CHAPTER THREE — A Quiet Peace and flashback

Morning sunlight warmed the small village. After the attack, life slowly returned to normal.
Ivan continued treating injuries and preparing herbal remedies. His calm presence reassured everyone.
Elen assisted him every day—learning, helping, and growing more confident. Lina followed them like a tiny shadow, eager to learn about herbs.
One afternoon, Elen noticed a shy young woman named Mira, who always worked alone. Elen offered a gentle smile and helped her dry herbs properly.
Mira hesitated at first, but gradually relaxed—asking questions, sharing quiet laughs, and joining Elen’s small circle. For the first time, Elen felt what friendship truly meant.
In the evenings, villagers gathered to talk and share simple meals. Ivan would sit beside Elen, watching her bond with others, pride shining quietly in his eyes.
For a short time—
Life was peaceful. Warm. Almost perfect.
But in the shadows of the forest, Ivan noticed strange tracks… and lingering darkness.
Something was coming.
FLASHBACK — Before Everything Changed
The village mornings were quiet, almost sacred.Ivan and Elen lived in a small wooden house at the forest’s edge. Ivan’s hands were always stained with crushed herbs, while Elen hummed softly as she cooked or organized supplies.
They laughed together.They shared simple meals.They lived like an ordinary couple — ordinary, yet perfect.
But one evening… everything shattered.

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⭐ THE COLLAPSE
Elen’s knife slipped as she cut vegetables for dinner. It clattered against the floor.
“I…Elen? Are you alright?” Ivan’s voice rose, panic threading every syllable.
Her lips parted to answer… and then her legs gave out. She collapsed onto the cold wooden floor.
“El…Elen!” Ivan dashed to her side.
Her skin burned hotter than any fever he had ever seen. Her breaths were shallow, ragged, almost invisible.
“I-Ivan…” she whispered. “I feel… so cold… inside…”
Her body shook violently. Ivan’s heart clenched. He had treated countless patients before — but nothing like this.
“This fever… it’s unnatural,” he muttered, dread clawing his throat.
He lifted her onto the bed, checking pulse and temperature. Both were terrifyingly unstable.
“Ivan… it hurts…” she whispered, voice fading.
“No! Don’t speak. Save your strength. I’ll fix this,” he murmured fiercely.
He ran to his shelves, grinding roots, boiling water, mixing herbs — all in a desperate attempt to fight the fever. Nothing worked. Her body arched in agony.
“Ivan… I’m scared…”
“I’m here. I won’t leave you. I promise.”
But inside, panic raged. This was no ordinary illness — it was killing her.
Hours passed. Her breathing slowed… dangerously slow. Ivan pressed his forehead against hers.
“Stay with me… please…”
Then he remembered the legend of the Lunar Blossom — a flower said to cure the incurable, growing only on a mountain so deadly it had claimed countless lives.
His eyes locked on her weakening form.
“I’ll find it,” he whispered. “No matter what it takes.”
He wrapped her in blankets, kissed her pale forehead, and stood by the door.
“I’ll come back… I swear it.”
She barely whispered: “Ivan… don’t… leave…”
“I’m leaving to save you,” he said, voice breaking, before vanishing into the night.

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⭐ THE TORTUROUS JOURNEY
The mountain loomed like a cruel specter. Snow cut at Ivan’s face like knives, soaking through his clothes. His body screamed from cold and exhaustion.
He slipped on icy rocks, scraping his hands and knees raw. Blood mixed with snow, freezing into his hair. Hunger gnawed at his stomach, thirst burned his throat, but he could not stop.
His muscles screamed with each step, lungs burning with every ragged breath. The wind howled like the cries of the fallen.
Branches snapped underfoot, sending him sliding dangerously close to sheer drops. Frostbitten fingers clawed at frozen rocks, nails cracking. One misstep and he would join the mountain’s countless victims.
“I… I won’t lose her… I can’t… not like this!” he whispered hoarsely, teeth chattering.
Hours bled into each other. He stumbled, fell, and dragged himself forward, blinded by fatigue and snow. Every step was agony. Every heartbeat screamed her name.
Then, finally, he saw it — the Lunar Blossom, glowing like a shard of moonlight amidst the storm.
He collapsed beside it, trembling, laughing and crying in the same heartbeat.
“I did it… Elen… wait for me…”

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⭐ SAVING ELEN
Dawn broke over the village. Ivan returned, frozen, bloodied, barely conscious. Every movement was agony.
He crushed the Lunar Blossom, grinding it into an elixir. Hands shaking, he fed it to Elen slowly, praying it worked.
Her breath weakened… then stopped.
“No… NO… PLEASE GOD—NO!!” he screamed, holding her limp body.
Tears froze on his cheeks. Every instinct screamed that she was gone.
Then — a faint, pulsing aura glowed from her chest. Purple, warm, impossible.
Elen gasped, eyes fluttering open. Her fever vanished. Her heartbeat steadied.
Ivan collapsed beside her, sobbing with exhaustion and relief.
“Thank you… for surviving…” he whispered.

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⭐ THE MORNING AFTER
Elen woke first, alive and warm, though weak from the ordeal. She saw Ivan still holding her hand, face streaked with dried and frozen tears.
“Ivan…”
His eyes snapped open. “Elen! Are you okay? Can you breathe? Does anything hurt?”
She touched her chest, still trembling. “I… feel completely fine.”
Tears streamed down Ivan’s face. He hugged her tightly.
“Thank God… thank God you’re alive…”
Elen returned the embrace, her tears mingling with his.
“I’m alive… because of you…”
In that moment, their bond became unbreakable — forged in terror, exhaustion, and a love strong enough to defy death itself.