The barren expanse stretched endlessly, its monotony gnawing at Cale's nerves. His legs ached with every step, his body felt drained, and his mind was fraying under the weight of this desolate, lifeless world.
The lantern's blue flame was his only companion, its faint glow pushing back the darkness. Every now and then, it would flicker, almost as though it were alive.
"You know," he muttered to the lantern, "I'm starting to think you're as lost as I am."
The flame wavered in response, though Cale didn't know if it was an answer or his own imagination.
Hours passed—or maybe days. It was impossible to tell. The glowing veins beneath his feet began to twist and tangle more erratically, forming jagged patterns in the ground. Then he saw something unusual—two dark shapes jutting from the earth ahead.
Cale quickened his pace, his pulse quickening. As he drew closer, the shapes resolved into something familiar: a pair of rusted helmets, half-buried in the cracked soil.
He crouched down, brushing the dirt away from one of them. The metal was corroded and pitted, but its shape was unmistakable. A plume holder jutted from its top, though whatever had once adorned it was long gone.
"A helmet…" Cale whispered, turning it over in his hands. His heart raced. Someone was here. People were here.
He glanced around, searching for more clues, but the helmets were the only sign of life—or death. The veins beneath them glowed faintly, as though feeding on their presence.
His thoughts raced. Where had the owners gone? Was this a battlefield? A graveyard? Or something worse?
A faint hum broke through his musings, low and rhythmic, like the vibration of a tuning fork. Cale shot to his feet, the lantern held tightly in his grasp.
The sound grew louder, vibrating through the air. The veins beneath him pulsed in time with the noise, their glow intensifying.
"What now?" Cale muttered, his body tensing.
From the horizon, a shadow began to form. It moved slowly, gliding toward him with deliberate purpose. Cale stepped back, his grip tightening on the lantern.
As the shadow drew closer, it became clear it wasn't one creature but several—three figures, humanoid in shape but twisted and unnatural. Their limbs were too long, their bodies rippling like smoke.
The hum sharpened into a growl, low and guttural, as the figures rushed forward.