"Muddy swamps and the unmistakable scent of decay that fills the air, shrouded under the vast, endless trees, symbolize death everywhere. Everything seems still, except for the occasional breeze brushing against one's face, accompanied by the rustling of leaves, which serves as a reminder to those who have ventured into this place of their own heartbeat and fear. This lightless forest devours all life and sound. Suddenly, a ray of moonlight pierces through layers of dried leaves and tangled branches, and the piercing cry of a baby breaks through the darkness, separating the small, dilapidated cottage deep within the forest from the surrounding silence.
"Since then, since then! It's not my fault! It's them!"
The woman's increasingly frenzied accusations and resentful cries drown out the baby's cries, but then, in an instant, silence returns. Perhaps both the forest and the woman have realized that the birth of new life in this era is akin to a miracle. The gruesome cries transform into gentle soothing. But not long after, with the sound of hurried footsteps fading into the distance, the forest is left with only the baby's crying and the returning silence. Even the sharp moonlight dissipates, eventually plunging into a despairing darkness.
"It's quite common on this land."
I described the scene I witnessed in the forest that day to my friend. He was the first person I encountered when I arrived here and one of the few willing to converse with me.
"And then?"
Faced with this question, I hesitated.
"What do you mean, 'and then'?"
"Tsk, did you just walk away? You didn't go to see the abandoned baby?"
That day, I didn't choose to investigate the abandoned child; I fled in fear. There were too many details that left me puzzled, and I didn't want to contemplate the words the woman had uttered before her escape or why she chose to abandon a baby.
"No, I was too scared."
"Hahaha, I see. I didn't expect someone with such a strong presence to be so timid. But I understand, after all, most people wouldn't casually approach that forest."
His lightful tone didn't deceive me. When he learned that I, too, had inadvertently abandoned that life, I saw a fleeting expression of sadness and loneliness on his weathered, aged face. Even if it was just an instance.
The night that followed felt exceptionally brief during our conversation. The first rays of morning sunlight, filtered through the hazy glass window, streamed through the bartender's hair and into the glasses in our hands. The dim, waxen-colored liquor suddenly radiated a dazzling, golden warmth because of it. The tavern fell into a stunned silence, and everyone set down what they held, heading outside. The first time I had come here, this scene had startled me. Later, through my friend's explanations, I learned that the people in the capital referred to this land as the "Land Abandoned by the Sun," and its inhabitants were collectively called "the forsaken." Time seemed to avoid this place as it followed the sun's departure, and it is doomed to be replaced by long, cold nights. Only every seventh day's morning did the sun condescend to bestow its short yet precious gift. During this time, all creatures in this land gathered on the meadow, offering their bodies and souls to the seemingly unreachable sun, yearning for the sunlight's purification. Some sought to cleanse their sins, some complained about their sorrows, and a small portion, like my friend, peacefully enjoyed this hard-won light. I usually sought out such people to converse with. But I heard some deliberately avoided the sun, hiding in their dark, dismal houses. I sincerely hoped I wouldn't encounter those people.
I intended to explore the surroundings, take a stroll, and get to know the local customs as an outsider, not yet accustomed to everything here. I walked along the path outside the tavern, and without realizing it, I found myself in an unfamiliar place. The sceneries here are so similar that they force me to familiarize myself with misdirection and loss. Beyond the common locations of gathering, there were no green plants to be seen. Everything was as dim as that forest. The leaves abandoned by the sun turned into a murky deep gray, merging with the soulless black soil. Sometimes, I couldn't even distinguish the nearby hills from the profound black sky. I often had to rely on faint silhouettes to determine whether there were buildings and structures in the distance. But at this moment, the view that appeared at the end of the road made me involuntarily shiver. If I hadn't seen it in that haunting forest, I wouldn't have been able to tell whether it was a connected cluster of deadwood or a rundown wooden house. However, the faint orange candlelight cast a shape that had been etched deeply into my mind since that day. My curiosity and fear were engaged in an intense struggle. My trembling stopped shortly after, and with the sound of dried leaves being crushed underfoot, I knew that human curiosity was ultimately unstoppable.
