Mari Rivers is an ordinary 13 year old living in a small town in the Andrian Republic with her kardia, (an animal companion everyone in the world of Nitis has), Piperi, a black cat. Her world falls apart when the neighboring kingdom of Lasto invades, destroying everything in their path. Her best friend, her mother and father, her little brother, all gone when the soldiers blaze their way through. Ana, Mari's little sister, is taken away by the soldiers, one of the only captives. Escaping into the Emerald Forest with nothing but a promise to get her sister back, Mari and Piperi have many challenges to face, and most difficult of all, the temptation to sink into her memories of happy times and never come out again.
Does Mari have the courage it takes? It's more than the flare of adrenaline that drives you to do things you thought you could never do, more than the bravery it takes to sacrifice yourself, or to face your worst fear, it's being able to keep on going through the hardship, and make it to the end.
It hurts when a relationship you imagined to be positive burns and crashes, leaving an invisible, albeit strongly impacting scar. Scars last forever, meaning that you won't forget what happened, but they can heal up.
Not for Lang Qingli. What's more, she only has so many chances. How did this curse come to be for her, and can she survive it?
Trigger warnings: Violence and blood (gets a bit extreme later on), swearing, mentions/references of sexual activity, mentions of cannibalism, mentions of child abuse, usage of needles (for acupuncture only), underage consumption of alcohol
Disclaimer: I do not agree with nor am I encouraging child abuse and underage drinking. They are for plot purposes only.