I never wait for everyone to wake up. I go back home, and while opening the door, I find a letter on the floor with a key inside. It says:
"In the middle of the night, as the ocean rises,
under the full moon's light, the last hope dies."
I think it's nothing, so I slipped it into my pocket and didn't't take it seriously.
But the riddle keeps repeating in my mind.
"The last hope dies? What or who is the last hope?"
I open the letter again, and at the back I see handwriting:
"Library at the west side."
It's exactly what the old man said.
So I go to the library and approach the librarian.
---
I: Hey, can you help me with this one?
Librarian: Let me see.
I: Sure.
Librarian: Sir, I am so sorry, but I don't have any idea about the riddle… or the west side of the library. And this key—I've never seen it before.
I: Are you sure?
Librarian: Yes, sir. But try to go to the west side.
Maybe you can find the book.
I: Okay, thank you.
Librarian: Thank you, sir. Have a good time and enjoy.
I: Okay.
---
I walk to the west side of the library. I try to search for the book, but something catches my eye.
In the corner, there's an old book—isolated—blends in the shadows.
I go closer and try to pull the book, but it won't move.
So I push it instead.
A mechanism clicks behind the shelf.
"So… I was right. It was a door after all."
My heart races. I feel nervous, excited, and a little angry… afraid of what might be waiting for me.
The shelf shifts, a lock clicks open, then silence.
I wonder if the hidden door is broken because everything is so old.
I push the shelf sideways.
It moves a little, and the mechanism continues.
Another shelf lifts from below, gears grinding, until the entire case reveals a small door.
"So this is how I use the key."
I place the key into the lock, twist it—and suddenly the shelf moves again… but this time, sideways.
The first shelf slides back into its original place.
"Huh? What the fuck is this? Everything I did ended up as nothing. I really thought it was a door."
I sit in disbelief.
After a while, I open the note again.
Suddenly, the corner of the room turns dark. The shadow grows thicker.
People walk by, but nobody notices me or the spreading darkness.
The shadow stops… and slowly fades.
Everything goes back to normal.
Disappointed, I kick the shelf.
"I hate this. It's a waste of time."
Then a book from above falls and hits my head.
"Aww! What the fuck?"
I sit down again, holding my head. It hurts so much.
I don't even know where the book came from.
I pick it up and open it.
---
The Book
"Savage — born of the dark forests"
Ten years ago, the forest was the source of food for the village: hunting, farms, and honey.
The village was peaceful… until the dark moment began.
A man named Savage was accused of being the criminal responsible for the death of his beloved wife and two children.
They kept Savage in prison for weeks—without asking, without investigation, without ever knowing the truth. Savage suffered in silence: psychological torment, hunger, pain, and the crushing weight of guilt and hate, all alone in the dark.
Months passed. Savage finally escaped and ran through the forest. The village leader, furious, ordered his men to find Savage—dead or alive. But no one returned. Every search party vanished; all were killed.
As the story spread through the city, the bounty on Savage's head grew higher. Bandits, hunters, and soldiers all rushed into the forest, eager for the reward. Weeks passed in silence… until the shocking news arrived: hundreds of corpses hanging at the entrance of the forest.
Every corpse bore no trace of wounds, no sign of struggle. They had committed suicide by hanging themselves. And still, the forest claimed them.
Since that day, no one who entered the forest ever came back alive. The case of Savage remains a mystery. Some say he became a living demon. Others say he died, but the deaths of hundreds of men keep the legend alive.
And that is how the Dark Forests of the West earned its name.
Months of silence surrounded the Dark Forests of the West. Then, one day, the silence shattered. News spread: a man had been found at the entrance of the dark forest.
I wondered why… but the page was missing. As I looked further, I saw the words:
"The man hung himself at the front door of the village mayor."
Months later, the mayor and the investigator died—one by one. Many others followed, each meeting a painful and mysterious end.
The forest… it didn't just take Savage. It seemed to take everything connected to him.
Before I tried to turn to the next page, I didn't know how or why… but I suddenly lost consciousness.
When I woke up, it was already evening, and I was in the clinic, lying on a bed. I saw a nurse and asked:
I: What happened to me?
Nurse: The librarian found you passed out at the north side of the library.
I: What? I was in the west side.
Nurse: Really? Maybe you just forgot.
I didn't reply, but I was still curious.
I stood up, gathered my belongings, and then I saw the letter on the table…