From the deepest crack emerged something without shape. It wasn't just looking—it was watching everything. Even Sher's breath felt unnatural under its gaze.
Sher's limbs trembled. Not out of fear of death, but the sense that his very existence could be erased—not killed, but undone.
Then, someone stepped between them.
Averen. The man from before. Cloaked in fragments of light and shadow.
He didn't look at Sher.
— "If you ask who I am, you'll be wrong," he murmured. "Here, deception is the currency. Truth is poison. Use it carefully."
— "Why are you helping me?"
Averen gave a half-smile—tired, as if he already knew how this story ends.
"You think you're choosing your path.
But you've already chosen. You just haven't remembered."
He turned and walked into the dark.
"Next time we meet, I'll be on the other side. Maybe then… you'll understand."
Sher remained frozen. He felt he had just met someone who held the key—but only gave him the door.