DYNASTY ⮚ NCT FANFICTION

OO

The pale winter daylight pierced through the tree branches and hit her cold, brown skin. It wasn't enough to keep her warm, but it was better than nothing. Crossing her arms around her chest she tried to warm herself a little bit more, but it was useless. The white chiffon gown she was wearing was too thin to repair her from the freezing blowing wind.

She was tired.

Her legs could give in any minute due to the bruises and the long days of walking through this forest. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she started, that place made her completely lose track of time. She had no idea what she was escaping from and neither knew where she was going. It wasn't like she had a family or somewhere to go, the only thing she had was a necklace that she secretly kept, she didn't know the meaning behind it or who gave it to her; if somebody gave it to her, but it felt like the only root she had with her past. It was a continuous line that intertwined with itself, forming a beautiful and harmonious circle that seemed divided into four parts. One way or another, nobody had ever been able to take it away from her.

Huffing lazily she dragged her feet forward, she was more than sure that she wasn't in control of her body anymore, not like she had ever been in her entire life. Something was pulling her in a certain direction, and she simply followed it.

"Just follow the rules and nothing will ever happen to you."

"Listen and follow, nobody will hurt you."

"Without them, we can finally control you, thank God. "

She blinked twice, shaking her head and rubbing the palm of her hands over her eyelids she tried to keep those voices out of her mind. They were far gone, now, at least she hoped so. She laughed under her breath as messed up memories came back in flashes, follow the rules. Of course, you had to, there was no way you could escape whatever hell she was trapped in. Or else you had to face the consequences, and they weren't nice.

Dead.

Everything that surrounded her was dead. And even though she knew little about the world around her, she could feel that the cause of that wasn't the freezing temperature. The whole world was frozen in time and she felt like a phantom walking down those hills, an empty shell that came to look for a memoir of someone she had lost long ago.

Was the world out there really better than the hell she could barely remember of? Was it really a good idea to wander on those fallen leaves who were screaming names of fallen people, begging for revenge and to be remembered. Passing near abandoned houses, wood cracking as ghosts of children played hide and seek and she could still hear the fire light up the living room. Those souls were calling her name, even though she didn't remember to have one.

Was there a point in all of that? Because if there was she couldn't find it, not now that the cold took her breath away and her legs were becoming heavier and heavier second by second. Not now when she felt death approach her and she had no name to roll out of her lips, no face to send one last thought to. She had been close to death lots of times, she can't remember why but she knows the feeling. And the scariest thing about dying has never been death itself for her, but dying alone.

She couldn't give up now that she felt deep inside of her that she was close to the light somebody took away from her long ago. She couldn't give up now that freedom seemed so close. But she should've known better, she had never been free her whole life, why her destiny would change now?

She had no choice but to give in.

♚

"It's a miracle she's even alive, boss." Muffled voices could be heard in the long hunter green corridor of the Neo Palace. The two men were trying to keep their conversation quiet, not wanting other workers to eavesdrop.