Kael's skin prickled as the shadows closed in around him. His heart still pounded from the encounter with the strange figure, an apparition that had whispered his name and disappeared into the night. The forest felt different now, more alive than it had before, as if the very trees were watching him, waiting for something.
He hadn't moved since the figure vanished. His legs were locked in place, every muscle in his body tense. The whisper still echoed in his mind. You're not alone.
Kael gripped his knife tighter, its rough hilt grounding him, though he knew it would be useless against whatever that thing had been. Was it real? Or had exhaustion and fear finally pushed him over the edge? He'd heard tales of travelers losing themselves in the Ashwood, their minds unraveling in the darkness until they began to see things that weren't there.
But the figure had known his name. That much was real.
Slowly, Kael forced himself to take a breath, the cold air biting at his lungs. He needed to move. Standing here in the open made him a target, if not for the figure, then for the beasts that were said to roam these woods. And yet, every instinct screamed at him to stay still, to hide, as though moving would provoke something unseen to strike.
"I need to keep moving," he muttered to himself, hoping the sound of his own voice would break the spell of the forest's silence.
Step by step, he began to walk again, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow. The whispering had stopped, but the oppressive weight of the forest still lingered, thick and heavy. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig, made his heart leap, but nothing emerged from the darkness. Not yet.
Kael tried to shake off the memory of the figure, but the image of it, tall and cloaked in shadow, clung to his thoughts. Why had it come to him? Why now?
And then there were the words: You're not alone.
What had it meant? Was it a warning, or something worse? Was someone, or something, following him through the forest?
His grip on the knife tightened as he pressed onward, his footsteps soft but deliberate. He needed to focus. If he let his mind spiral, fear would consume him before he ever got out of the Ashwood. And he couldn't afford that. Not now.
The hours dragged on, the forest stretching endlessly before him. The trees seemed to shift with every step, their twisted trunks warping in the dim light, as though the forest itself was alive, watching, waiting. Kael's body ached with exhaustion, his legs heavy and sluggish. But still, he pressed on, his thoughts churning.
Zerith Kade.
Meryl had said finding Kade was his only chance, but the deeper he traveled into the Ashwood, the more impossible the task felt. Kade was a ghost, a legend whispered about in half-believed stories. Kael didn't even know if the man was real, let alone where to find him. All he had was the name and the vague direction of the Shattered Plains, a place just as dangerous as the forest he now walked.
Kael's stomach growled, a sharp reminder that he hadn't eaten since the night before. He paused to rummage through the small pouch Meryl had given him. Inside were a few dried strips of meat and a half-loaf of stale bread. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.
As he sat on a fallen log, chewing slowly, Kael's mind wandered back to the figure. The forest was quiet again, too quiet, but the sense of being watched hadn't faded. He scanned the treeline, the shadows thick and unmoving, but still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't alone.
He swallowed the last bite of bread and stood, slinging the pouch back over his shoulder. His body was tired, but rest would have to wait. He had to keep going.
The path narrowed ahead, the trees growing closer together, their branches twisting into a canopy that blotted out what little light remained. Kael slowed his pace, his eyes darting from one shadow to the next. The air here felt heavier, the oppressive weight of the forest bearing down on him more intensely.
And then he heard it.
Footsteps.
They were faint, barely discernible over the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. But they were there, following him.
Kael froze, his heart pounding in his chest. The footsteps stopped. His pulse quickened, and he turned slowly, his breath catching in his throat. The shadows behind him seemed to shift, but there was no one there. No figure, no whisper. Just the trees and the silence.
But the feeling hadn't left. Something was out there.
"Who's there?" Kael called, his voice trembling slightly despite his efforts to keep it steady.
No answer.
Kael swallowed hard. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his knife, the cold metal comforting against his skin. The air around him felt thick, almost suffocating, as if the very forest was closing in.
"Show yourself!" Kael demanded, louder this time.
Still, nothing.
He took a step forward, his muscles coiled, ready to spring at the slightest movement. But the forest remained eerily still. The only sound was his own ragged breathing.
And then, just as he began to turn back toward the path, he saw it, a glint of something in the trees, like the reflection of light on metal. It was quick, barely noticeable, but Kael's eyes locked onto it immediately.
He narrowed his gaze, taking another cautious step forward, his hand tightening around the knife. There, hidden among the twisted branches, was a pair of eyes, bright, reflective, watching him from the shadows.
Kael's breath caught in his throat as the eyes blinked, then disappeared into the darkness.
He took a step back, his pulse racing. "Who… who are you?" he stammered, his voice barely more than a whisper now.
There was no answer, but the feeling of being watched had intensified. Kael's skin prickled, his senses on high alert. The eyes had vanished, but whatever, or whoever it was, was still out there. Following him.
He could feel it.
The footsteps resumed, this time softer, barely more than a whisper of movement. But they were getting closer.
Panic surged through Kael's chest. He turned and bolted down the path, his legs burning with every step. The forest blurred around him as he ran, the trees twisting and warping in his vision, their branches reaching out like skeletal arms.
The footsteps followed, keeping pace with him, always just out of sight but never too far behind. Kael's breath came in short gasps, his heart hammering in his chest as he pushed himself harder, faster.
He couldn't stop. He wouldn't stop. Not until he was clear of the forest. Not until—
Suddenly, Kael's foot caught on a root, and he was sent sprawling to the ground, the air knocked from his lungs. His knife slipped from his hand, skittering across the dirt as he hit the ground hard, pain lancing through his side.
Dazed, Kael struggled to push himself up, his vision swimming. The footsteps had stopped again, but the presence lingered—close, too close.
He reached for his knife, his fingers brushing the hilt just as a shadow loomed over him.
Kael's heart froze in his chest. The figure was back—tall, cloaked in shadow, its form barely visible in the dim light of the forest.
This time, it spoke.
"You won't survive alone," it said, the voice low and cold, echoing through the trees like a distant wind. "But you don't have to be alone."
Kael's fingers closed around the knife, but he couldn't move. The figure stood still, its presence suffocating, as if the very air around it had thickened with its power.
"Who are you?" Kael rasped, his throat dry.
The figure didn't answer, but its eyes gleamed in the darkness, bright and piercing.
"You're being hunted," it said, stepping closer. "But not by me."
Kael's pulse quickened. "What… what do you want from me?"
The figure tilted its head, as though considering the question. "I want nothing from you. But there are others who will."
Before Kael could respond, the figure dissolved into the shadows once more, leaving him alone in the forest. The oppressive weight lifted, but the fear lingered.
Kael slowly pushed himself to his feet, his body aching from the fall. His mind raced, trying to make sense of what had just happened. Who was that figure? And what did it mean by being hunted?
A chill ran down Kael's spine as he realized something else.
The footsteps… they hadn't been the figure's.
Something, or someone else was out there. Watching. Waiting.
And whatever it was, it wasn't finished with him yet.