I woke up before the sun rose.
It wasn't because of noise. Nor because of the cold. It was that same feeling that had been following me since the day before. As if the world around me was paying too much attention to my every movement.
I opened my eyes slowly and remained still, listening.
Nothing.
No sound of animals. No branches breaking. Not even the wind seemed to pass through the trees that time.
I slightly turned my head. Elara was still lying down, but I knew she wasn't sleeping deeply. Liriel was sitting, staring into the darkness of the forest. Vespera kept a relaxed posture, but her hand was close to her weapon. Rai'kanna and Lyannis were leaning against each other, awake in silence.
No one commented.
Everyone felt it.
I stood up slowly and walked a few steps away from the small area where we had rested. I observed the forest ahead for a few seconds that felt too long.
It was as if someone was there.
Not someone moving.
Someone simply watching.
Elara approached. "You felt it too?"
I nodded. "Since I woke up."
Liriel came right behind. "This isn't normal. Not even for a place that's already been crossed by monsters."
"It's too clean," Vespera said.
"And too quiet," Rai'kanna added.
We ate something quickly and dismantled the camp. No one spoke much. Our attention was completely focused on the surroundings.
We started walking north, following the old tracks that still remained on the ground. Each step seemed to echo more than it should.
After a few minutes, I noticed something strange.
The footprints that had once spread in several directions were now beginning to converge.
"Look at this," I called out.
Elara approached first. "They passed through here in large numbers."
"And all in the same direction," Liriel said.
Vespera analyzed the terrain. "As if they were being led."
Lyannis took a deep breath. "Called."
The word weighed on my mind again.
Called.
We followed that trail for quite some time. The surrounding vegetation was increasingly damaged, as if hundreds of creatures had rushed through that point in haste.
But there were none now.
The sun was already high when the forest began to thin out. Ahead, an open area appeared, a wide field where the ground was completely destroyed.
We stopped at the edge.
The soil looked crushed. Trees uprooted. Stones shattered. Clear signs that an absurd number of monsters had passed through there.
And stopped there.
"This was a gathering point," Elara said.
I nodded. "They assembled here."
Liriel closed her eyes for a moment, as if trying to sense something in the air. "There's still a trace of energy here."
"From whom?" Rai'kanna asked.
She opened her eyes slowly. "It's not from the monsters."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Vespera spoke quietly. "Then he was here."
I looked around the destroyed field. The feeling of being watched grew even stronger.
It didn't come from a specific point.
It came from everywhere.
We took a few steps into the open area. Every mark on the ground told the same story. Creatures waiting. Standing still. Like an army awaiting orders.
Lyannis looked into the distance. "After this, they disappeared."
"No," I replied. "After this, they were dismissed."
Elara crossed her arms. "He gathered everything here… and then released them."
"Or sent them somewhere specific," Vespera said.
Liriel kept looking around, uneasy. "Something's wrong."
I felt it too.
It wasn't just the absence of monsters.
It was the invisible presence of someone who had already been there and knew exactly that we would follow this path.
We spent a few minutes observing the field. The wind finally started blowing again, lifting light dust from the destroyed ground.
And even so, the feeling didn't fade.
Rai'kanna approached me. "This feels like a trap."
"I know."
"But there's no way to tell where it begins."
"Or where it ends," Lyannis added.
I took a deep breath and looked to the other side of the field. There was a rise in the terrain, like a small natural hill.
"Let's go there."
We climbed carefully. From the top, we could see the entire open area.
And beyond it, a vast stretch of forest still intact.
Silent.
Far too calm.
Elara watched the horizon. "If he was here, he knows we're following."
"He wants that," Vespera said.
Liriel agreed. "He wants us to advance."
I remained silent for a few seconds, just analyzing everything.
Then I understood something that bothered me even more.
"He's not hiding," I said.
They all looked at me.
"He's guiding."
No one answered, but they all understood.
We descended the hill and crossed the destroyed field. On the other side, the forest looked too normal, as if nothing had happened there.
But the feeling remained.
As we walked, I had the clear impression that every step we took had already been anticipated.
The sun began to set again and, throughout the rest of the day, we found absolutely nothing.
No monsters.
No new signs.
Only the growing certainty that we were going exactly where he wanted.
When we finally stopped to rest, the physical fatigue was less than on previous days.
But the mental weight was much greater.
I sat on the ground and stared into the darkness between the trees.
Elara sat beside me in silence.
After a few minutes, she spoke quietly. "This is worse than the attacks."
I nodded slowly. "Because now he doesn't need them anymore."
Liriel approached. "He's already done what he wanted."
"To bring us here," Vespera said.
Rai'kanna crossed her arms. "And now he's waiting."
Lyannis added, "Waiting for us to arrive."
I looked at the forest one more time before closing my eyes to try to rest.
The feeling was too clear to ignore.
We were no longer hunting.
We were being led.