beyond boundaries

chapter 1(Lily)

The forest was a maze of shadows. Every tree seemed to whisper my name as I stumbled forward, my feet slipping on the wet earth, my heart hammering in my chest. I should've never come here. I should've never strayed off the trail. But I did. And now I was paying for it.

I could barely breathe. My legs ached, my chest felt tight, and the fear-it was suffocating, a constant companion that gnawed at the back of my mind. The wind was cold against my skin, the kind of chill that made your bones ache, and I had no idea how long I'd been walking, or even if I was going in the right direction. Every turn felt the same-every path leading deeper into the unknown.

I wasn't sure how I'd gotten lost. The storm had come so quickly, so violently, turning everything into chaos. The sky had darkened, the wind howled like a beast, and in the blink of an eye, I had been alone. The others, my friends, were nowhere to be found. The only thing left was the relentless darkness of this godforsaken forest.

I pushed forward, my breath coming faster, my hands shaking as I swiped them through my tangled hair. Keep going, I told myself. You're not going to die out here. You just need to keep moving.

But the silence... it was like the forest was holding its breath, waiting for something.

Something bad.

A crack, barely audible, but sharp enough to make me freeze. My heart stuttered in my chest. I glanced around, my eyes darting between the trees, trying to place the source of the sound. But there was nothing. No movement. No sign of life, other than the thudding of my own pulse in my ears.

Get a grip, Lily. It's just an animal.

But the feeling wouldn't go away. It was like being watched, like something-or someone-was waiting for me.

At first, it was just a shape-a shadow against the darkness. I couldn't make out the details, but something in me screamed to run. The figure moved closer, stepping out from between the trees.

My breath hitched, and my body stiffened.

I couldn't move. My feet felt like they were glued to the ground, as if the earth itself was holding me in place. I should've screamed. I should've run. But I couldn't.

And then I saw him.
The man stepped forward, and as he did, a shaft of moonlight slipped through the trees, illuminating his face for the first time. His features were striking, almost unearthly, with deep-set eyes that seemed to watch her with an intensity that both captivated and terrified her.

He stopped a few paces away from me, and for a long moment, we just stared at each other. His eyes-piercing, cold-were locked onto mine. He didn't speak, didn't make a sound. His presence was like a weight pressing down on me, suffocating me with the intensity of his gaze.

Oh god, what do I do?

The panic clawed at my throat, my hands instinctively reaching for something-anything-to protect myself. My fingers brushed against the sharp edge of a broken branch, but I didn't move to pick it up. It would do nothing against him. Nothing.

"Stay back," I whispered, my voice cracking. I didn't know if I was trying to warn him or protect myself, but it came out of me anyway, the words tumbling from my lips before I could stop them.

He didn't move. His expression didn't change. He just... watched. But there was something about the way he stood there, so still, so... certain, that made my fear twist into something darker.

I should've turned and fled. The instinct was there, deep in my gut, but my legs wouldn't cooperate. My chest was too tight, my breath too shallow.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said, his voice deep, like the rumble of thunder in the distance, calm and steady, but somehow... not reassuring.

His words were meant to soothe, to put me at ease, but they had the opposite effect. Every muscle in my body screamed at me to run, but my feet were frozen, anchored in place by his presence. My mind screamed for answers-Who are you? What do you want?-but the words wouldn't come. I couldn't ask him. Not yet. Not when everything inside me was screaming that he was the last person I should trust.

His eyes, dark and intense, never left mine. There was a quiet power in him that made my pulse race. And yet... there was something else. Something raw. Something that felt almost familiar.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. I couldn't form the words. The air between us was thick, charged with something unspoken, something heavy that I couldn't quite place.

"you are...you are not going to kill me, right?" she stammered, voice trembling.

The stranger's lips twitched, as if he were amused. Then he shook his head, his voice a low, calm reassurance. "If I wanted to hurt you, you would already be hurt."