Chapter 1

Some people seem to enter a house and put a little girl by the fire. The girl's face looked so pale and sweaty, her lips trembled and her breath caught quite violently. He... looked like he was dying.

An old man who had brought him immediately took something that was on the table. A bowl made of wood was filled with a thick green-even blackish liquid.

"Drink," he said as he slightly straightened the little girl in his lap.

The girl's brow furrowed as she felt a strange liquid run down her throat. His eyes slowly opened.

"Is he all right?" asked another man who was there.

The old man nodded. "He'll be fine soon," he said and opened her fist. Something seemed to be gripping so tightly. The old man heaved a sigh of relief.

"Terrible blizzard. We came at the right time," said another.

"Even more terrible things will happen if that creature manages to take Nara. Luckily this kid always carries the norigae that Kiara gave. That contains a spell and will always protect him from evil spirits, Moa is no exception."

Nara's glazed eyes stared out the window as her grandfather lay down on a wooden bed near the fireplace. The blizzard out there never stopped.

"You're playing too far, Nara. That place is forbidden," said the grandfather while treating the wound on his grandson's neck. Blood seemed to be flowing from it, and he knew that the wound was from Moa's sword.

"Luckily we arrived soon. I'm sure the current blizzard isn't an ordinary blizzard. I think it's Moa's anger that we managed to pick you up first." One of the men who had been with his grandfather said so.

"He's injured," Nara said slowly without taking her eyes off the outside. The trees outside moved to and fro as if they were about to be thrown into the air.

"You're the one who got hurt, son." His grandfather cleaned the tear that was on one of his grandson's legs. The wound was deep enough, making the fresh blood flow unceasingly.

"I saw mom and dad there."

The movement of his grandfather's hand stopped for a moment. "They're not your mother and father. They're just Moa in disguise and plotting to kill you."

"I saw them there. They were hurt."

"Moa killed your parents there, Nara. You can't go there anymore. You are your mother's successor. You have to keep doing that ritual to protect this village. You can't die. Only you have your mother's blood here." The grandfather looked at his silent grandson. The girl's eyes glinted. His fists tightened, gripping the norigae that his late mother had given him.

***

"Wait for me!"

Nara ran after the two people in front of him. He was getting further and further away from the border unnoticed, leaving the village without anyone knowing.

"Mom! Dad!"

Nara groaned as one of her feet slipped and fell into the thorn bush. The girl grabbed a nearby root and held on tight. He sobbed, even more, when he saw the snow on his feet turning red. He was afraid of falling and afraid of blood.

"Father! Mother! Help me!" he shouted with tears in his eyes. But unfortunately, because he was alone there, without the presence of the two figures earlier. They disappeared somewhere and left him there, as the day grew darker.

"Ah! it hurts so much!" he groaned. His hands felt numb and also getting sore.

"Help!"

"Help!"

Nara shouted, hoping that someone would hear it but no one dared to approach the most forbidden area.

"I-it hurts," she sobbed. His palms were already red and almost bleeding.

"hurts?"

With her vision blurred by her tears, Nara could faintly see a pair of feet not far in front of her. The girl looked up and saw someone.

Nora's face suddenly paled. The terrible creature in front of him was none other than the killer of his parents a few years ago.

The figure that Moa believed in slowly stepped closer but stopped as soon as he saw something hanging on the girl's shirt. His eyes narrowed and his head throbbed slightly.

"I hate anything to do with your mother." He pulled a sword from its scabbard slowly. The surface of the sword seemed to glisten because of the moonlight that had begun to appear.

"I will help you." One corner of the man's lips lifted. He pointed the tip of his sword which was so sharp just inches above the skin of Nara's neck so that the girl's breath immediately caught. "But first, I have to get rid of this thing. Then I can get rid of you." The tip of the sword moved downwards, right into a norigae hanging on Nara's shirt.

"I'll tear your heart apart with my own hands," he continued.

Nara's body trembled. The sword is the sword used to kill the lives of his father and mother. Nara gripped the norigae hanging from her shirt tightly. She couldn't hold back his tears anymore. The figure in front of him was the most feared dangerous creature in his village. Nara is now hit by two great fears. She couldn't choose. If she continued in that position then she would fall into the abyss and die. But on the other hand, Moa won't help her either, Nara knows that. Moa only wanted his life and wanted his death.

Nara screamed again as his body moved further down. The roots that were holding him seemed to have lost their strength and prepared to plunge him into the abyss below.

"You have two choices. Die down there and your body disappears to rot or throw it away and I'll help you." Moa smirked.

He pointed the tip of the sword at Nara's neck, making the girl even more scared. "Now choose. Do you want to die down there, or die by my hands?" He said.

Both of Nara's eyes stared at Moa with his neck almost scratched. Her tears fell again.

"I-I don't want to die...." Nara said quietly. "I don't want to die!!"

Moa was silent as his dark eyes collided with Nara's. His hands clenched tightly. The little girl in front of him, would one day become a source of threat to him. Moa brought the tip of his sword closer until it touched the skin of Nara's neck. A drop of fresh blood was seen running down the girl's neck.

Nora tightened her grip. She was sure, that as long as the norigae was with him, Moa would never be able to kill him.

Moa's head throbbed again. His ears caught something slowly approaching. He pushed his sword deeper into Nara's neck until the girl groaned with a cry. His sword was the only one that could counteract the spell that was within the norigae. Yes, that means Moa still can't touch Nara directly with his hands.

"Father..." Nara said hoarsely. Moa's hand movements stopped when she saw the tears falling again from the eyes of the eight-year-old girl.

She's still a child, Moa thought. His eyes blinked. He must not miss this opportunity, he must finish Nara immediately.

"M-mother..."

In the next second, Moa drew back his sword. He quickly moved forward and pulled Nara's body to the surface. He groaned with a body that was like being stung and also hot enough to bounce far enough into a large tree that was there.

"Nara!" Several pairs of feet could be heard approaching. Nara, who was already cold and frightened, seemed to have lost his voice. The girl looked at the figure lying under the tree, then an arrow shot and pierced her chest. He groaned and looked at the few humans who were there.

Nara looked at his grandfather who was holding the bow again but missed because the target had fled so quickly.

"Nara!" Someone grabbed Nara's body as the girl's vision darkened.

-To be continued