Sacrifice || ENHYPEN FF

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 57

~I think I'm being too generous with y'all with these updates.~

-Start of Chapter 57-

The gentle rhythm of the carriage and the muted clatter of hooves on the road eventually lull me into a half-asleep state. My body relaxes against the seat, and the world around me begins to blur.

But as I drift into sleep, a familiar darkness creeps in-the kind I've been trying to escape.

Like before, the visions come.

~~~~~~~

I'm back in the Blackwood Forest. The full moon hangs high above me, casting its ethereal glow through the twisted branches. Shadows stretch and ripple across the forest floor, but there's nothing sinister about them this time. It's the same image I've seen so many times, almost peaceful now. I hear the familiar rustle of leaves and the soft wind that brushes past me, carrying a whisper I've yet to understand.

The forest seems to call to me, guiding me toward something just beyond my reach, and for a moment, I think this will be like all the other times. A distant feeling of serenity washes over me as I wander beneath the moonlight, lost but not afraid.

But then-something changes.

A thick cloud sweeps across the sky, and the light of the moon vanishes, plunging the forest into an unnatural darkness. The air grows cold, biting at my skin, and I can feel the shift in the atmosphere-the peace shatters, replaced by an overwhelming sense of dread.

I stop dead in my tracks, every muscle in my body tensing as the sound of the wind dies. Silence presses in on all sides, suffocating, as if the entire world is holding its breath.

Then, a presence.

I can't see it, but I know it's there, hidden among the trees, watching me. My heart pounds in my chest as I scan the shadowy landscape, trying to make sense of the sudden fear gripping me.

And then I see them.

Red eyes, burning through the darkness, staring straight at me. Cold, menacing, filled with a malice so sharp that it cuts through the air between us. My breath catches in my throat, and I try to move-try to run-but my feet are rooted to the ground, frozen by the terror of those eyes.

They belong to her. The assassin.

Suddenly, I sense movement behind me, a figure blending into the dark. My breath catches, and I spin around, searching the treeline. There-just barely visible-is someone hiding in the shadows, watching me.

A chill runs down my spine as I take a step back. The figure doesn't move. They're just... there. But their presence is suffocating, heavy, like they're waiting for something.

I try to see more, but the shadows cling to them, obscuring their form. Just as panic begins to settle in my chest, a flash-red eyes, glowing ominously-cuts through the darkness. They're searing, intense, and unmistakable.

Those red eyes...

It's her.

She shouldn't be here, and yet, here she is, standing at the edge of the shadows, her red eyes unblinking, locked on me. She steps forward, slow and deliberate, and I can see the faint outline of her form, cloaked in darkness.

My pulse quickens, and panic sets in. I try to call for help, but my voice is gone. The forest around me feels like it's closing in, the trees tightening their grip, trapping me.

I need to wake up.

~~~~~~~

Suddenly, I lurch forward, my eyes snapping open.