You Can't Run Away, Sister

The air hung heavy and still, thick with the scent of decay and the sweet, cloying perfume of red spider lilies. You lay amongst them, the strange flowers a vibrant, almost violent contrast to the pale silver of your hair. Above, the sky bled into hues of jam and nascent yellow, painting the world in unsettling colors.

You were in Strătemir, a place you'd never heard of, with a body you didn't recognize, and a past you desperately wanted to forget. Your last memory was fire, and Bennett's manic grin.

A harsh caw shattered the fragile peace. A crow, an ugly black omen, perched on a rotting fence post nearby. The tranquility of the field was a stark, temporary reprieve from the trauma that defined your existence. No more Bennett, you thought, a fragile hope. But the goddess's words echoed – he was here.

A choking snarl echoed from the dark woods ahead, a sound that scraped against your nerves. Dread coiled in your stomach. You had to investigate. Status. 'Investigate the strange noise'. You swallowed hard, the 'Willpower' skill a faint comfort. This was a death flag, but it was also the only way forward.

The forest was terrifying, the trees like skeletal fingers against the dim light. You stumbled, falling to the damp earth, just as the snarling grew closer. A figure emerged from the bushes. You screamed, bracing for the end, but instead, a small, cold body collapsed onto your lap.