The Enchanted Grove

004 Thorny Heart

The teleportation array had transported Yu Keke to an entirely unfamiliar place. Confused and disoriented, she ran for her life, desperate to escape from the three demons chasing her. It didn’t matter where she went—as long as she could get as far away from them as possible.

“Little brat, I didn’t expect you to be this fast,” An Lie sneered, drawing the bow from his back. He fired an arrow at the small figure ahead of him, deliberately avoiding her vital organs. An Lie didn’t want Yu Keke dead; that would be too easy. He wanted to drag this out, to savor her fear.

“Ah!” Yu Keke cried out in pain as the arrow struck her chest, sending her sprawling to the ground. She clutched her chest, the sharp pain nearly paralyzing her. But then she looked up, saw the dense forest ahead, and clenched her teeth. She had to make it there. If she could just reach the cover of the trees, maybe she could hide.

Fueled by her determination not to be caught, and her sheer will to survive, Yu Keke dragged her injured body forward, running until she reached the cold, dark depths of the forest.

With trembling hands, she pulled the arrow from her chest. The pain was overwhelming, and she could feel her energy slipping away. Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground, her vision fading as sleep overcame her.

“Wake up! Hey, wake up!” A young, insistent voice echoed in her ears.

“Ugh, so noisy,” Yu Keke grumbled inwardly, turning over and covering her ears, trying to block out the voice.

“You can’t sleep, wake up!” The voice persisted, urgent and unyielding.

“Who’s there?” Yu Keke’s eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright. The sight before her was disorienting: a mist-shrouded forest, towering ancient trees that blocked out even the faintest hint of sunlight, leaving everything in a gloomy half-light.

Yu Keke glanced around. The forest was silent, not a single movement to be seen. Was it her imagination? Had she really heard a voice just now?

Regardless, she took a deep breath, realizing that she was alive, and no longer in the clutches of those three evil men. For that alone, she should feel lucky.

“Thank goodness, you’re finally awake,” the young voice said again, startling her.

Yu Keke looked around, her guard up. “Who’s there? Who’s talking?” she called out.

“It’s me, of course,” the voice answered, almost annoyed.

“Who are you? Where are you?” Yu Keke demanded, her eyes wide as she tried to see who was speaking.

“I’m inside you,” the voice said matter-of-factly.

“What?!” Yu Keke jumped to her feet, frantically inspecting her own body. “What are you?”

“What do you mean, what am I? I am the most noble Thorned Heart!” the voice responded, sounding slightly aggrieved at her reaction.

“Thorned Heart?” Yu Keke frowned. She had never heard of anything like that.

“Close your eyes,” the voice instructed, “relax, and focus inward. See if you can sense me.”

Though doubtful, Yu Keke did as she was told. She closed her eyes, the darkness enveloping her, and gradually, she saw something. A faint green glow flickered in the darkness. Her attention fixed on the glow, moving closer until she could see it clearly—a small, half-heart-shaped object glowing an eerie green.

“See me now?” the voice asked eagerly.

“You’re… that green… thing?” Yu Keke paused, nearly using the word ‘thing,’ but stopped herself just in time. She had no idea what this entity was, whether it was friend or foe, and it was better to proceed with caution.

Growing up as an orphan in a large family, Yu Keke had learned to be cautious and observant. She had always assumed that her family merely disliked her, thought her useless, and looked down on her. She never imagined that they’d go so far as to truly try to kill her.

“Yes, that’s me,” the voice confirmed, sounding almost pleased.

“But… what’s going on? Why can I see you when I close my eyes?” Yu Keke asked, confused.

“Didn’t I say? I’m inside you. More precisely, I’ve fused with your spirit. Your spirit resides in your body, so naturally, I’m also part of you now,” the voice explained patiently.

“So, you’re possessing me?” Yu Keke gasped, horrified. She had heard plenty of ghost stories about possession and evil spirits.

“Possessing you? You should feel honored to have been chosen by the noble Thorned Heart! Do you think I wanted to pick someone as weak as you? I had no other choice. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have recognized you as my master!” Thorned Heart grumbled.

“Huh?” Yu Keke blinked in confusion, latching onto the words ‘recognized you as my master.’ Was that true? Was this really not possession, but something else entirely?

“If I hadn’t used my last bit of energy to save you, you’d already be dead in the Bonegrave Forest,” Thorned Heart said, sounding exasperated.

Yu Keke suddenly glanced down at her chest, only now realizing that the gaping wound from the arrow was completely healed. Only her torn clothing and the dried blood remained as evidence of her injury.

“You really did save me,” she whispered. Gratitude washed over her, and she started to relax. Thorned Heart might actually mean her no harm.

But then, Yu Keke’s eyes widened in alarm, and she stammered, “Wait, did you just say… Bonegrave Forest?”

“Yeah, where else would we be?” Thorned Heart replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“What?!” Yu Keke screamed, her knees nearly giving way. She was in the Bonegrave Forest?! This was one of the most terrifying places in all of the Glimmering Moon Continent. The dark paradise of undead creatures, where no living being was supposed to be able to survive. It was said that even the air was tainted with corrosive death energy, lethal to any living thing that inhaled too much.

Yu Keke looked around at the plants nearby, her heart sinking. The vegetation—whether grass, shrubs, or towering trees—was all a dull, lifeless gray, as if covered in ash. There wasn’t a single hint of true green anywhere.

No signs of life.

Bonegrave Forest, despite its name, wasn’t really a forest at all. The plants here were the fossilized remains of once-living flora, preserved for ages by the unique death energy that filled this place.

“I’m doomed,” Yu Keke muttered, despair washing over her. Though she couldn’t see the sky, she looked up hopelessly. Was this her fate? To escape the clutches of those men only to end up dying here anyway?

She was only twelve. Her life had just begun. She didn’t want to die, not like this.