It was winter — one of the coldest and quietest seasons of the year.
In NEWHEART, everything seemed peaceful. Life moved on, slow and monotonous, as if time itself had fallen asleep. The people, finally freed from long years of war, were savoring a hard-earned peace.
The land belonged to them once more, and freedom was no longer a dream, but a reality.
Or at least... almost.
Because there was a place — a forbidden place, one people avoided naming. A place shrouded in darkness, full of mystery and legend.
They said it was cursed... but that it hid immense treasure.
As usual, my family and I would venture into the woods to gather what we needed to survive the winter...
YVES, my older brother, took care of the firewood. FIONA, the second born, and Mother were in charge of mushrooms. As for me, AUDREY, I had to watch over my little brother JEAN and the baby Mari, barely two years old.
Watching them wasn't easy — especially Jean, who was a real ball of energy.
We always kept our distance from the forbidden place.
But that day...
As usual, my family and I had gone into the forest to gather supplies for the winter.
Yves, my eldest brother, was chopping wood. Fiona helped Mother collect mushrooms.
And I, Audrey, was keeping an eye on my little brother Jean — a real live wire — and the youngest, Mari, only two years old.
Watching them was no easy task, especially with Jean running off at every opportunity.
And as always, we were careful to stay far away from the forbidden place.
But that day... something changed.
— "Mom, we should head back. I think a storm's coming..." said Fiona, worried.
— "You're right, sweetheart. Let's hurry. Audrey, take care of the little ones," Mother ordered.
— "Yes, Mother."
I carried Mari on my back, keeping an eye on Jean. But after a while... he had disappeared.
The cold was getting sharper. The wind burned my face, my eyes were tearing up, and I could barely see anything.
Feeling my way forward, I tripped. A slope. I rolled down, unable to stop myself.
I don't know exactly when I got separated from Mother and the others.
When I finally opened my eyes, Jean was right there, standing in front of me.
A wave of relief swept over me — I found you.
I tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot through my leg.
— "Ouch… I hurt myself."
The wound wasn't too deep, thankfully.
The important thing now was to get back.
— "Jean, come on. We're leaving."
The snow covered everything, erasing even our footprints. Around me, the trees looked different — taller, darker, like they had never seen sunlight.
I spun around, heart pounding.
Nothing looked familiar.
Nothing resembled Quiet Land.
— "Oh no… no, no… did I... did I cross the boundary?" I whispered.
"Did I enter the forbidden forest?"
Doubt turned into certainty. And certainty into fear.
As if that wasn't enough, Mari began to cry on my back. At first soft whimpers, then full-on sobs, impossible to calm.
I tried to climb back up the slope, but my leg screamed in pain. Blood trickled down my ankle, warm in the icy cold.
— "Mari… please… it'll be alright," I whispered, though I barely believed it myself.
She, usually so quiet… What was she feeling?
The storm wasn't helping. Wind howled louder, snow swirled wildly around us, making each step harder than the last.
We needed shelter. Fast.
A dark opening appeared between two rocks. A cave.
I rushed inside, holding Mari tightly. Jean, now strangely silent, followed closely.
It was odd… he usually couldn't stay still. Was it fear? Or something else?
I settled the children near the driest wall and tore a piece of fabric to bandage my leg.
Around us, the stone formed a cold bubble. Muffled. Isolated.
I tried to calm myself, but a thought returned to me:
"Those who enter the cursed forest never come back. And if they do... they're never the same."
I clenched my teeth.
— "We're going home… shhh…"
The children said nothing. And I couldn't sit still.
The cave was calling me. Not out of desire. But from that strange feeling… that intuition that I had to understand why this part of the forest was forbidden.
I moved slowly, tiptoeing deeper into the tunnel. At first, everything looked normal. Stones, moss, silence.
But as I turned a corner, my foot struck something. A solid thump. I looked down.
— "Huh? What is that…?"
I moved closer.
