The moon, a radiant white orb illuminating the sky, hid the secrets of the Shadowed Forest. Kael gripped the worn hilt of his sword, his knuckles pale as the fog that swirled through the forest. His heart thundered in his chest, its echo louder than the distant howls that painted the forest with terror. This wasn't his first brush with death, but tonight felt different—heavier, as if it were the final battle.
The air was thick, not only with the stench of decay but with an ominous weight, as though the forest itself cried out for his soul. Shadows moved unnaturally among the trees, too swift and fluid to belong to any living creature. Kael's breathing quickened.
"Keep moving," he whispered, his voice the only sound cutting through the forest's silence.
The path ahead twisted and disappeared into darkness. Behind him, faint echoes of footsteps—or perhaps claws scraping against the earth—stirred. He froze. This wasn't the first time he'd been hunted, but being stalked by shadows cut deeper than any blade.
Then he heard it—a whisper in the stillness:
"Kael."
The voice was soft, otherworldly, carried by a chilling breeze, yet it sent shivers down his spine. It wasn't his name that terrified him—it was the familiarity of the voice. It was his own.
He spun around, sword raised, but the path was empty. The silence grew deafening, broken only by his ragged breaths. Then, out of the darkness, they emerged.
A swirling mist of limbs and fangs, the creatures were nightmares given form. Their shapes were grotesque, ever-shifting, as if the forest itself had birthed them from its shadows. The first creature lunged, its claws glinting like obsidian. Kael parried the blow, the impact jolting his arm, but another creature was already at his back.
He fought with everything he had, the clash of steel against claws reverberating in his skull. But there were too many. Each strike felt weaker than the last, as though the forest drained his strength with every move.
The creatures hesitated, circling him like wolves savoring their prey. Kael's knees buckled, and he fell to the ground, the taste of blood and iron on his tongue.
As the world blurred, the shadows parted, and a figure stepped forward—a twisted reflection of himself. Clad in tattered black clothes as if emerging from war, with hollow eyes that burned.
"Welcome back to the cycle, Kael," his double whispered.
Before Kael could respond, the creatures pounced, their claws tearing into his flesh. Pain exploded as he collapsed, his gaze locked on his double. His vision faded, consumed by darkness.
Kael awoke gasping, his lungs burning as though he'd been drowning. His fingers dug into the ground—cold and solid, not the forest floor but smooth obsidian.
"Where am I?" His voice was hoarse.
The air here felt different—still and heavy, as though the world held its breath. Before him stood a massive circular door, etched with intricate runes and a single word carved in the center: Zero.
Behind him, footsteps echoed. He turned sharply, his breath catching.
It was her.
The woman from his dreams, the one who had haunted his memories for as long as he could remember. Her ebony hair cascaded in waves, and her piercing green eyes glowed with an intensity that cut through his despair. She looked at him as though she knew every secret he'd ever kept.
"You shouldn't be here yet," she said, her voice filled with urgency.
Kael slowly stood, his legs trembling. "Who are you? What is this place?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she stepped closer, her gaze weighted with regret.
"You've been here before, Kael. You just don't remember."
His head throbbed, memories flashing like shards of shattered glass. Her face, the door, the word Zero—all maddeningly familiar.
"What's happening to me?" he asked, his voice rising.
She placed a hand on his chest, warmth flooding his body—a stark contrast to the cold that enveloped the air.
"You're trapped in the cycle. Each death brings you closer to the truth, but it also draws you nearer to him."
"Him?" Kael's stomach twisted.
"The one who started it all." Her voice broke, a shadow passing over her face. "The one who controls the cycle. If you don't escape, he'll consume you."
Before Kael could ask more, the ground beneath them trembled. The door began to glow, the runes burning brightly as a low hum filled the air.
"He knows you're here," she said, stepping back. "You have to leave. Now."
"How?"
She looked at him with a mixture of sorrow and determination.
"The same way you've always left. You have to die."
The world began to unravel around them, and the woman reached out, her voice a whisper as blinding light engulfed them.
"Find me again, Kael. Before it's too late."
And then, the light consumed him.
Kael woke once more, this time in the middle of a bustling marketplace, the scent of smoke and steel filling the air. The world had shifted again, but the weight of the cycle remained.
Above him, the sky darkened, and a bell tolled. His sword was gone, but the Book of Zero lay at his side. He picked it up, opening its weathered pages to find a single line written in blood-red ink:
Death is only the beginning.
Kael clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. If this was a game, he was determined to finish it.
But as he turned the page, another line appeared:
She will die if you fail.
His breath caught. Her face, her voice, her touch—they were all he had left. And so, with trembling hands, Kael stepped into the unknown, ready to face the monsters that awaited him.