Chapter Text
The grass crunched softly under his shoes, the sound of wet mud sloshing and slapping across the bottom echoed around the quiet woods, as he wiped a stray tear that started sliding down his cheek.
One step, two steps, three steps.
The small child counted to distract himself as he went further and further into the woods, shivering as a cold breeze passed through him, clutching his dirty jacket tighter.
MK was scared.
Scared of the dark woods, with bears, snakes, and spiders. His hair stood on end at the last one, feeling a little itchy at the thought of those tiny things crawling up his jacket and– eugh…
Clutching the jacket tighter, he took a nervous glance around the trees.
Mildew dripped off the leaves, leaving tiny droplets hanging off its surface, shining with a tinted glow under the moonlit canvas that was the night sky. He found it a bit hypnotizing and alluring, but beyond it, was a blackness that seemed to almost reach out and grab at him.
It was enough to almost make him want to run back home.
Almost.
His fear of the unknown was nothing compared to the fear he felt back home. The cold feeling of hearing the heavy steps of a drunken man, and the door slamming shut with a loud bang that rattled the entire house. To the fear of knowing what would happen next, as the screams of one turned into two, as he ran to take cover in a nearby corner.
To the fear of hands tugging at his hair and being thrown to the wall, of the loud noises and the screaming and shouting—
So he ran out.
Out and out, faster and faster and leaving behind the fear and pain, as the shouting slowly got quieter and quieter the further he went. And eventually, there was no more shouting.
And now he was alone.
Suddenly— snap.
MK's eyes widen as he jolts back to his surroundings, hand snaking out to grab onto a nearby tree to stop himself from falling face first into a gravelly muck filled road. The rain had made everywhere slick and slippery, with mud already sticking onto the cracked foot wear, overgrown and worse for wear.
He looks behind him, expecting some sort of broken branch or something that had caused his abrupt stop.
However, nothing was there.
He breathed out an irritated huff.
Of course he tripped over nothing. His lip wobbled as he angrily wiped the second wave of tears rolling down his cheeks, sniffling and sobbing coming back twofold. Anger, frustration, fear, paranoia — all these emotions churned and boiled over in his stomach, as he felt the beginnings of rain start to rumble above his head.
The clouds grew every grayer, slowly consuming the moon in its wake, as the area around him became even darker.
A cold breeze passes him, as he shivers, clutching the jacket even tighter, letting out a breath to both calm himself, and bring some warmth to his lips. Fog starts to roll in, and he picks up his pace. Farther and farther into the woods he went, until he could barely see beyond arm’s length.
No going back now. Stop being such a baby MK!
Slowly, he found himself lost, in the middle of the fog, in the dark of night, stuck in the woods.
The adrenaline slowly wore off, replaced by a slow creeping fear of paranoia.
Every small creak, and crack, and snap of the woods made his stomach turn, as he looked around with wide eyes, trembling.
Hss…
He jumped, looking around as to where the hissing came from. Was it a snake, or, somes sort of even scarier animal? His fear fed into his imagination, creating bigger, even more terrifying monsters with razor sharp teeth, claws like knives, hugs so tight it could squeeze someone to death.
The fog cleared ever so slightly, just enough that he could see without tripping or bumping into the trees.
His eyes squint, trying to concentrate on the road in front of him. He didn't remember which direction he ran into exactly, but some place where he could find shelter would be good..?
Offhandedly, he remembers the teacher telling him how to tell which way the directions were… Something about… moss… but he couldn't remember.
Weariness and tiredness start to catch up to him, as his legs ache from the exertion. His throat was dry, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Suddenly, the thought of camping out here for a few days was a lot scarier than when it was simply a passing thought back home.
What now, you idiot!? Now you're lost and cold and tired!! He berated himself.
To go back, or keep going.
Both options scared him.
So instead, the world decided for him. A loud rumbling echoed above him, sending him jumping and looking upwards. The clouds that formed above him had started to drop dribbles of rain, falling towards him sparsely. It didn't seem like it was going to stop any time soon.
It seems like even the gods wished to see him suffer tonight.
He turns a complete 180°, tempted to just start running for the direction he came from and hoping to somehow make it back out of here, but then, freezes in place.
A gut feeling of- something reaching out. Tugging at him. He turns to where the feeling wanted to take him; forest, forest and even more forest.
It will be safe there. Something in his head says. Nervously, he turned back to the direction he came from, then back to the one that felt right but also wrong.
