My entire body hurt, my head was throbbing, and I felt numb all over. I couldn't even lift my eyelids, let alone a finger. Everywhere was dark and warm. I tried to move, but I couldn't. It was pitch black, and I wasn't even sure if my eyes were open.
The silence weighed heavily on me, so heavy that I could hear myself breathing and my heart beating. I let myself pass out in exhaustion.
The next time I opened my eyes, I was on the ground. It was cold, but it didn't feel hard. I forced myself to sit up, still feeling tired and heavy. I expected to be in the same spot as usual, but I didn't recognize what I saw at all.
I was still in a forest, but its trees were much taller than the ones in the previous forest. The sky was blue, and light filtered in through the branches, casting shadows everywhere. The trees were less dense, and trails wound between them. It looked like a normal forest.
My sight was foggy and my head felt heavy, but I thought I saw people all around me. When my vision cleared, dread washed over me as I shrank back in fear, shock, and anxiety.
They were everywhere. The faceless people.
Last time, I had only seen one, but now there were many, scattered everywhere. I couldn't recognize anyone, but I felt like I knew them all somehow—even if I couldn't figure out why.
Although they had no faces, their clothes, hair, and skin color made it clear they were different individuals. They stood more still than the trees—no breathing, no swaying—just facing me. I wasn't sure if they were staring or sleeping.
I couldn't bring myself to move, but I couldn't stay either. Slowly, I stood. They didn't react.
I bolted with everything I had, running like my life depended on it—because it felt like it did. They didn't follow at first, maybe because they seemed endless. One by every tree, each a blur as I sprinted past.
They all faced the direction I had come from, but as I passed, their heads twisted to follow me. They quivered slightly, like trapped panic.
The rotating heads only fueled my fear. I ran harder. The further I went, the denser the forest became, like it was closing in on me. Then I crossed a stump—the only cut tree in sight.
Suddenly, they began to follow.
They turned and started chasing. All of them. Tears streamed down my face as I pushed my legs faster. I thought I was going to die.
Did I make things worse? How had I left the other place and ended up here? Maybe I shouldn't have run, but stopping felt impossible.
My thoughts scattered when one of them lunged and landed on me. I crashed to the ground.
They swarmed, grabbing at me from every side, struggling to touch me. Two of them caught my ankles and started pulling. They ran faster than I could, dragging me into chaos. I couldn't see anything.
A shriek tore my throat raw as it echoed through the forest.
Then I blacked out.
When I came to, I was back where I'd woken up. The faceless stood in an open circle around me, and within them, more formed another circle. Four rings in total, all unmoving, like a ritual.
Since I wasn't dead, I took a chance. I rose and walked around them. Still, they didn't move.
The forest looked different this time. No pond. No flowers. The only constant was the faint, familiar scent of hyacinths.
By then, I thought nothing could surprise me. I studied their blank faces, hoping for recognition. Then I saw her—the reason I was here.
I walked toward the faceless figure I believed to be my mother. I stared for a long minute before hearing the faintest mumbles. I leaned closer, and she grabbed me, her whispers tumbling faster, desperate for me to understand.
Before I could, the shuffling of leaves and pounding footsteps broke through. Three faceless figures were approaching.
I turned back to my mother. Her lips had ripped open, but instead of teeth, there was only a black void. She forced out one final phrase, then unleashed a scream so deafening it shook the air. She shoved me away.
I thought I understood. So I ran in the direction she pushed me.
I gained distance from the faceless, but when I glanced back, my mother had collapsed. Deep down, I knew she was dead. Tears blurred my vision, but I refused to stop.
Crossing the stump again, I realized they were all coming after me. Their footsteps thundered, overlapping like a stampede.
One detail stuck with me—they never chased until I passed them. But I didn't have time to figure out why.
Another lunged, this one landing at my feet. I kicked him off and kept running.
Ahead, the forest ended abruptly—an edge, like a cliff. A mountain? An impossibility.
I didn't know whether to stop. Then a hand clamped my ankle, yanking me down. I flailed, broke free, scrambled up—but another lunged, knocking us both over the edge. The rest didn't hesitate. They all jumped.
It rained faceless bodies.
I screamed as I hit the water, pain slicing through me like glass. Time slowed, forcing me to feel every prick and ache.
They piled in after me, dragging me deeper, deeper. My lungs burned, my oxygen gone.
Darkness swallowed me.
But this time, I heard it—the words they'd been trying to say all along.
All in the same voice:
"Wake up."
"Elysia."
"Where is it?"
"Where did you put it?"
"Don't trust him."
"He's not who you think he is."
"He doesn't love you."