Firefleyed

Marichka is a girl whose eyes reflect two worlds. The villagers call her “Klepka,” only her father—the village blacksmith—truly understands her. They are everything to each other. When her father falls ill, his body rusting like an abandoned blade, Marichka seeks a cure. A mysterious young molfarka tempts her: “The Fern Flower will heal him… but when you pick it, the darkness will whisper.” In the Forbidden Forest, Marichka learns the truth. The molfarka is Serpenta, a powerful spirit exiled by Marichka’s ancestor. The flower is not a cure, but the last seal between worlds. To pluck it saves her father but grants Serpenta dominion over both worlds. To refuse means losing him forever. Marichka finds a third way: sacrifice. “I am not a door or key—I am the bridge.” Her father recovers but forgets her. Now Marichka returns once a year as a guardian spirit during Kupala Night, her presence felt only in the soft chime of bells.