"Don't look," Kael whispered, his voice trembling with fear.
But Eva had already started turning her head.
In one swift motion, Kael lunged and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close before she could see the horror.
She gasped in confusion, "Kael—what—"
He didn't answer. There was no time.
Something was watching.
Something old.
Something hungry.
Without a second thought, he reached down and lifted Aren as if he weighed nothing. Kael's heart thundered in his ears, drowning out every thoughts.
Then— click
From deep within the ruins came a noise.
A soft, clicking sound.
Like a door being opened.
It was coming closer.
Kael bolted.
Every muscle in his body screamed as he poured mana into his legs. The floor blurred beneath him as his speed doubled—tripled.
Behind him,
Something walked slow, like feet dragging against the floor.
It crept closer...
And then.... it chased.
Kael didn't dare look back.
He couldn't.
The presence behind him was suffocating, like an invisible claw wrapped around his throat.
Aren screamed in his arms, barely conscious. Eva clung to him tightly, sensing that something was off without needing to see it.
The ruins warped around them as they ran—walls twisted, shadows lengthened, and from them came whispers. Faint, angry voices, too distorted to understand, murmuring in language long forgotten.
Kael could feel the goosebumps across his skin.
The exit had to be close.
"Come on… come on…" he muttered, eyes straining in the darkness.
The glow-stone still lay somewhere in the darkness behind them. They were running blind now, barely guided by instinct.
Then—
"Ggrhhh..."
A low moan.
Something was rushing towards them.
Kael forced more mana into his legs. His bones screamed. His lungs burned. But he didn't stop.
Finally, up ahead—the light from the outside world.
Almost there.
But the next moment, something brushed against his back. Kael was momentarily overwhelmed by fear. He could feel his legs giving out, his body freezing and vomit rising to his throat.
"Focus, Kael," he whispered to himself, biting down on his lip. Blood trickled down his chin as he swallowed the fear.
He didn't turn. He couldn't.
He lunged through the entrance, tumbling out into the sunlight and collapsed in the grass, gasping for breath.
Silence.
Only the sound of birds chirping and the rustle of leaves.
Kael slowly turned his head back toward the ruin entrance.
Nothing followed.
But he could feel something watching.
Aren lay beside him, unconscious, his face pale and slick with sweat. He hadn't spoken a word since the scream. His body was cold.
Eva, still seated near Kael, stared at him wide-eyed. She hadn't seen the thing. She had only felt Kael's panic, heard his silent terror, and seen how fast he had fled.
Moments passed.
Kael finally exhaled. The sun had never felt so far away. He glanced over at Eva.
She blinked, then slowly composed herself, swallowing the lump in her throat. "…Kael, what happened in there?"
She looked between him and Aren, trying to piece together something she couldn't understand.And Kael, still trembling, didn't know how to answer.
"Nothing," Kael muttered, unwilling to recall the thing he had seen.
He stood, and walked over to Aren. Crouching, he smacked Aren's cheeks—once, twice, then a few more times. On the sixth or seventh hit, Aren jolted with a screamed, his eyes wide with terror.
"W-Where am I?! Where—where—" he stammered, scrambling backwards like a cornered animal.
Kael grabbed him by the shoulders and held him firmly, staring straight into his eyes. "We're safe, Aren. You're safe. Calm down."
Aren blinked rapidly, eyes darting from Kael to the trees around them. His chest rose and fell in short, panicked breaths.
"It… it was looking at me, Kael. It was looking—no eyes, but I swear it saw me…"
Kael tightened his grip. "Don't. Don't think about it."
Aren stopped speaking but didn't stop shaking. The woods around them seemed quieter now, too quiet.
Eva's heart ached seeing Aren in that state. She wanted to ask what they had seen, what had made Kael run like the wind, what had left Aren barely conscious—but the question wouldn't come.
"Let's go," Kael said softly, helping Aren to his feet.
Aren leaned on him heavily, still weak. Eva followed close behind, eyes never straying far from the shadows of the forest.
When they finally stepped out of the trees, the pressure in the air seemed to lift. Aren exhaled deeply, like he had been holding his breath for hours.
He wiped sweat from his brow and muttered, "Let's not go there again."
Kael gave a small nod, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips. He turned to Eva and said quietly, "You leave, Eva. I'll take Aren home and then head back."
Eva hesitated for a moment, her lips parting like she might object—but then she gave a faint nod. "Alright. Be careful, Kael."
He simply nodded, already guiding Aren down the path. The forest behind them stood silent, watching.