Ethan raised an eyebrow at Fayra. "So, you're telling me it actually worked?"
Fayra, still staring at the wall in shock, blinked a few times and muttered, "I can see through this wall… Oh god, Alice, please don't tell me you're in the bathroom right now."
Alice, who had just stepped out from behind the curtain, let out a horrified scream, her eyes going wide. "WHAT?! Fayra, shut up! I wasn't even asleep yet! What kind of thing is that to say?!"
Ethan burst out laughing. "At least someone realizes how dangerous this potion is."
Fayra smirked mischievously. "Well, that just proves it works. So, if someone was spying on us, we'd be able to see them, right?"
Selena leaned in, studying the bottle closely. "But there's something really important…"
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "What?"
Selena frowned. "Where did we even get the recipe? 'Cause I'm pretty damn sure none of us have made something like this before."
Silence.
Luna spoke softly. "She's right… This potion wasn't in any of the old books we had."
Alice, still traumatized by the idea of Fayra possibly seeing her in the bathroom, looked uneasy. "Wait… so that means someone else made it before us?"
Fayra shrugged. "Who cares?! We have it now! Let's see if there's a spy around!"
Ethan chuckled. "You just want an excuse to cause trouble, don't you?"
Before anyone could reply, Luna grabbed the bottle, put a drop on her tongue, and instantly turned toward the window. Her eyes shimmered for a moment, then suddenly, her lips trembled.
"Oh no…"
Ethan stiffened. "What? What is it?"
Luna took a shaky breath and whispered, "Someone's… outside."
Everyone froze.
Fayra's eyes lit up with excitement. "For real?!" She lunged toward the bottle, ready to test it herself.
But before she could even grab it, Luna gasped and clutched her chest. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! They're looking right at us! And they're close!"
Ethan rushed to the window but saw nothing but darkness. "I don't see anything!"
Luna, her voice barely a whisper, said, "That's 'cause you haven't taken the potion… but they're there."
Alice, her face now completely pale, snatched the bottle from Fayra and took a drop.
Seconds passed…
Her eyes widened.
Alice's lips quivered, and then she screamed, "OH MY GOD! There's someone standing behind the tree, watching us!"
Panic exploded through the cabin.
Fayra, still potion-free, looked around eagerly. "What?! I wanna see too!" She grabbed the bottle and took a gulp.
The second the potion kicked in, she jumped back with a shriek. "HOLY SHIT! They're moving closer!!"
Ethan, who still couldn't see a damn thing, threw his hands up. "WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN'T SEE ANYTHING?!"
Luna shoved the bottle toward him. "Drink it, Ethan! Hurry!"
He snatched it, took a quick sip, and turned toward the window.
For a moment… nothing happened.
Then his eyes widened.
"Oh, hell no… HELL NO! They're walking straight toward us!!"
Selena, who had yet to take the potion, looked freaked out. "Why are you all screaming?!"
Fayra yelled, "Because some creepy-ass person is COMING RIGHT AT US, and we need to RUN!"
In an instant, they all bolted for the door, dashing into the forest as fast as their legs could carry them.
Alice, panting as she ran, shrieked, "I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU SOMEONE WAS WATCHING US! BUT NO ONE LISTENED!"
Ethan, breathless, groaned, "Okay, okay! You win! But now is not the time for 'I told you so'!"
Selena, still unable to see anything, snapped, "Then WHERE ARE THEY?!"
Luna, leaping over a rock, screamed, "RIGHT BEHIND US! THEY'RE CLOSE!!"
And just then… a massive shadow suddenly leaped from the trees, landing right in their path.
Everyone skidded to a stop, their breath hitching in their throats.
Glowing yellow eyes locked onto them.
A masked man stood before them, a crooked smile on his lips.
"Well… now that you can finally see me, maybe it's time we had a little chat."
His voice was smooth. Too smooth. And filled with something unreadable.
The group stood frozen in place.
Fayra whispered under her breath, "Screw this potion…"
Silence. A dead, eerie silence.
Everyone stood frozen, staring at the masked man.
His glowing yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness, and that crooked little smile on his face? Yeah, that was the real nightmare.
Alice whispered, her voice shaky, "So… what do we do now? Run? Scream?"
Ethan, usually the guy cracking jokes, was dead serious this time. He clenched his fists. "If we run, he'll chase us. But if we stay…"
Fayra muttered, "Maybe he'll just kill us?"
The masked man let out a dry chuckle.
"Kill you? No, no, no… not yet. But this is interesting. Didn't think anyone could see me. You made something special, huh?"
He took a step closer.
Ethan instinctively moved in front of Alice and Fayra, but Selena put a hand on his shoulder. "Relax… let's see what he wants."
The masked man raised a hand like he was trying to calm them down. "Relax, I'm not here to fight. Just curious… how'd you make that potion?"
Fayra, who was about to freak out a second ago, suddenly grinned, puffing out her chest. "Ah-ha! So you did realize how brilliant we are, huh? See, I have a genius mind, and—"
Alice quickly slapped a hand over her mouth. "Shut up. Not the time to brag!"
The masked man tilted his head slightly, his voice smooth. "So… you don't even know the real recipe, do you? You just stumbled upon it by accident?"
Silence.
How the hell did he know that?
Luna narrowed her eyes. "Who are you? And how do you know we don't have the full recipe?"
That damn smirk on his face widened. "Because this potion… it only belonged to one person. The king."
A heavy weight dropped in all their chests.
Alice's voice barely came out. "What?"
The masked man shrugged. "The potion you made? It's an old version of something only the king himself knew about. But now… you have it. And you think that's a good thing? No, no, no… it means one thing—he's gonna find out soon."
Ethan cursed under his breath. "Great. So we're screwed, huh?"
The masked man's voice was almost playful, yet still dripping with warning. "Let's just say… if I were you, I'd start planning how to stay alive."
And just like that—he was gone. Vanished into the shadows like he was never even there.
The group stood frozen, staring at the empty space where he had just been.
Fayra finally broke the silence with a nervous laugh. "Well, at least he didn't kill us. That's a plus, right?"
Selena's expression was stone-cold serious. "No, Fayra. This means we're officially a threat to the king. And do you know what that means?"
Alice's voice was barely above a whisper. "It means if he finds out… we'll never be safe again."
Ethan took a deep breath, his jaw clenching. "Then we need a plan. Fast."
Everyone exchanged looks.