing water with me but I couldn't as the two knights standing outside would show doubt seeing me holding a water carrier.

"Everything is fine. I can bear the thirst. Nothing can go wrong now," I mumbled as I continued to blindly walk ahead. The more I walked, the more I cursed myself. 'I should have also brought light with me. Not a lamp, but maybe a candle and a box of matches.'

The deeper I went inside the forest, the more a strange feeling started to nag me.

"Is someone following me?" I stopped and suspiciously looked around, but there was nothing to see in the darkness.

It was similar to the previous night; I felt like someone was around. 'Last night, I remember seeing the red-eyed man in the forest…'

"It must be my illusion," I comforted myself out loud, and my voice seemed to echo within the forest.

The sound of my voice in the forest gave a strange vibe completely different from how it normally was. Perhaps it was due to the darkness as well as the casual sounds of crickets, birds, and other wild animals I heard from time to time.

I was not scared of any of them, but they kept me nervous. I consoled myself, "Humans are scarier than them".

I continued traveling inside the forest, but now I was starting to feel more thirsty. "I need water...Where can I get it? I don't think I can hear the sound of flowing water. I can't bear my thirst now."

As I grew more restless, I started to walk faster...which I realized was not a good decision.

Ahhh!

Thud!

"It hurts!" I whined with gritted teeth and opened my eyes, only to find myself in complete darkness. Just a while ago, although it was dark, somehow patches of soft moonlight would pass through the leaves to guide my way every now and then. However, now the darkness was absolute.

"Where did I fall down now?" I turned around as I was lying on my stomach.

Feeling pain in my body, I lay down on my back and squinted at the soft glow above me. The sky looked farther than how it looked before.

"How deep have I fallen? I wonder if I can climb up." I sighed. "Why do I keep falling down? Why did it have to happen now?"

Just then, I realized the coldness surrounding my body. "Ahh! Water! This pit has water!"

However, it was not good news. My dress was completely drenched, making my dress heavy and it kept pulling my body down. I guess I was fortunate that the water level was not much, but just a few inches above the surface. I never learned to swim, and I would drown if the water level was taller than me. When I tried to push my body up, I felt the muddy sensation in between my fingers. I knew the water was not drinkable.

"I need to get out of here."

Despite feeling pain in my body, I managed to stand up to search for a way out of here. It was hard to move. My dress was so heavy, I felt like I suddenly gained twice my weight.

"After coming so far, I can't give up and die in this pit."

I touched the walls of that pit but the soil was loose and it immediately crumbled as soon as I grabbed it. There was nothing I could use to lift my body nor support my feet to climb up. Still, I tried with what I could, only to slip and fall back down. After multiple tries, I gave up and lay on the ground. I had no energy left.

"Seems like this is my new prison."

I looked at the soft moonlight which was partially visible through the trees and smiled at my pitiful condition. I must indeed be cursed to end up in such a situation. I wanted to laugh. How confident I was when I left the palace? Why was my fate so bad and it always betrayed me?

I suddenly remembered His Majesty when he said that keeping me in the tower was to protect me. Could it be because if I try to leave, I would keep falling into muddy pits?

"Let me just die here," I sighed as my eyes were already heavy. I was about to lose my consciousness.

Before I completely passed out, I felt someone's presence again and saw those familiar red eyes just before closing my eyes. This time, I was not surprised.

'So it wasn't an illusion.'