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It was night again. The jungle had changed.
What once felt like nature now felt like a cage, trees no longer whispered, they stared. Shadows stretched longer than they should have. The air turned colder, as if the darkness had weight to it.
Rave sighed quietly as he continued north.Still no shelter.
"Don't tell me I have to sleep out in the open…"He looked up. The stars were clear tonight, distant and uncaring."I mean… it's possible."
The leaves crunched faintly beneath his feet as he stepped deeper into the woods. He moved slowly, hands near his blade, senses sharp: Not out of fear, but out of habit. The jungle had taught him that even silence was a threat.
The trees, once vibrant during the day, now looked like silent watchers. Tall. Unmoving. Watching.
"Crazy how things change depending on their environment," he mumbled, half to himself.
Hours passed. He walked. Alone. Unbothered.
Until…Light.
He froze.
It wasn't moonlight. It wasn't torchlight.
It was something else. Soft. Pure. Almost divine.
He stepped closer, careful not to make noise. Pushing through thick bushes, he found the source of the glow and it stole his breath away.
A horse.
But not just any horse.
It was tall and elegant, with a coat of pure white that shimmered like moonlit silk. The beast didn't seem to belong to this world. It stood calmly in a clearing surrounded by darkness, a quiet beacon of light in the sea of shadows.
Rave narrowed his eyes. There was something on its shoulder...a mark. Faint but clear.
The letter A and V, twisted together.
He stepped closer, crouching slightly, eyes scanning the scene. That's when he noticed the blood.
It dripped slowly from the horse's side, yet it wasn't red.It glowed.
Each drop fell to the ground, turning into soft pulses of light that faded into the air like dying stars. The ground beneath it was speckled in shining dust, almost like a constellation come to rest.
And then...a mistake.
Rave accidentally stepped on a dry branch.Snap.
The horse turned its head, locking eyes with him. Large, calm, intelligent. But it didn't run.
Instead, it watched him.
He stepped forward. Slowly.One step. Then another.
The horse didn't flinch.It took a step too.
Almost… toward him.
They stood a few feet apart now. The tension was gone. The horse lowered its head slightly. And Rave did something that surprised even him.
He reached out… and touched it.
The warmth beneath its fur felt real. Heavy with exhaustion, but still alive.
"...I'll name you—"
His bracelet buzzed sharply.
Curse Signature Activating..."Everyone He Loves Will Die."
Rave froze.
His hand slowly pulled back. He looked at the horse, now gently nuzzling his side. Unaware.Innocent.
His eyes darted around in panic.
Nothing. No monsters. No attack. No change in the air.
But the curse didn't lie.
It always takes.He stayed up the whole night.
The horse didn't leave his side. It stood close, as if guarding him. Or maybe just sharing its warmth.
The stars gave way to light.
Morning came.
Birds began chirping in the distance again. The jungle was alive once more.
Rave sighed deeply, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes.
"...Nothing happened. And it's already day."
He looked down at the horse beside him. Its wound had closed. The light had faded from its blood. But it still stood there, waiting.
"...You're not normal," Rave muttered. "But I guess neither am I."
He climbed onto its back, settling in awkwardly at first, then naturally as if the horse had been made for him.
The sun had fully risen now.
Together, they rode north.
Toward Crimson Fall.
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