Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Just like that, we embarked on the journey to seek refuge with Valerie's fiancé.

Along the way, we camped out under the stars, not daring to stop for even a moment. But who could have known that before we even reached Alicdon, a group of thugs would appear out of nowhere? They were fierce and menacing, their faces twisted with malice. In the midst of our shock, Valerie was forcibly taken by these villains. I can still hear her terrified screams and see her pleading eyes to this day.

Yet, they spared me, as if they had come solely for her. I couldn't afford to think about anything else. Without eating or drinking, I searched everywhere for Valerie, but after three days, there was still no sign of her.

Finally, I found her in an abandoned, dried-up well. Her clothes were in tatters, her eyes wide open, and her face gaunt, no longer the plump and adorable girl she once was. It was hard to imagine the unimaginable suffering and agony she must have endured before her death.

Ignoring my own physical state, I clung tightly to the slippery, moss-covered grips on the well's wall, carefully climbing down the cold, slippery surface. Each step was fraught with danger, and I feared that one misstep would send me plummeting down. The bottom of the well was filled with a musty, rotting smell mixed with the scent of wet earth.

Weak light filtered through the well's opening, barely illuminating the surrounding space. The ground at the bottom was muddy and strewn with rocks, and the walls were wet and covered in moss. In this cramped and suffocating space, I struggled to control my fear, keeping my eyes fixed on Valerie's frail body. She lay quietly in a corner of the well, her face as white as a sheet, her clothes soaked by the remaining water.

Taking a deep breath, I summoned my courage once more and continued to inch closer to her. I had to get her out of this dreadful place as quickly as possible and bring her back into the warmth of the sunlight. Valerie belonged in the sunlight.

I deeply regretted it. If only I hadn't insisted on going to Alicdon to find her fiancé!