Kael fell through the shifting darkness, the world around him warping into a blur of jagged stones and distant, distorted shapes. His heart pounded in his chest as the earth seemed to give way beneath his feet. He was caught in a descent with no end, no direction, and the very air felt as though it was closing in around him, choking him with its oppressive weight.
For a moment, he thought he might never land, that he would fall forever through the folds of reality itself. The darkness wrapped around him like a living thing, its fingers grasping at his limbs, pulling at his thoughts. It was as if the very wilds themselves had turned against him, as though he were being swallowed whole by the land he had once thought he could control.
And then, just as he thought he might lose himself entirely, the fall ceased.
Kael's feet slammed into the ground with a jarring force, the shockwave reverberating up through his legs. He stumbled, falling to his knees, his breathing ragged as he tried to steady himself. His vision swam as he struggled to regain control, but the disorienting sensations didn't cease. He could feel the power of the wilds coursing through him, a torrent of energy that seemed to pull at his every nerve, urging him to give in.
The ground beneath him wasn't solid—it was soft, like earth, but with an unnatural give, as though it were shifting beneath him. He rose slowly, his hand instinctively going to his spear, but it felt wrong in his grasp, foreign, like an extension of someone else's will.
"Kael."
The voice was a whisper at first, barely audible. It came from all around him, seeping into his mind like an insidious poison. But there was something different about it now. It wasn't the Keeper's voice, nor the voice of the wilds he had been hearing before. It was familiar. It was a voice he knew.
"Kael."
This time, the voice was louder, clearer, and Kael knew who it belonged to.
He spun around, his heart racing. There, standing at the edge of the strange terrain, was the figure of a woman. She was tall and slender, with long, flowing hair that seemed to move as though it were alive. Her eyes were a piercing shade of green, glowing softly in the darkness, and her expression was unreadable, as if she were caught between two worlds.
"No," Kael whispered, his throat tight. "You... you're not real."
The woman stepped forward, her movements graceful and deliberate. "I am as real as you allow me to be, Kael," she said, her voice like music, both soothing and chilling. "You've been calling for me, Kael. And now, I am here."
Kael took a step back, his grip tightening on his spear. "No... I haven't. I don't even know who you are."
Her smile was almost sad, but there was a gleam of something ancient and dangerous in her eyes. "I am the one who binds you to this place. The very essence of the wilds flows through me, as it does through you now."
Kael's mind raced, but he couldn't piece it together. "I don't understand. What do you want from me?"
Her gaze softened, and for a moment, Kael almost thought he saw a flicker of sympathy in her eyes. "I want you to see, Kael. To truly understand what you've become. What you have chosen."
Kael's chest tightened. "I didn't choose this."
The woman's smile deepened. "You did, Kael. You crossed the line the moment you chose to embrace the wilds. And now... there's no going back."
Before Kael could respond, the world around him began to shift once more. The ground beneath his feet trembled, the air crackling with energy. He felt the wilds closing in on him, the very essence of the land wrapping around him like a vice.
"It's time for you to accept your place, Kael," the woman's voice echoed as the world began to collapse around him. "The wilds will decide your fate."
Kael felt his body being pulled in every direction, as though the very fabric of reality was tearing itself apart. And then, with a final, deafening crack, everything went black.