Night draped itself over the small mountain village, silent and still beneath a sky glittering with countless stars. The world seemed asleep—yet Lalin's heart refused to rest.
She rose from her bed, unsettled by an uncanny feeling, as though something unseen was calling her. The voice was faint… but distinct, as if it brushed directly against her ear.
"Lalin…"
Her breath caught. She turned sharply, scanning the quiet room. Only the pale moonlight slipping through the window and the shifting shadows of trees answered her. Perhaps it was a dream, she told herself—yet the whisper came again. This time it was tender, almost gentle, but laced with an eerie weight that sent a shiver down her spine.
"You cannot run… Come forth."
Her feet moved on their own, drawn as though by invisible threads. The wooden door creaked open slowly, letting in a gust of cold night air that made her tremble. Outside, a narrow path stretched into the forest, illuminated only by the moon. A path she had never once seen by day.
Her heart thundered, yet some unseen force compelled her onward.
At the far end of the darkness, a tall figure emerged from the mist. He did not stand as men do; his form flickered, insubstantial, as if born from smoke and shadow. But his eyes—black, fathomless, and unwavering—locked onto hers.
"At last… you've come."
The whisper that had haunted her all night now had a face.