Larisa didn’t remember when she’d begun to die in life; she only knew that she’d been doing so for years. At first, it was slow: a harsh word from Gleb, an indifferent look, a decision made without consulting her. Then came the screaming, the manipulation, the isolation. But what she didn’t expect was that he would take her to a cabin in the middle of the woods with the intention of abandoning her there. Of killing her.

Pain coursed through her every bone like icy poison. She could barely stand. With every step, she felt her soul crumble. And yet, she kept walking. Not for Gleb. Not for hope. Out of pride, to avoid giving him the pleasure of seeing her fall.

—Come on, honey, we’re almost there.

—he said with a hollow smile, which no longer intended to deceive her.

The cabin was an old monster of rotten wood, as forgotten as the promises he’d once made her. Larisa felt nauseous. Not from the mold, but from the deception.

—Are you sure the healer lives here?

—he asked, although he already knew the answer.

“Sure,” said Gleb, pushing her like a sack of potatoes.

He dropped her onto a wooden bench. The wood creaked like her body. And then she heard it: his confession. The cruel laugh. The announcement of his sentence: he would let her die, and the animals would take care of the rest.

And just when all seemed lost… the girl appeared.

He wore a strange jacket, as if the whole world were too big for him, yet his voice was full of life. A spark amidst the rot.

—Don’t be afraid!

—the little girl told him.

Larisa, confused, thought she was hallucinating. But the girl spoke so naturally that her presence became real. She spoke of her father, a sorcerer, of dirty dishes, and of a mother who was no longer there. And then she disappeared with the promise of returning.

And Larisa, for the first time in a long time, felt that something inside her wanted to survive.

Gleb didn’t notice the immediate change. He continued to circle like a predator, convinced that Larisa was the same broken woman she’d always been.

—What was that? A girl? Are you seeing things now?

But she stood up. Slowly, unsteadily, yes… but standing. Her voice was low, but firm:

—I have nothing more to give you. And I’m not going to play along.

Gleb felt a chill. It wasn’t fear, not yet. It was bewilderment. Where was the submissive woman he knew? Who was that staring at him with fire in her eyes?

And then… a noise.

An engine in the distance.

A figure among the trees.

A man in an old jacket, with eyes as deep as the forest itself.

—¿Larisa?

-said

—. I’m the sorcerer. I’ve come to help you.

Gleb laughed. A broken, unhinged laugh.

—A wizard? What is this, a children’s story? Go away!

But the man raised his hand. A barely visible blue glow illuminated his fingers, and suddenly Gleb froze, as if time itself had stopped him.

—You can’t hurt her. Not her or anyone else.

—said the sorcerer in a deep voice.

Larisa felt the air rush back into her lungs. She took a step forward, looking at Gleb with a mixture of sadness and determination.

—You decided your path

—he told her

—. I’m just about to start mine.

And he walked. He didn’t run away. He didn’t run. He walked with the sorcerer into the unknown.

The forest welcomed her as if it had always been waiting for her. With each step, her body felt less broken. The sorcerer walked silently beside her, without forcing her, without judging her. Just being there.

—Who are you really?

—Larisa asked finally.

—Someone who once loved, and lost. Someone who knows what it’s like to be left with nothing. My daughter brought me to you. She saw something in you that you had already forgotten: life.

Larisa lowered her gaze. She wept silently, for everything she had lost, for everything she had allowed. But those tears weren’t tears of weakness. They were tears of cleansing.

Days later, Larisa was living in a small hut near the river, built by the sorcerer with the help of magic and old wood. It was simple, but it was hers. She learned new things every day: how to gather medicinal herbs, how to prepare ointments, how to read the ancient symbols the sorcerer showed her.

She discovered the girl’s name was Yana. That she was restless, but loving. That she sang nonsense songs and talked to squirrels. Larisa grew fond of her faster than she imagined.

—Do you want to stay with us forever?

—Yana asked him one afternoon.

Larisa laughed, stroking his hair.

—That’s what I want. If you’ll allow me.

Meanwhile, in the old cabin where it all began, Gleb was living a hell. Not physically, not at first. But the forest had its own forms of punishment.

The nights were endless. He heard footsteps outside that never came. Voices whispering his name. Sometimes, he saw shadows moving through the trees. No one came looking for him. No one answered his cries. His cell phone ran out of battery on the third day. The world had forgotten him.

And the worst part: he started seeing Larisa. Not the sick woman he’d abandoned. But the new one. Strong. Smiling. Walking with a little girl in tow.

—It’s not real!

—he cried, through tears

—. It’s not real!

But it was.

Magic isn’t always a blessing. Sometimes, it’s justice.

Months later, Larisa looked at her reflection in the lake. She was no longer the fragile and fearful woman. She was a different person. She had learned to trust. To heal. And although the scars were still there, they no longer hurt. They were part of her story.

The sorcerer, whose real name was Dmitri, watched her from the porch of the cabin. He knew she had the power to decide his future.

One night, Larisa approached him.

—Thanks for saving me.

He looked at her, smiling.

—You saved yourself. I just showed you the way.

She kissed him. Not out of gratitude. Out of love. The real kind. The kind that doesn’t hurt. The kind that doesn’t demand. The kind that just… is.

And Gleb…

Gleb became a forest legend. Some say he still walks among the shadows, whispering names. Others say the trees grew crooked around his cabin, as if the forest itself had imprisoned him.

But Larisa never looked back.

Because his story, at last, was no longer a horror story.

It was a new beginning.