泥泞的沼泽地和空气中难以掩盖的腐烂气息，在望不到边际的大树笼罩下无处不象征着死亡。一切都仿佛是静止的，唯有偶尔拂过脸庞的微风与随之树叶颤抖的声音能提醒着误入这里的人自己的心跳和恐惧。这座见不到光的森林吞噬着一切生机与声音。突然，一缕月光贯穿层层枯叶与缠绕的树枝，婴儿刺耳的哭声划开了眼前的黑暗，将这座森林深处的小破木屋与周遭的死寂剥离开来。
“自从那之后，那之后！这不是我的错！是它们！”
女人逐渐癫狂的斥责与怨恨的哭声盖过了新生儿的呐喊，可是又在那么一瞬间回归了寂静。可能是森林与女人都意识到了，一个新生命的诞生在这个时代犹如奇迹。狰狞的哭泣声转变为了轻声安抚。但不久过后，随着一阵匆匆的脚步声的远离，这座森林剩下的只有婴儿的哭啼与再度回归的死寂。就连那锋利的月光都消散殆尽，最终陷入令人绝望的黑暗。
“在这片土地上这种事是很常见的。”
我把我那天在森林里看到的场景描述给了我的朋友。他是我来到这里时第一个碰到的人，也是目前为止为数不多愿意与我交流的人。
“然后呢？”
面对这句疑问我迟疑了。
“什么然后？”
“啧，你就走了？没有去看一下那个婴儿吗？”
那天我并没有选择去查看那被遗弃的婴儿，而是因为恐惧落荒而逃。这之间有太多细节是令我不解的，我也不愿去思考那个女人逃走前说的那些话，以及她为什么选择抛弃一个婴儿。
“没有，我太害怕了。”
“哈哈哈哈哈，这样啊，没想到你这小子看着这么壮胆子这么小啊。不过我也可以理解，毕竟那片森林一般人不会随意靠近”
他稀松平常的语气并没有骗过我。当得知我也无意间抛弃了那个生命，我看到面前这张沧桑垂老的面庞不经意间流露出悲伤和落寞的神情。哪怕只是一瞬间。
那之后的夜晚在我们的闲谈下也显得格外短暂。清晨的第一缕阳光，透过朦胧的玻璃窗，穿过酒保的发丝，撒向了我们手中的酒杯。颜色暗淡蜡黄的酒也因此散发出如金子般耀眼的温暖光芒。酒馆内的所有人顿时鸦雀无声，并放下了各自手中的东西朝着屋外走去。我第一次来到这里的时候被这种场景吓了一跳。后来通过我朋友的讲述才了解到，这片大陆被首都那里的人称之为被太阳抛弃的土地，这里的居民也被统称为弃子。时间仿佛跟随着太阳的远离也不愿意涉足此地，取而代之的是漫长且冰冷的黑夜。唯有每七日的清晨，太阳才会敷衍的留下那短暂但十分珍贵的恩赐。这个时候，这片土地上的所有生物都会来到草地上，对着那遥不可及的太阳献出自己的身体与灵魂，渴望受到阳光的洗礼。有的人想洗清他们的罪恶，有的人在不断地诉苦，也有小部分人，就像我的那位朋友一样，会平静祥和的享受这来之不易的光明。我一般都会找这类人搭话。但我听说有些人会刻意避开太阳，蜷缩在他们封闭阴森的屋子内。真心希望我不会碰到那些人。
我打算去周围观察一下，到处走走什么的。老实说我还不算是太习惯这里的一切，被当做游客般以一个外来者的身份去融入当地人的习俗。我沿着酒馆外的小路晃晃悠悠的走着，不经意间就来到了一片陌生的地方。这里的风景太相似了，强迫着我习惯迷路。人群聚集以外的地方见不到绿色的植物。一切都像是那座森林一样暗淡。被太阳抛弃的绿叶变成了浑浊的深灰色，与仿佛失去灵魂一般的黑色沙土融为一体。有时候我甚至无法划清那近在咫尺的山丘与那深邃的黑色天空。我常常只能通过若隐若现的剪影来判断远处是否存在房屋和建筑。然而此时此刻，出现在道路尽头的景色使我不自觉的颤抖。如果不是在那毛骨悚然的森林里见到过，我根本分辨不出来那究竟是连成一片的枯木还是破烂的木屋。但那微弱的橙色烛光映射出来的形状，自从那天起，已经深深的刻入我的脑海。我的好奇心和我的恐惧感正进行着一场激烈的斗争。我的颤抖在不久后停了下来，并且伴随着脚下枯叶被不断碾碎的声音，我知道，人类的好奇心终究是挡不住的。
我逐渐靠近那片房屋。眼前的景色并没有像我想的一样破败不堪，不，我不应该这么说。这些屋子看起来已经很久没有人住过了，褪色的木板以及角落遍布的窟窿让这片本就不富饶的土地显得格外寒酸。但尽管外表不尽人意，眼前温暖的烛光让我感受到了在这片土地上从未感受过的暖意。