Naily looked uneasily at Carl. The boy stared back quietly, suddenly reaching out to hold her hand and lowering his head to say, “Don’t be afraid.” Coming from someone so sparing with words, this sudden comfort touched Naily. However, having just rejected his formal confession, she didn’t want to dwell on this. Therefore, she tried to pull her hand away, saying, “I’m not afraid.”
Carl stubbornly held her hand, quickening and strengthening his pace, heading towards the mountain. Naily had no choice but to follow closely, momentarily forgetting her awkwardness and letting him continue holding her hand. The boy’s fingers were long and somewhat cool, and the touch of their palms was calming. The deadly silent Magic Forest suddenly seemed less terrifying.
Carl glanced at her sideways, still expressionless.
At the moment she hastily looked away, a slight softness appeared in his eyes, revealing a light that was either amused or helpless, gentle as water under moonlight. Soon they arrived at a wide, deep river. Carl stopped, glanced at Naily, and let go of her hand.
Naily breathed a sigh of relief when Carl suddenly lifted her into his arms. “Wait!” Naily’s cheek pressed against his chest, the close body warm. She panicked, her voice slightly trembling.
“Don’t be afraid.” These three words again. Carl looked at her steadily, his red eyes sparkling in the shadows, reflecting a tiny version of her with inexplicable gentleness. Naily’s heart raced because of this gaze, but a strange chill crept up her spine. She lowered her eyes: “Carl, what are you going to do?”
His arms tightened slightly around her. Carl raised his head to look at the hill across the river, silently providing an answer. Clearly not answering her question about direction, Carl showed no intention of saying more. Before she could speak again, he leaped lightly to the other side. Naily looked back in the breeze, shocked she forgot to speak: The river was wide enough to accommodate three sailing ships side by side, yet Carl had easily crossed it while carrying her. Who exactly was he?
Stepping onto the riverside stones, Carl carefully set Naily down. His hand briefly touched her waist before quickly withdrawing. This fleeting touch remained, branding an invisible scar through her clothes, hot and bittersweet, impossible to ignore.
