The woman had long, fluffy bunny ears just like Evelise, the same snow white skin, and blood red ruby eyes. Her short silver hair gleamed in the sunlight.

There was no mistaking it.

It was Evelise's mother.

She was pacing wildly, turning in circles as she kept calling.

"Evelise! Where are you? Evelise!"

Her voice cracked with worry. When her eyes finally landed on Sid peeking from the window, her expression twisted sharply.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

She screamed, pointing at him.

"Don't just stand there! It's your responsibility to keep Evelise at home!"

"Me? Keep Evelise at hom—"

Sid blurted, caught completely off guard.

"Yes, YOU!"

She snapped.

"Don't 'me?' me! Get out there and check the woods! She better not have run off again— now MOVE!"

Sid felt a jolt of pressure hit him, the kind only an angry mother could deliver. He didn't even understand this place or this timeline, but the force of her shouting pushed him into motion before he could think.

"Alright, alright!"

He muttered as he rushed out the door, trying to keep up the act of being the servant she believed him to be. Without knowing the layout, without recognizing these woods, without even knowing Evelise's age in this memory, he sprinted toward the tree line. A cool breeze rushed past him as he entered the forest, and his heart thudded with a strange mix of urgency and confusion.

He had no idea what he was supposed to find but the memory was already pulling him deeper. He found himself at the edge of a thick, green forest. He was now running into the trees, completely blind, but driven by the ingrained need to obey the memory's commands.

"Woods... woods... where would a runaway bunny go?"

He muttered, scanning the trees. The chapter had begun, and he was already sprinting on the mother's orders. The deeper he went, the more certain he became that this forest wasn't the Freelands Woods he knew.

"This isn't Freelands… not even close. This feels… different. Enchanting, even. It's peaceful—like I somehow walked miles away from all the chaos without realizing it."

The air smelled different; fresh, untouched, almost too clean compared to the corrupted wilderness outside the ruined city. The trees were older, thicker, and spaced naturally rather than chaotically.

"Second dead chapter."

He muttered, limping forward through the brush.

"First thing I do here and I'm already ordered to find a missing person. Damn it… of all times to chase someone, why now? Evelise, where the hell are you…"

The sunlight filtered through the canopy in warm patches that felt nothing like the Freelands' gloomy green light. Wherever this memory was, it was far from anything he recognized. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out,

"Evelise!"

His voice echoed through the tall trees, but no one answered. He tried again, louder. Still nothing. Sid sighed, muttering under his breath.

"Of course… she really is the sneak master. Always wandering off. Must be a damn rabbit trait."

As the words left him, his eyes caught something on the ground— a cluster of herbs freshly plucked from their stems. A few leaves were scattered nearby, as if someone had hurried through. Sid crouched down, inspecting them.

"Herbs… berries… yeah, that checks out. If Evelise is in the woods, she's definitely gathering stuff."

He followed the trail, stepping over fallen logs and pushing aside low branches. The scattered plants gradually became a clearer path, leading him toward the sound of water. After a minute, he reached a small river— its surface smooth and sparkling as the current drifted lazily between mossy stones.

Then he froze. Someone was kneeling at the riverbank. It was Evelise… but not the Evelise he knew.

This one was tiny.

Her long silver hair nearly reached the ground, far longer than her small body could manage. Her skin was pale and soft, and her fluffy bunny ears twitched gently as she washed her delicate hands. A small wicker basket sat beside her, overflowing with herbs, berries, and small mushrooms.

Sid raised a hand, ready to call out to her but the sight of her made him pause. She was just a kid. Maybe seven, maybe eight. Small, quiet, fragile.

The moment his foot shifted, a twig snapped under him. Evelise's ears perked sharply, standing tall. Her cotton tail twitched like a startled puffball. She turned her head quickly and when her red eyes landed on Sid, her expression shifted in an instant.

She scrunched her face.

Stuck out her tongue.

And loudly declared,

"Bleh! Old man!"

Sid blinked, offended on instinct.

