Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

Chapter 31: Illusions of Longing This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

As I stumble through the thick underbrush, the Blood Moon’s crimson glow paints the forest with cerie shades of red. My steps feel uncertain, my heart races in my chest, and the weight of desperation clings to my shoulders. I know I must keep moving downward, toward the distant golden lights of the village far below, but the forest seems determined to test me at every turn.

Then, from the heart of the forest, the silver lights emerge like ethereal wisps, flickering and dancing on the edge of my vision. They materialise from the darkness itself, like ghosts slowly taking shape. My pulse quickens as the shape solidifies, my mind racing to decipher the enigma

before me.

The figure begins to coalesce, limbs and features taking form from the shimmering lights. As it gradually assumes a human shape, dread washes over me like a chilling wave. Recognition dawns

my father. like a bittersweet revelation. It’s him, or at least, an immaculate illusion of

Before me stands the very image I’ve yearned to see for as long as I can remember. He wears the same police uniform from the cherished photograph that always graced my mother’s dressing table. It’s as if the forest has plucked my most treasured memory and breathed life into it, forging a spectral mirage from the depths of my longing.

My voice quivers as I whisper, “Daddy?” The words tremble on my lips, caught between disbelief and an overwhelming desire for this to be real. My steps draw me closer, almost as if compelled by an unseen force. His eyes, kind and reassuring, lock onto mine with warmth, and my heart aches with a mixture of disbelief and longing.

“Daddy,” I repeat, my voice barely a whisper. Is this some kind of cruel trick? I can’t help but take another hesitant step forward. The apparition’s presence is so vivid, so incredibly lifelike. Could it be that, against all odds, my father has returned to me?

He smiles with all the gentleness I’ve ever imagined, just as he did in the fading photog as I’d seen in old home videos. “Arianna, sweetheart,” he speaks in the same soothing to voice as comforting as an embrace. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

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I inch closer, my heart and mind at odds. Can this be real? Is it possible that the man I’ve only known through photographs and stories has returned to me? My father’s voice washes over me, and I feel the warmth of his presence enveloping me.

Is it really him, or am I losing my mind in this haunted forest? My legs move forward of their own accord, drawn to the apparition that embodies my deepest longing.

I take another step closer, and my father’s embrace engulfs me. It feels so real, his arms around

Chapter 31: Illusions of Longing

the warmth of his presence. “Is it really you, Daddy?” I whisper through choked sobs.

“Of course, it’s me,” he replies, his voice a balm to my soul. “I’ve waited so long to finally meet you, baby girl. His words cradle me, and I cry in his arms, feeling a sense of belonging I’ve never

known.

But the forest’s enchantment has its claws in me. My father’s gaze becomes entrancing, his words persuasive.

“I know you’re cold, and tired, baby girl,” he says soothingly. “But there’s no need to keep fighting. Just lie down and rest for a while. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

The temptation is strong. Through the dazed fog of my mind, somehow the blanket of snow looks inviting and soft, like a cocoon.

“I have to keep going, Daddy,” I finally manage to say between sobs. “I have to get to the village.”

His face clouds with sadness, mirroring my own inner turmoil. “But we’ve only just found each other again, he laments. “Lie down, go to sleep, and we can be together. Just stay here with me.

The struggle between love and logic rages within me. My heart yearns to stay with the illusion of my father, to experience the life I never had, while my mind knows the forest’s dangers are very real. I have to choose between my deepest desire and my survival.

With tears streaming down my face, I step back, leaving my father’s embrace. “No,” I whisper shakily, forcing myself to confront the harsh truth. “You’re not real. This isn’t real.”

The illusion of my father wavers, his form flickering like a failing projection. His face contorts briefly into a look of sadness before shifting back to a gentle smile, but this time, it’s a mockery.

“Arianna, don’t be scared,” he taunts, his voice taking on a sinister edge. “Daddy’s right here, baby

#16 girl.”

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His dark eyes twinkle cruelly in the red light of the blood moon. My father’s transformation int05:3 malevolent force shocks me, but I refuse to yield. I’ve recognized the forest’s cruel trick, a manifestation of my own yearning. As I back away, his laughter grows louder, his form more

grotesque.

He laughs, phantom bullets piercing his chest, blood spilling from his mouth, his body writhing in agony. My fathers visage contorts, distorted by pain, yet he laughs maniacally. The forest distorts him further, a cruel mockery of the man I’d longed to meet.

Maybe if I hadn’t kicked the bucket before you were born, you wouldn’t have such a disgusting

Chapter 31: Illusions of Longing

daddy kink,” the apparition sneers, revealing its true, twisted nature. “It was bad enough when you thought that blood sucker was twice your age..

I shudder, realising that this malevolent entity has been taunting me with knowledge of Aleksandr. How does it know about him? My heart races with fear, and I demand answers. “Who…

no, what… are you?”

The entity’s response chills me to the bone. “Your worst nightmare.”

I keep moving backward, refusing to give in to the illusion any longer. The apparition’s laughter fades as it dissipates into the shadows.

A whisper fades into the shadows. “This isn’t over yet, baby girl.”

The sinister apparition that had taken on the guise of my father vanishes into the shadows, leaving me alone in the dark, haunted forest. As it dissolves away, I can’t help but wonder what

chased it off. Something even more dreadful, perhaps?

In the unsettling stillness that follows, the forest seems to hold its breath. I dare not move, fear locking me in place, my senses heightened to every eerie sound. That’s when it happens.

The distant howling of wolves echoes again through the trees, closer than before.

Without hesitation, I break into a frenzied run down the mountainside, my heart pounding as if it might burst from my chest. I stumble over roots and rocks, the urgency of my escape blinding me to the perils beneath my feet.

The forests dark embrace seems to close in around me, and I’m painfully aware of being prey in this macabre chase. The crimson moonlight paints sinister shadows on the snow. Their footfalls and the rustling of leaves follow me, hauntingly close.

at my o

With every step, I feel their presence drawing nearer, and a sense of impending doom gnaws at my resolve. I can see their dark shapes lurking at the edges of my vision, closing in for the kill, the on glowing red eyes piercing the darkness. Panic grips me as I desperately search for an escape ro

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but the relentless pursuit leaves me with no options.

In my haste, I trip over a particularly massive tree root, sending me sprawling face–first into the cold snow. My vision blurs, going completely black for a split second before returning. Through a haze of pain, I can feel a trickle of blood running down my forehead. Disoriented and dishevelled, I push myself up, my heart racing.

As I look around in a daze, I realise that I’m surrounded by a pack of snarling and snapping black wolves. Their gleaming red eyes fix on me with predatory intent, and I’m filled with a paralysing

Chapter 31: Illusions of Longing

terror. I can’t outrun them.

Desperation claws at my chest, and my eyes dart wildly in search of any potential weapon. That’s when I spot it–a fallen branch, just large enough to serve as a rudimentary club. I snatch it up and swing it around in the air, my knuckles white with fear. I know it’s almost useless, but it’s the only defence I have.

The wolves continue to close in, surrounding me in a deadly circle. The tension in the forest is palpable, and I can feel my heart pounding in my ears. One of the wolves makes its move, springing in my direction with jaws gaping wide.

intercepting the wolf mid- In that terrifying instant, a blur of silver light erupts from the shadows leap. The creature is pinned to the forest floor, its snarls silenced by a force beyond my comprehension. I stand there, frozen in disbelief, as I realise that something else has entered this deadly game – a saviour or a new threat?

Chapter Comments

EJ

It’s probably Alexasandr. I’m sure someone from that castle is following her.

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