"Ryan… Ryan… Ryan!"
The voice dragged him out of the dream. He jolted awake, sweat running down his forehead, his chest tight as though he'd been holding his breath too long. For a moment the fire was still there ,the screams, the smoke, the heat until he forced himself to remember. It's gone. It's past. Just a dream. He drew a shaky breath, trying to steady himself.
"Ryan, are you okay? You were shaking." Josh's voice was low, worried.
"I'm fine," Ryan muttered, though his voice cracked. "Just… a bad dream."
Josh sat close, his face lit by the weak glow of the campfire. They were camped deep in the forest, tall pines pressing in around them, the night air damp and heavy. The fire popped and hissed, throwing restless shadows across the circle of thin, tired faces.
"It's almost dawn," Josh whispered. "Let's wake the others. We've got to move."
For them, it was just another day. Another day of hiding in the woods, slipping into villages when they could, stealing scraps of food or clothes, doing whatever it took to survive. They all dreamed of something more of growing old enough to leave this life behind, to become adventurers, farmers, or apprentices in potion shops. But for now, the forest was their world, and survival was the only thing that mattered.
Today was a special day. Mikado had turned twelve. Birthdays were rare things here , no cakes, no candles, only whispered words and the warmth of the fire. Yet even so, the children clung to them, fragile reminders that life still moved forward despite everything they had lost.
Ryan sat close to the flames, watching Mikado smile faintly as Josh handed him a piece of dried fruit they had saved for the occasion. It wasn't much, but it was something. For a moment, the forest seemed less cruel.
Maybe, just maybe, things could change. Ryan thought of the plan he, Josh, and Mika had been whispering about for weeks: finding work in the next village, or perhaps even the city. If the three of them could earn enough coin, they might finally settle somewhere safe. A cramped room, nine of them pressed shoulder to shoulder but it would be a roof, a home , a place where the wind and rain couldn't reach them. Better than sleeping on damp earth beneath the pines. Better than waking each night to the fear of soldiers in the shadows.
Ryan's hand brushed the ruby necklace at his chest. His mother's voice echoed in his memory: Be brave. He looked at Mikado, at the flicker of hope in the boy's eyes, and felt the weight of responsibility settle heavier on his shoulders. Perhaps this birthday could mark more than survival. Perhaps it could be the beginning of something new.
After packing up, they set out on the long walk toward the next village, clutching the worn map they had stolen. The forest was still heavy with mist, the pines crowding close as if to trap them in their shadows. Their footsteps crunched softly over damp leaves, every sound swallowed by the silence of the woods.
Ryan kept to the back, his eyes scanning the trees, watching over the others as they moved ahead. A chill crawled up his spine — the unmistakable feeling of being watched. He turned more than once, searching the undergrowth, the branches, the shifting shadows, but there was nothing. No movement. No figure. Just the endless forest staring back at him.
Still, the unease gnawed at him. He urged the others to move faster, his voice low but firm, wanting them out of the forest as quickly as possible.
While Ryan was busy urging the others forward, his voice sharp with urgency, he didn't notice the faint glow pulsing from the ruby at his chest. The stone shimmered like a hidden heartbeat beneath his tunic, responding to something unseen.
From the shadows between the trees, a pair of eyes watched. Narrow, slit pupils gleamed with a strange violet hue, unblinking, fixed on Ryan's every movement. They followed him silently, patient and deliberate, like a predator waiting for the right moment.
Ryan's gaze swept the forest again and again, searching for the source of the unease that gnawed at him, but he saw only mist curling low to the ground, pine branches dripping with dew, and the endless press of trees. The children hurried ahead, their footsteps quickening under his command, unaware of the presence that lingered just beyond the firelight.
The forest seemed to breathe around them, heavy and watchful. And though Ryan could not see it, something had already chosen him.