The first sound Lior heard was not birdsong, but the low, groaning creak of trees bending where no wind blew.
He opened his eyes to find the clearing still dim despite the gray dawn. The fire had burned low to embers, its warmth barely holding back the damp chill that clung to his skin. Around him, his companions stirred—Ayla tightening her boots, Kaelen packing his sketches into their waterproof case while holding his bow.
Across the clearing, the hunters were already up. Their leader stood motionless at the treeline, mask tilted as though listening to something deep in the earth.
Lior's system chimed.
> [SYSTEM ALERT: Zone Instability Detected.]
Environmental Shift Probability: 82%.
He swallowed. Instability this high meant the land itself might change shape—or that something big was moving through it.
The leader finally turned. "We move now. Paths are closing."
---
It wasn't a figure of speech. As they broke camp, Lior noticed the trails themselves seemed to twist, branches drooping like the forest was trying to weave a net. He remembered the hunter's warning from the night before: Things in this forest don't just kill—they follow you back.
They set off in two columns: hunters in front, Lior's group shadowing them. The leader kept her pace brisk, almost impatient.
Ayla fell into step beside Lior. "You're seeing it too, right? The trees moving?"
"Yeah." He didn't add that his system feed was full of quiet pings and warnings.
Half an hour in, the trail forked. The hunters stopped. Without a word, the leader drew a line in the dirt with her boot. "Here," she said. "We part ways."
Kaelen frowned. "Why here? It's the same path both ways for the first mile."
The leader didn't answer him. Instead, she looked at Lior. "The left path takes you out of the forest faster. The right path… is where your answers lie."
Lior felt every eye on him. "Answers to what?"
"To why you hum like a broken wardstone," she said softly, so only he could hear.
---
Ayla immediately stepped between them. "We're not splitting. Not unless you explain what's on the right path."
The hunters shifted, hands near their weapons. The leader tilted her head. "Corruption is growing there. Faster than it should. If you're not part of it, it will kill you. If you are… you might survive long enough to regret it."
Lior's system pulsed again.
> [SYSTEM PROMPT: Anomaly Intersection Detected.]
Decision Point: Diverging Quest Paths.]
– Left: Exit Forest (Safe).
– Right: Unknown Event Chain.]
---
Before Lior could choose, the forest itself intervened. A sharp crack split the air—a tree falling somewhere far off, followed by a ripple of movement through the canopy. Birds erupted into flight.
From the left path, a mist began to spill forward—thin at first, then rolling faster, curling along the ground. It reeked of metal and rot.
The hunters reacted instantly. "Mist's here!" one shouted.
The leader grabbed Lior's arm. "Run."
---
They bolted down the right-hand path. The mist followed like a living thing, flowing over roots and rocks. Lior's lungs burned with the effort, but the hum in his veins sharpened, almost pulling him forward.
Branches clawed at them. Shapes moved in the fog just behind—shapes with too many limbs, bending in ways no animal should.
Kaelen stumbled on a root. Lior grabbed his collar and yanked him upright. "Move!"
The leader was always a few steps ahead, weaving through the twisting path as if she knew exactly where it would bend next.
Then one of the hunters behind screamed. Lior risked a glance—something in the mist had latched onto him, pulling him back. The others didn't stop.
---
They burst into a small hollow where the trees leaned away from a ring of stone. The leader motioned everyone inside. As soon as Lior crossed the boundary, the hum in his body spiked, almost painfully.
The mist reached the stones—and stopped. It writhed along the invisible barrier but didn't cross.
Kaelen collapsed, gasping. Ayla scanned the treeline with her sword drawn. "What is this place?"
The leader finally pulled off her mask. Her face was lean, scarred, with eyes the pale green of stormlight. "Old ground," she said. "Older than the forest. And older than your system."
Lior's system responded.
> [SYSTEM ERROR: Unable to Map Zone.]
Corruption Signature: Matched to User Profile.]
The leader met his gaze. "Now do you understand why I wanted you to come this way?"
Lior's mind wandered.....Who was she?....Why was she here?
-----
TO BE CONTINUED....