Pasito stopped… because three living men were standing right in front of him. But something felt off—they were moving toward him slowly, in complete silence.
Karuna took a soft breath and said, "I don't know why… but this place feels safer than before…"
Pasito gave a faint smile, but inside his mind, a different thought echoed— "Looks like Shamsher stayed back near that tree… what should I do now…"
He then let out a light chuckle and said to Karuna, "Don't you recognize them? They won't harm us… they're familiar."
But in the very next moment, everything changed. Blood began to seep from their heads… as if a deep wound had suddenly opened from within.
Pasito's smile froze… and the silence turned heavy with an unexplainable pain.
Then, the man standing in the middle stepped forward toward Karuna… and slowly raised one hand—
as if he wanted to say something… or reveal a hidden truth.
Suddenly, blood began to stream from the eyes of the man standing in the middle.
Seeing this, Karuna's face turned pale—she instantly grabbed Pasito's hand and pulled him back, forcing him to run.
Pasito, panicking, stuttered, "W-what kind of trouble is this now…?"
Without looking back, they kept running through the dark paths of the forest… until they were far away from those three figures.
Abruptly, Pasito stopped. Turning toward Karuna, he asked in a heavy breath,
"Karuna… what is happening?"
Karuna slowed down a few steps ahead and came to a halt. Her breathing was uneven… but in her eyes, there was a strange mix of fear and determination.
She spoke softly,
"I need to tell you a secret… a truth so dark, it will shake your very soul…"
Pasito's heart pounded harder.
"W-what kind of secret? And we can't just stand here… they'll reach us any moment!"
Karuna gently shook her head.
"It will take them time… the paths of this forest are not easy."
Then she looked straight into Pasito's eyes and said—
"Until then… listen to me carefully."After wandering through countless forms of existence… one of them was finally born into the human world.
Its birth took place inside a small cave hidden among the trees—a place where even light struggled to reach.
Mistaken for an ordinary creature, it was raised in a human environment… and was given the name—Karva.
One day, young Karva wandered near that very tree and found a tiny squirrel inside the hollow.
As he brought it home, everyone was delighted by its innocence and charm.
But his parents repeatedly warned him—
"Bringing a wild creature into the house is not right…"
Yet Karva refused to listen.
He kept the squirrel with him and began caring for it… as if it were his own.
Karva's parents were well-known merchants of diamonds and pearls.
Their name carried respect throughout the city, and they lived a life of wealth and comfort.
But little did they know…
that the tiny squirrel their son had brought home…
would soon become the greatest secret of their lives… One day… the city's most precious yellow diamond was suddenly stolen.
And from that very moment… disaster struck the family, as if the sky itself had fallen upon them.
Without uncovering the full truth, the king of the city accused Karva's father…
and stripped him of his position as a minister.
"You are responsible for this theft…"
With those words, he was publicly humiliated.
From that moment on… everything changed.
No one respected them like before…
nor did anyone step forward to help.
Those who once bowed before them…
now turned their faces away in silence.
Slowly… their home began to sink into the darkness of poverty.
Karuna's father tried to seek help from others…
but it seemed fate had decided something else.
That day… the world revealed its true face…
and destiny stood against them…
Days came upon that family…
when they were living, yet it felt like they were no longer alive.
At times, they couldn't even afford a single proper meal.
Hunger and humiliation together had shattered their lives.
People began to question the honesty of Karva's parents…
and even their closest relatives cut off all ties with them.
Eventually, the day came…
when they had to sell their grand mansion-like home.
They moved into a small hut…
yet they never left the city.
Nor did they ever try to run away—
perhaps they were still waiting for the truth to reveal itself.
But fate dragged them even lower.
Slowly, the accusations of theft against Karva's father grew stronger…
and without any real proof, he was sentenced to prison.
And then…
one day, a piece of news arrived that ended everything—
Karva's father had been killed.
With time… Karva slowly grew up.
Life had already taught him how harsh survival could be.
One day, driven by hunger, he wandered in search of food.
And as always… the little squirrel stayed by his side.
After searching for a long time, a kind man handed him a piece of bread.
Karva thanked him and quickly ran back to his hut.
He broke the bread into small pieces…
and gently placed them before the squirrel.
The squirrel ate happily, as if it understood his care.
Karva smiled faintly and said,
"You've grown quite big… I don't know what kind of squirrel you are…
maybe the most unusual one in this world…"
Then he broke a piece for himself—
when suddenly, something yellow dropped to the ground.
Karva looked closely…
it was a gold coin.
He was startled.
"H-how did this get here…?"
A question rose in his mind—what should I do with it?
But Karva's honesty still lived within him.
Without hesitation, he decided—
this coin must be returned to its rightful owner.
He picked it up…
locked the squirrel safely inside his hut,
and set out to find its owner.
After searching for a long time…
his steps finally turned toward one place—
the king of the city.
Perhaps only there the truth could be understood…
and perhaps… it was the only place where Karva could prove—
that his parents were innocent.
Pasito, confused, asks,
"What do all these things even mean…?"
Karuna falls silent for a moment…
then slowly looks into his eyes and says—
"That squirrel… is me.
And that coin… is you."
Pasito freezes for a second.
Karuna's voice deepens—
"That means… only you can prove that Karva's parents were innocent."
The air suddenly grows heavy.
Karuna continues softly,
"You know… the trees here are not ordinary."
"They hear everything… they know everything…"
"Have you ever wondered… why you don't feel pain when you fall from them?
Doesn't that feel strange to you…?"
Pasito's breathing turns uneven.
A dark glint appears in Karuna's eyes—
"There are souls inside these trees…
they cannot speak…
but they are watching everything…"
"They are tied to a history…
that is still searching for revenge…"
And then… the air grows even heavier.
Because what was about to happen next…
was something that could unravel the deepest secrets of darkness…