Silence hung thick in the air. The Hollow Stalker was gone, but its presence still lingered—like an imprint left on the world itself.
Leon stood still, processing what had just happened. That creature had spoken to him.
Jarek ran a hand down his face. "So, we're just going to pretend that wasn't the freakiest thing we've seen yet?"
Leon flexed his marked hand, feeling the strange warmth still radiating from it. "No. But we need to keep moving."
Jarek sighed. "Yeah, because that's the smart thing to do when nightmare creatures start talking to you."
Leon ignored him and looked at his beasts.
Steel Fang Wolf had a deep gash on its shoulder. The wound wasn't normal—it was tinged with dark veins, similar to the Corrupted Nightfangs from earlier.
Phantom Stalker had remained hidden since its attack, but Leon could feel it lingering in hesitation, like it had sensed something it didn't like.
Leon frowned. They weren't just fighting a physical creature.
Something deeper was at play.
---
A Scar Left Behind
Leon crouched near the spot where the Hollow Stalker had vanished. The ground was wrong—not just disturbed, but… tainted.
A faint, almost invisible mark was left in the dirt, barely noticeable. But when Leon focused—
A pulse.
A faint, rhythmic beat, like a heartbeat beneath the soil.
Jarek noticed his expression. "Leon… what are you doing?"
Leon reached out and lightly touched the mark.
A vision hit him instantly.
Darkness. Endless. A figure standing on the edge of something vast. Its form was unclear—shifting, like it wasn't meant to be seen. And then… its head turned, as if sensing him.
Leon yanked his hand back, heart pounding.
Jarek frowned. "Okay. That looked bad."
Leon exhaled slowly. "…Something is coming."
Jarek's expression darkened. "You keep saying that, but I feel like we're already in the middle of it."
Leon didn't argue. Because deep down, he knew—
This was just the beginning.
---
The Path Forward
They didn't speak much after that.
The forest grew denser, the air heavier with an unnatural stillness. Every step felt like it brought them deeper into something unknowable.
Then—they saw it.
A clearing ahead, with a ruined structure in the center.
Ancient stone, overgrown with vines. Cracks running through the foundation. A shrine of some kind, long abandoned.
But what caught Leon's attention—
More markings.
Not just one. Dozens. Carved into the stones, the trees, the very air itself seemed to hum with their presence.
Jarek muttered, "This just keeps getting worse."
Leon stepped forward.
His marked hand pulsed again, stronger this time.
And then—
A voice. Louder. Clearer.
"The gate… opens."
Leon's breath slowed.
Something was waiting beyond these ruins.
And soon…
It would step through.
---