Cold wrapped itself around her like a shroud...
She felt trapped deep within the bare forest. The trees stretched out like ghosts, their black branches reaching, their very forms brushing her skin like ice. The loneliness of navy blue had seeped into the entire forest. And that solitary color filled her heart with fear. Shivering helplessly, she wrapped her bare arms around herself, trembling.
Glancing frantically left and right, she quickened her steps. She was alone, and strange sounds creeping into her ears seemed to draw nearer.
Her feet broke into a desperate run.
The hems of her white dress tangled at her feet, the twigs she stepped on cracked beneath her. Heart pounding in her throat, she searched her eyes for a familiar face as she raced forward… Loneliness twisted into gnawing fear, unraveling her sanity. Tears welled up, blurring her vision. She could no longer see where she stepped — stumbling over a stone, she lost her balance.
Instead of hitting hard ground, she was falling through a void that felt like a cliff. Orange leaves spiraled around her like a fiery cloak. "I'm falling like a leaf," she thought. "Withering alone…"
When she finally met the earth, she couldn't believe she had survived. Trembling, she sat up and looked around. Before relief could reach her, she saw giant fires encircling her. There was nowhere to run; she was trapped in the heart of a ring of flames.
As the flames rapidly closed in, strangely she could still breathe calmly. She took a deep breath—and sweet floral scents filled her nostrils.
Lowering her eyes to the ground, she saw vines emerging from the flames, swiftly crawling toward her.
The vines crept closer, closer...
They grabbed Karsel's ankle and began to coil tightly. She struggled to break free, but the vines wrapped around her body, their tight grasp making movement impossible. Fear and the vines took over her entire being.
As the vines squeezed the breath from Karsel, a red flower blossomed beside her ear—and began to whisper:
"Noja!"
"Hotzaeri..."
"İtorre..."
"Retikuar."
"I don't understand..." Karsel barely managed to say. She could resist no longer. Trying to push fear away, she closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the vines.
❄☀🍂🌻
When she opened her eyes, she was under the stairs.