Prologue 3

Oh... How long has it been? 10... 20... 50 years...

Stuck in this place, doing the same things again and again.

I don't even remember why I'm here or how I got here. I can't even remember my own name anymore.

I have these strange dreams, or maybe memories. They're like bits of the past, and they all have one thing in common.

In these dreams, there are other people, even kids. They seem like friends, close friends. They're always doing things together, helping each other, having fun.

Do I know them?

Their faces seem familiar, but they're blurry. I wonder if I knew them a long time ago. It's hard to know if these are my memories or someone else's.

This has happened so many times that I've stopped keeping track. But there are other weird things here too.

You see, my house lies in an isolated area within a vast forest. Despite numerous attempts, I've failed to escape the forest. At a certain point, an enormous white "wall" surrounds the forest. This barrier isn't constructed of traditional materials like cement or bricks. For a lack of a better understanding, I can only compare it to an unfinished painting—a boundary that obscures the view of what lies beyond. I have no idea about what's outside this barrier. It's as though a trap or an intricate cage has been crafted to prevent something, or someone—namely, me—from breaking free.

There are a lot of strange things here.

There's a big tree close by that I feel drawn to. I can't hear anything, but it's as if it's calling me in some way. Or perhaps it's not the tree itself, but the shape of a figure standing next to it. It appears to be a human figure, maybe a girl, and it feels strangely familiar. The figure is unclear, like it's both faded and glowing. It's facing away from me, and no matter how hard I try, I can only see its back, as if it doesn't have a front at all.

The movement of the figure changes drastically when I get closer. It starts shaking non-stop, possibly in an attempt to get away from me, but it cannot move from its place. It might be a spirit or the soul of the tree as far as I know.

But I keep hearing those words in my head whenever I reach this place. Someone is talking inside my head. What they say is not clear. Seems like a language that I'm not familiar with or I never heard before, but the words go like this:

“Why cap...”
“Police...”
“Hope end your lies”

Perhaps it's just meaningless chatter, lacking any deeper meaning. They might even be random sounds that my brain interprets as words. After all, being alone here for so long, without any human conversation, my mind tries to fill the silence and emptiness.

I also remember a girl...

Vaguely, and I'm not even certain if she was a real person or a product of my thoughts and dreams. From what I remember, we were quite close in the past. We spent a lot of time together and engaged in various activities.

What was her name again...?

Akimo...
Akumo...
Aka...

I can't recall the name...
Even her face is just a hazy blur now...

I hope someone finds me soon, but considering the situation and my inability to leave this place, I doubt anyone can enter either.

I'll likely remain trapped here forever...

Oh no...
Wait...

I think I've just made a terrible mistake now...

Did I just... reveal a major twist from book 3?

Mr. Author, please don't include that in the writing. It could spoil the entire experience for readers. This part is crucial to the story, and if readers already know about it, it might take away the anticipation.

Please delete it, and let's start again from the beginning. We can create another prologue with a clearer explanation so everyone can understand.

Since readers seem to have fallen for the "oops, I spoiled something" trick, I'm confident they'll be pleasantly surprised by the unexpected twist at the end of this book.

Now that we've addressed that matter, let's move on to Prologue Number 4.