Why would it be safe further in the woods?
It's safe. The voice insists, again, sounding like him, but also contrasting greatly to the previous one. It sounded more like a whisper than anything; like someone tapping your shoulder, trying to get your attention. But it didn't feel scary to MK… not the way going back made him feel, at least.
Despite his better judgement, he decides to follow the new voice that was him but also not him.
The fog only worsened the deeper he went. But the direction of the voice was as clear as daylight to MK. It was just up ahead, he was sure, even though he could barely see his own fingers — engulfed by the darkness and blur of his outstretched arms, as though it was swallowing him whole.
Eventually, he walked far enough, that the knot in his stomach and the nagging in his brain calmed.
The boy had come across some sort of abandoned mining system. The signs looked old and worn, words and warnings barely decipherable, and the gate to the place had slowly withered over time until it simply hung there, covered in grass and vines, like a sad reminder of what the place used to be.
Plop. Drip. Tshhhh.
And the rain reminded him of their existence, suddenly starting to fall rapidly.
He didn't have any more time to inspect the area, as the rain started to shower him, and automatically, he stumbled forwards to take shelter from the downpour.
In he went; the place was hard, damp, and musty. But it was better than being in open rain, he supposed.
He shivered, shaking off the wet drops that managed to stick onto him before he could hide from them, the cold air passing through his jacket and into the rising hairs on his arm. It was cold.
Duh.
Perhaps further in, would be warmer.
And he followed it. It was a voice, which, unlike every other one in his life, had not led him to more despair. It had helped him. In retrospect, it was a naive way of thinking. But the warmth MK seeked brought an empty hole in his heart, one he was desperate to fill with anything.
The cave was cold.
But home was colder.
There was a strange sort of… ethereal feel to the place. MK couldn't explain it.
Inside, the fog seems heavier, as though it was coming from here and flowing outside, rather than vice versa. And if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him from the fatigue, he would say there was even a sort of blue tint to the air around him. It seemed kind of ridiculous, but who was he to say what was silly or not.
The cave seemed to only go deeper, and the air sharp and heavy — as though a presence was watching his every move.
But that was stupid.
Nobody's been here in so long.
It has been a while since one as young as you has stepped in here.
He pursed his lips.
The further he went, the voice almost seemed to… louden? As though the voice had started to echo around the walls, instead of just being a whisper beside his ear.
And the more it didn't sound like him.
So why are you still going further?
…
He didn't quite have an answer to that, yet.
Instead, he shivered a little. He must've been walking for minutes now, but no end was in sight. Rubbing his hands together, he let out a cold breath, mist forming in front of him. It wasn't getting warmer, either.
It felt like going in circles.
You are close, little one.
He jumped, looking around to find the source. The voice had been so clear and bold, that he had thought, for a moment, someone had appeared and spoke to him. Yet… there was no one.
Just a little further.
He didn't flinch quite as hard this time. The voice sounded encouraging, calming; loud, but soft. Commanding, but not hurting. It was two sides of a coin that MK didn't expect could be both found in a single voice.
Everything became a haze of blue and white, under the darkness of the cave. He stopped, frozen. He didn't know how he knew, but it was just a feeling. Like knowing someone came into the room, even though you didn't hear the door open, or didn't look to see if anyone did come in. The chilling feeling of being watched.
He wasn't alone anymore.
It should have scared MK. In fact, this whole thing should've scared him more. Being lost in the woods, hiding inside a cave that seemed to go on forever, hearing voices that did not belong to him.
Normally, he would be.
But normally, he wouldn't feel unnaturally calm like he was right now. The cold from earlier was all around him now, like a blanket muffling everything else. His focus was turned to something sitting right in front of him: a small box.
He steps forward, something — someone — compelling him to.
His fingers, suddenly looking so small next to the box, curled around it. And for a moment, he could see someone else's hands curl around his, from behind him. They were similar to his mother's; long, skinny frail fingers, tracing downwards to slim palms. The woman had pretty hands.
"Little one." The woman whispers, it was the woman, she was the one who was talking to him.
He could feel her lean forwards, felt her hands slide up, until it hugged around him.
She only uttered two more words:
"Free me."
Before she was gone.
MK opened his eyes. In his hands, was the box from before.
And although the shiver disappeared along with the woman, the hole in his heart has never felt that cold and empty before in his life.