Serena ran like hell itself was chasing her.
The portal shimmered ahead, flickering faintly in the space. Each step felt heavier, her lungs burning as though she were breathing fire.
Every beat of her heart pounded louder than the whispers crawling at the edges of her mind.
She didn't dare slow down. The ground beneath her cracked and shifted, as though the world itself wanted to shift from under her leg.
Her timer hovered in the corner of her vision like a taunting reminder: 1 minute, 20 seconds.
"Come on, come on," she muttered through gritted teeth, forcing her legs to keep moving despite the pain.
The whispers grew louder, clawing their way into her thoughts, she could feel a sharp pain in her head like needles where trying to prick her brain out.
Words she couldn't quite piece together licked at the corners of her sanity.
Ahead, the portal wavered, its glow dimming as though struggling to stay open.
Serena pushed harder, nearly tripping on the uneven terrain, but she refused to let herself fall.
30 seconds.
The moment she reached the gateway, a sickening sense of relief washed over her.
The portal's cold light enveloped her just as she collapsed to her knees, her ragged breaths echoing in the still air.
...
Ding!
[Welcome, User 201: Serena.]
[Congratulations]
[You made it just in time to the starting point.]
[You have completed the first trial.]
[Wave 1: completed.]
[Wave 2: initializing…]
Her chest still heaved as the system's voice echoed around her. But before she could process the message, the ground beneath her disappeared.
....
Serena hit the earth with a bone-jarring thud, the impact ripping the air from her lungs. For a moment, all she could do was lie there, staring at the twisted canopy of black branches overhead.
The air was thick and damp, carrying the stench of rot. She gagged, coughing as she pushed herself up on shaky arms.
The dagger in her hand glinted faintly, a comforting weight amidst the chaos.
Around her, the forest seemed alive....a suffocating labyrinth of gnarled trees that creaked and groaned like living things. Shadows danced across the ground, shifting with an unnatural rhythm.
The silence was oppressive. It wasn't the kind of quiet that brought peace; it was the silence of a predator stalking its prey.
Ding!
[User 201: Serena ]
[Sub-quest initiated: Survive the Trial of the Whispering Glade.]
[Objective: Unravel the Veil and locate the Heart of the Glade.]
[Failure condition: Corruption or death.]
[Timer: 20 minutes.]
Her stomach twisted as an additional warning appeared:
[Beware the whispers. The Veilwood corrupts the weak of mind and spirit.]
"Because that's not ominous at all," Serena muttered, forcing herself to her feet.
Her voice sounded small and weak. She dipped her hand into her pouch suddenly remembering she had it with her and brought out an health portion which she gulped in a go and stood up.
The forest closed in around her as she began to move, her steps careful and deliberate.
Every rustle of leaves, every creak of branches, made her grip her dagger tighter.
She tried to focus on her breathing, on the feel of the cold blade in her hand, but the whispers wouldn't stop.
"Serena…"
"Why fight…?"
"Stay with us…"
Her fingers trembled. The voices weren't loud, but they burrowed into her thoughts, insidious and unrelenting.
She clenched her jaw, shaking her head as though that could silence them. "Focus. Just focus."
The ground was damp and sticky, and the smell of decay grew stronger.
A low creak echoed through the trees, followed by a snapping sound.
Serena froze, her dagger raised. The shadows shifted, and from the darkness emerged a figure.
It was humanoid but wrong. Its body was twisted and skeletal, its bark-like skin peeling in jagged strips. Its hollow eyes glowed an eerie green, and its limbs creaked as it moved toward her.
Ding!
[Enemy identified: Veilwood Stalker.]
[Sub-quest: unravel the veil and locate the heart of the glade]
[Defeat the Weilwood Stalker or die]
[Threat level: Moderate.]
The stalker tilted its head, letting out a low, guttural hiss before lunging at her.
Serena barely dodged, twisting her body as its clawed fingers swiped through the air where she'd stood. She rolled to her feet, her dagger glowing faintly as she activated her magic.
Clang!
Her blade met its arm mid-strike, the impact sending vibrations up her arm. Sparks flew as metal scraped against the creature's bark-like skin.
Serena stumbled back, her pulse racing. The stalker didn't falter; its movements were erratic, almost insect-like, but there was a terrifying precision to its attacks.
It lashed out again, and this time, Serena ducked low, sweeping her leg out to knock it off balance. The creature staggered but didn't fall. It hissed, clawing at her with renewed fury.
Serena gritted her teeth. "Let's see how you handle this," she muttered, slashing upward. Her dagger's gem pulsed, and frost burst from the blade, spreading across the stalker's torso. The creature froze mid-lunge, its limbs locked in place.
But Serena had no time to celebrate.
The forest stirred, the whispers growing louder. From the shadows, more figures emerged. Three… five… eight more stalkers stepped into the clearing, their glowing eyes fixed on her.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, her voice shaking.
The creatures advanced, their movements unnervingly coordinated.
The whispers surged in her mind, overlapping with each other.
"You can't win…"
"Join us…"
"Be one with the forest…"
"Not happening!" Serena shouted, lunging at the nearest stalker. Her dagger flashed as she slashed across its chest. Ice spread from the wound, but the creature didn't stop.
It swiped at her, its claws grazing her arm. Serena winced, twisting away and driving her blade into its neck. The stalker let out a piercing shriek before crumbling into ash.
But the others were relentless. They circled her, forcing her to keep moving. Her heart pounded, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. The whispers dug deeper, clawing at her thoughts.
Ding!
[Warning: Corruption at 45%. Mental degradation detected.]
"Yeah, I noticed!" Serena snapped, ducking under another swipe. She countered with a quick slash, her dagger glowing as frost spread across another stalker's arm. It shattered like glass, but the creature kept coming.
The stalkers herded her toward the center of the glade, where a grotesque, pulsating growth loomed.
The heart of the glade. Dark veins writhed across its surface, and its rhythmic pulsing seemed to echo in her skull.
The system's voice rings out again
Ding!
[Heart of the Glade located. Initiating cleansing protocol.]
[Warning: Corruption at 78%. Immediate action required.]
[Proceed to complete quest]
[You are running out of time]
Serena's vision blurred as the whispers intensified. Her hands trembled as she raised her dagger, the glowing sigil on the heart drawing her focus. She didn't know what to do, but instinct screamed at her to act.
"Come on, work!" she shouted, slashing at the sigil. The dagger pulsed with energy, sending a shockwave into the heart.
The stalkers lunged at her just as the heart began to crack. Serena screamed as her magic surged, exploding outward in a blinding flash of light.
....
When the light faded, the glade was silent. The stalkers were gone, reduced to ash, and the heart lay still, its dark energy dissipating.
The system notification chimes.
Ding!.
[Congratulations user 201]
[Trial complete. Returning user to the central hub.]
[You finished just in time]
[Reward: Exp gained]
[You unlock a new ability]
Serena collapsed to her knees, her body trembling. As the portal's energy began to pull her back, one last whisper echoed in her mind:
"This is only the beginning…"