The small iron cage seed even smaller around the girl. She trembled, her legs pulled tightly to her body as silent tears slid down her cheeks. The cold of the night pierced through the tal bars and bit at her thin skin. Outside, the muffled sound of voices reached her.
"Tomorrow she'll be sold," one of the captors said, laughing grotesquely. "With any luck, she'll bring in enough to cover our losses from the last shipnt."
"I heard they're going to sacrifice her. Seems like these elves still believe in ancient rituals," another comnted, his voice full of disdain.
The girl's heart raced. Sacrificed? Sold? Despair took hold of her small body, but along with it ca a spark of sothing else: the determination to survive.
She knew she had to escape.
Her eyes scanned the cage more carefully, searching for any sign of weakness.
Her small fingers traced the rusted joints of the tal, exploring every inch. Then she felt it: one of the bars seed slightly loose. She pulled with all the strength her fragile body could muster, but the bar barely budged. Still, she didn't give up.
"Calm... slowly..." she murmured to herself, her words barely audible.
With careful movents, she began to twist the bar back and forth, using her body weight to amplify her strength. At every creak of the tal, she stopped, her heart in her throat, fearing the guards might hear. Minutes passed, and finally, the bar gave enough that she could slip through.
Escaping the cage, the girl's bare feet touched the cold, rough ground. It was harsh, but freedom had never seed so tangible. Looking around, she saw the guards distracted, talking near a fire. She slinked through the shadows, holding her breath with every step.
Then a deafening sound split the night: the crash of thunder, followed by a flash of lightning that illuminated everything around her.
The girl froze, her eyes wide with fear.
The thunder that followed was so strong she felt the ground shake beneath her feet. Monts later, a torrential rain began to fall, each drop heavy and cold as ice.
The guards jumped up suddenly, confused.
"What was that?" one of them shouted.
The girl didn't wait to find out. Taking advantage of the confusion caused by the storm, she ran in the opposite direction. Her small feet slipped in the mud that was starting to form, but she kept going, each step fueled by her will to survive.
Crossing the edge of the camp, she entered the forest. The trees swayed violently with the wind, and the branches crashed against each other, creating frightening sounds. The darkness was almost total, except for the lightning that briefly illuminated the path ahead. Still, she didn't stop.
'Run! Don't look back!' she scread to herself, using all her energy in an endless sprint.
With each fall, she got back up. Her legs were covered in scratches, and the blood mixed with the mud ran down her skin. But the girl kept going, ignoring the pain and exhaustion. Her breathing was rapid and labored, the cold air burning her lungs.
As she ran, she felt sothing different. A strange sensation in the nature around her, as if the forest was alive and trying to communicate sothing. It was an energy she had never felt before, yet sohow it felt familiar. A mystical force seed to call to her, guiding her.
She followed that feeling, her steps now more steady despite the fatigue. The trees seed to part for her, and the rain, once harsh, began to lessen. The sensation grew stronger, as if sothing or soone was waiting for her.
Finally, after what seed like hours, the girl reached a clearing. In the center, there was sothing unusual: a soft light emanated from a small lake surrounded by glowing flowers, despite the storm still raging in the distance. She approached cautiously, her bare feet crushing the wet leaves on the ground.
The feeling of safety grew. It was as if this place was a sanctuary, a refuge from all the terror she had faced. But the sensation didn't just co from the lake. She felt that sothing or soone was nearby. Turning around, she noticed a small path leading out of the clearing.
Without thinking, she followed the path, driven by that inexplicable energy. The sounds of the forest seed to grow quieter, and the pain in her body began to fade. It was as if every step brought her closer to sothing important, sothing she couldn't na.
At the end of the path, she saw a small house. It was simple, with a soft light glowing from one of the windows. Beside the house, a garden full of exotic flowers seed to glow in the darkness, as if alive with magical energy. The girl hesitated for a mont, but the feeling of safety urged her to continue.
She stumbled and fell at the entrance of the garden, her small arms failing to protect her from the fall. The door of the house suddenly opened, and a tall, feminine figure stepped out. Her red hair glowed like fire, and her eyes shone with an intense crimson hue. Behind her, a much smaller figure appeared, holding a book in its tiny hands.
It was a boy. His eyes were incredibly clear, almost glowing, and his expression was one of curiosity that didn't match his apparent age. He observed her carefully, as if trying to decipher the reason for her presence there.
The red-haired woman quickly approached, kneeling beside the girl.
"What happened to you? Who did this?" she asked, her voice a mix of concern and restrained anger. She was most cautious when it ca to her son.
The girl tried to speak, but the words wouldn't co. She just looked up at the woman with pleading eyes before passing out from exhaustion. The boy watched everything in silence, but there was sothing in his gaze that seed... deeper, as if he understood much more than he should.
"Mother... I think you should take care of her," the boy said, his voice clear and confident despite his young age.
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