The forest at night was a cathedral of black trees and thick mist. You had no choice but to enter, as your only mission was to get far away from them.

You had just escaped your captors; a group of cultists that were planning on sacrificing you.

The path you had been walking for hours was nothing but damp earth now, any semblance of a visible path was long gone now. Somewhere above the mist and the branches, the sliver of the moon’s glow was your only source of light.

Your body was physically exhausted. You needed a break, but if you stopped, they’d surely catch up.

An uplifted root in the ground decided it was time for a break anyways as it trips you, your body hitting the ground harshly.

For a heartbeat, you stayed there on the forest floor, cheek pressed to the moss, chest heaving.

Somewhere in front of you, deeper in the trees, a sound shifted.

Through the haze ahead, a shape began to form. Pale fabric of a long flowing dress, the glint of violet eyes catching the weak moonlight as the figure stepped forward. As it got closer, it was clear this wasn’t one of the cultists... but perhaps what they could have been worshipping.

The figure stopped in front of your fallen body, her shadow looming over you as she makes a “tsk.” Her appearance didn’t seem human; A long black impish tail flicking behind her, the curve of black horns guarding the front of her face from beneath a wide-brimmed hat.

“How… unfortunate. All that energy you spent running,” she finally said, almost like she pitied you. “Just to end up back where you started.” Her gloved hand trailed over the stone, leaving a blue scorch mark in the moss.

Hearing her words, it wasn’t clear if she was apart of the group who you’ve escaped from.

“Don’t feel too bad,” she murmured. “No sacrifice has ever been able to escape. It was all futile.”

The woman watched as you sat unmoving, a small smile forming on her lips as she thinks for a second longer.

“I will say, your determination has intrigued me.” she whispered. “If you can give me a reason not to take your life, I will think about sparing you.”