"GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!"
With fierce eyes, the man shouted at his wife.
"I CAN'T LEAVE YOU!"
The woman cried back.
"GO! Save our child... I'll hold them off. Please... trust me."
His hands trembled as he gripped her shoulders, trying to reassure her, though fear gripped him just the same.
Their eyes met, knowing this would be the last time.
Then, a loud bang on the door. Without another word, the woman ran, clutching her baby tightly as she slipped out the back window.
She ran with everything she had, through the flames devouring their village.
Screams rang from every direction.
The stench of blood filled the air.
Heat and cold pierced her skin.
She ran, breath ragged, lungs burning, not daring to stop.
"Just a little further... please…"
Her voice cracked with desperation. She had to make it to the royal capital.
But the sound of galloping horses grew louder behind her.
A forest appeared ahead, without hesitation, she darted into its shadows, hoping to disappear.
Her body was at its limit.
Her heart pounded wildly.
She coughed uncontrollably.
Hope was slipping through her fingers.
She knelt and gently placed her baby behind a bush.
"I'm so sorry... my child... you're our only hope now," she whispered through tears.
She fastened a pendant around the baby's neck.
The infant didn't cry, as if sensing how terrifying the night truly was.
She kissed the baby's forehead one last time, leaving behind a final trace of warmth. Then she ran deeper into the forest, trying to lure away whatever was chasing her.
Roughly a hundred meters away, they found her.
She was surrounded.
She knew... the end had come.
But a peaceful smile formed on her lips, she had accepted her fate.
"Raagnol... live a happy life. Even if I'm not by your side... I believe you'll grow up to be someone wonderful."
With that final prayer in her heart,
the blade fell.