A body.
Human. Or at least… what was left of it.
It lay there, frozen, dried out, as if petrified by time.
But its empty sockets seemed to follow me. To track my steps.
— "Am I dreaming or… are its eyes moving?!" I exclaimed.
A chill ran down my spine.
I stumbled back — and unknowingly cut my hand on the stones again.
My blood dripped onto the shriveled corpse.
I felt no pain. Maybe from fear.
I had to get out.
Now.
— "Kids! We're leaving! Now!"
I no longer cared about the storm, the cold, or my injuries.
I just had to flee this place.
But as I reached the entrance...
Jean was gone.
Mari too.
No. Not now. Not again.
I screamed their names, in vain. The wind swallowed my voice.
I couldn't look for them alone. Not here. Not in this place.
I had to go back to the village. Warn my family.
Even if...
Even if I had to admit I broke the rule.
Even if it made me cursed.
But those curse stories... I never really believed in them.
Back at the village, I didn't know where to start.
How could I explain?
How to tell Mother that I had vanished for hours… and lost my siblings?
Legs shaking, I knocked on our door.
— "Mom… I…"
The door burst open. She wrapped me in her arms, eyes full of tears.
— "Oh my God, Audrey! Where were you? You scared me half to death… Come in, quickly!"
I hesitated.
— "Mom… I… I lost Mari…"
— "Big sis! Where were you?" called a cheerful voice.
It was Jean.
At home.
Standing. Safe and sound.
I froze.
— "What… Jean? But… how… how did you get back? You were…"
I scanned the room. And there, in Fiona's arms, sleeping peacefully… was Mari.
— "What are you talking about?" sighed Fiona. "You left Jean and Mari with us before… wandering off to who knows where. Always daydreaming, huh?"
I stepped back. A wave of dizziness hit me.
No. That couldn't be.
I remembered holding Mari in my arms.
I remembered losing Jean… and finding him again…
What was happening to me?
Who had I been with in that forest?
What?
That night, I couldn't sleep. My body trembled without reason.
I woke with a start, breath short, and left the house without knowing why.
Had the cursed forest marked me?
Was that what it meant… to be cursed?
But what exactly was the curse?
A cold breeze lashed my face.
I shivered.
Something… a presence.
Unfamiliar.
I felt watched.
I spun around.
And he was there.
A man. Tall, still.
Shadowed.
His eyes… too pale a blue, almost unreal.
Clearer than crystal, and yet darker than night.
— "Who… who are you?" I stammered, frozen with fear.
He didn't answer. He stepped forward, slow and silent, as if gliding over the ground.
I couldn't move. My body wouldn't obey.
His eyes locked me in place.
He leaned in close.
His breath brushed my neck.
— "So… it was you…" he whispered. "You're the one who gave me your blood…"
— "What do you… what do you mean…?"
He smiled — coldly.
No warmth. Only a veiled threat in his pale lips.
— "I will drink every drop of the liquid that runs through your veins… until you perish."
— "Why…?" I sobbed.
— "You fed me. And now… I crave your essence."
"But don't worry. I won't feed… just yet."
My heart pounded in my chest. I couldn't breathe.
Of course. It was him.
The man in the cave.
The one who looked dead… he had followed me.
But how was he still alive?
He had been nearly a corpse, and now stood tall, solid, almost… alive.
— "What have I done? Why didn't you kill me there? What are you?!" I cried.
He stared at me. His gaze pierced through my soul.
— "Who I am…?" he repeated calmly.
"I am… your curse."
I froze.
His words echoed in my mind, as cold as the wind surrounding me.
"I am your curse."
Then he vanished, swallowed by the darkness, as if he had never been there.
I was left alone. Trembling. Heart frozen.
I ran home without looking back.
And that night, lying in bed, covers pulled up to my chin, I realized what I had seen wasn't a nightmare.
Because in the silence…
someone was breathing next to me.
And it wasn't me.