The Huntress

Chapter 3

The air was thick with the acrid scent of burning wood, and the world danced in eerie shades of crimson and black.

Amidst the smoky chaos, a forest ablaze with furious flames swayed and twisted, its tortured branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The trees seemed to moan and wail, their agony echoing through the night. The very earth beneath the inferno trembled as if in protest.

Amidst the inferno, a young girl materialised, her silhouette flickering like a ghostly apparition. Her face, bathed in an otherworldly glow, was a mask of fear and determination. Her eyes were pools of despair, reflecting the relentless blaze that devoured everything in its path.

She moved through the burning forest with frenzied steps, the ground shifting beneath her as if alive. The trees seemed to conspire against her, their fiery branches reaching out to ensnare her like vipers. As she stumbled and fell, the ground swallowed her, only to regurgitate her into another twisted realm of the nightmare.

The sound of screaming filled the air, mingling with the cries of the burning forest. The girl's own voice joined the chorus of torment, a piercing shriek that reverberated through the nightmarish landscape. It was a scream of despair, a plea for release from the unending torment.

Yet, the boundaries of reality and nightmare blurred, and time lost its meaning. The girl's frantic attempts to escape the fiery labyrinth seemed to loop in an endless cycle, a cruel game orchestrated by unseen forces.

Each time she fell, the forest closed in around her with relentless fury, and her screams became a haunting refrain in the cacophony of chaos. It was a nightmare of endless suffering, a labyrinthine dance of fire and despair from which there seemed to be no escape.

"Dawn, wake up!" a voice called out. Startled, she jerked awake, her body drenched in sweat, her breath shallow and rapid. Slowly, her senses returned, and she realised she was lying on a pillow that rose and fell with each breath. A black wolf with piercing blue eyes, Blu, gazed down at her, concern etched in its expression. The sunlight filtered through the ivy, casting gentle rays into the room, illuminating Dawn's nest. A nest crafted from a combination of sticks, branches, moss, feathers, furs, and adorned with periwinkles, star flowers, lavender, and stargazer lilies that peeked through the twigs, adding bursts of colour and light, slightly damp with morning due. Finally, her attention settled on the woman crouched beside her nest—Rebel. "Are you alright, Dawn?" Rebel inquired once more. Dawn's heart rate gradually steadied as she gained composure. She sat up, nodding hesitantly.

"Yeah. . . yeah, I'm okay. Just a nightmare," she confessed. "Is something wrong?"

"We have a problem," Rebel declared with a grave tone.

Dawn, still groggy from her dream, retorted, "Can shooting solve this problem? No? Then get out."

"Get your act together, Dawn. You're failing as an Empress."

"Wow, who pissed in your cereal? Fine, what's the situation?"

"Frost has returned." Dawn's attention was suddenly solely on Rebel, her eyes full of mystery, but the emotion left as quickly as it came.

"Ugh. . . " Dawn groaned. "Fine, fine. Give me a moment to get dressed." Only then did the two women notice that Dawn was completely unclothed.

Rebel reassured her, "Don't worry, I've seen you naked countless times. The problem we face is something you won't like—"

"Is it warm outside?" Dawn interrupted.

"No, it's quite chilly today. But that's not the only issue. It's about the threat that was discovered in the Forgotten Kingdom—"