"Old—!? Who are you calling old, you little—"

He didn't get to finish. Evelise snatched her basket with surprising speed, spun on her heel, and bolted into the trees. She moved like an actual rabbit, fast, nimble, bouncing through roots and bushes before Sid even processed it.

"H-Hey! Come back here!"

Sid shouted as he started running after her. His legs pumped hard, his lungs burning.

"Why the hell are you calling me old!? And why don't you recognize me!?"

Then he groaned at his own stupidity.

"Right— because she's a kid. She hasn't even met me yet. Damn it!"

But there was no time to stop and think. He sprinted after her, branches whipping his arms as he chased the tiny girl darting through the woods like a silver blur.

And the memory pulled him deeper once again…

Sid stumbled out of the trees a full minute later, lungs burning, heart thundering, and his bad knee screaming with every step. He bent forward with both hands on his thighs, gasping for breath.

"Why… why is that little gremlin so damn fast…?" He wheezed. "And why is this body— so slow, so heavy!? I swear this is bullying…"

When he finally lifted his head, Evelise was already standing a few meters ahead of him, right in front of the house he'd left earlier. She wasn't even tired. Not a single bead of sweat. Just glaring at him like he was the one being unreasonable.

"You're so slow!"

She called, sticking her tongue out again.

"Old man!"

Sid felt a vein pop in his forehead.

"I'm. NOT. OLD! I'm twenty something! Get back here you little—!"

But before he could storm toward her, Evelise turned around. Her mother was waiting on the porch. The woman's expression shifted from relief to full panic the moment she laid eyes on her daughter.

"Evelise! How many times— how many times— did I tell you!?"

She shouted, rushing down the steps so fast her slippers nearly flew off.

"You must stay inside! Inside! If you run off into the woods again, anything could happen— anything!"

She grabbed Evelise by the shoulders and spun her around, checking every inch of her for injuries. Her hands were trembling. Evelise didn't resist; she simply stood there with the calm, tired look of a child who'd experienced this same routine a hundred times. Then the mother gasped sharply.

"Oh no. Oh gods— your knees! They're cut! You're hurt!"

"They're just scratches…"

Evelise muttered, unfazed.

"Scratches!?" Her mother snapped. "Your body is marked! What if it scars?! What if you get a deeper wound next time? What if your healing doesn't work properly!? You should not rely on that ability— you hear me? Your body is precious, Evelise. Precious and irreplaceable!"

Evelise sighed, long and exhausted.

"I can heal myself. Look, watch."

She grabbed a herb, squeezed it until it became a thick paste, and dabbed it gently onto her knee. Within seconds, the small scratch began to fade. But her mother didn't calm down. If anything, she seemed even more distressed, her voice shaking as she spoke.

"That's not the point! That ability has limits. If you push your healing too far, your body won't keep up. And if something happens to you—" She swallowed, voice cracking. "—you cannot be replaced."

Evelise only nodded, as if this entire meltdown was routine.

"Yes, yes… I understand, Mother."

"No, you don't! Look at you, your hair is a mess, your dress is filthy, and you smell like dirt and plants again. You're sweating. Come inside right now. You need a proper bath."

Evelise sighed again but followed obediently as her mother took her by the wrist and led her inside the house. Sid stood at the edge of the clearing, still catching his breath, but now silent. He didn't move; he only watched.

Something in the mother's panic… felt wrong. It wasn't the worried tone of a parent afraid for her child. Almost like her biggest concern wasn't Evelise's safety…

But Evelise's body. Her perfect skin. Her unblemished form. Her "irreplaceable" appearance. Sid swallowed slowly, a cold feeling settling in his stomach as the door shut behind them.

"That wasn't normal…"

He muttered, his eyes narrowing as he replayed the scene in his mind. Evelise had moved like it was a routine like being dragged inside, inspected, and scrubbed was just another day. Her mother, on the other hand, had handled her with a frantic precision, every motion sharp and panicked, as if a single scratch were a disaster.

"What kind of mother looks at her kid like she's a damn porcelain doll?"

As the thought left his lips, the memory around him seemed to darken.

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