In the dim cave, withered trees had been planted everywhere. Foul-smelling blood sausages hung from their branches, skulls by the roadside burned with ghostly green flames, and purple medicinal liquid simmered in narrow cauldrons, now bubbling densely with a "Gulu Gulu" sound.
A woman resembling a dark-green toad, her face covered in tumors, stirred one of the cauldrons. Sometimes, she scooped up a spoonful of broth with a huge ladle and swallowed it.
This was the first sight Quinn saw when she opened her eyes.
Something was wrapping around her. It was as sticky as snot and as hot as lava, blocking her arms and preventing her from escaping this cramped space.
It was the mucus inside the cauldron.
She was soaking in the cauldron.
The flesh worms floating on the soup revealed their milky-white bellies. They were maggots bred from corpses, and as they squirmed, they would burrow into her skin and gnaw away at her flesh and blood.
But strangely, she felt no pain.
Only fear.
"You're awake, child. Don't worry, it'll be ready soon. In a moment, I'll let you have a sip too."
"Liar."
Quinn stared at that nauseating face and spat the insult.
As a child of Ebony Forest, she had a happy family.
Harmonious parents, friendly neighbors, playful friends, and a Blink Hound with light brown fur. Its ears were as broad as butterfly wings, and she had named it Nao Nao.
But now, an ugly toad had abducted her while she was home alone. "Would you like to try the fresh apples from our orchard?"
Ebony Forest had no habit of refusing guests. How could she have known that the visitor outside her door was an evil hag?
But it was too late now. Her family, friends, and Nao Nao were all about