Darkness descended on the riverbank like a shroud, swallowing what little daylight remained. The air grew cooler, though still heavy with humidity, and the jungle around them came alive with a chorus of distant cries and rustlings. Sometimes it was the faint buzz of insects, other times a distant roar so low it throbbed in the chest. More than once, strange whoops and screeches echoed from deeper in the undergrowth, yet nothing ventured close enough for the group to catch sight of it.
They'd built up the campfire as best they could—fueling it with damp wood, coaxing sputtering flames to hold a steady glow. Shadows danced against the towering trees, flickering shapes that played tricks on weary eyes.
Despite Kurai's wariness, they all agreed on a simple rotation for keeping watch: two people awake at a time, each pair holding out for a couple of hours before waking the next. No one relished the thought, but the alternative—everyone sleeping, vulnerable—felt like an invitation to doom.
Kurai insisted on taking the first shift with Elias, though he did so grudgingly. Exhaustion tugged at him, every muscle aching from days of relentless strain. Yet trust was scarce, and he still harbored a fierce need to be in control of his own safety. Elias—calm under pressure, with a soldier's bearing—seemed the best candidate to stand guard.
While Mira, Jace, and Theo tried to settle into an uneasy sleep on the makeshift bedding of broad leaves, Kurai and Elias kept to the perimeter. They paced the edges of the weak firelight, spears in hand, ears sharpened by nerves. The night's hush was broken only by whispered commentary.
Kurai said little, mostly scanning the blackness where the river disappeared into dense foliage. Elias, for his part, offered a few observations—how each nighttime sound might be some monstrous creature or a harmless bird. Eventually, even their murmurs ceased, leaving them straining to hear the slightest shift.
When their shift ended, Elias nudged Jace and Theo awake. Kurai hesitated—part of him wanted to stay up, convinced that letting his guard down was a mistake. But he could feel his eyelids growing heavy, and the sting of his wounds made each breath a chore. Reluctantly, he gave up his place by the fire.
"There's… no disgrace in resting," Elias said quietly, noticing Kurai's hesitation.
Kurai just grunted, eyes flicking once more to the shadows. Then he lowered himself against the trunk of a broad tree, spear across his lap. Sleep ambushed him the moment he closed his eyes.
He didn't dream, or if he did, the images vanished too quickly to recall. At some unknown point in the night, Mira shook his shoulder. He jolted awake, spear half-raised. She murmured apologies, telling him that Jace and Theo were done, and it was his turn again. It was nearly dawn, she said.
Kurai allowed himself a grudging nod. He blinked hard, banishing the grogginess, and rose to help Elias complete the final shift. The hours crept forward with agonizing slowness, the jungle's nocturnal orchestra reaching its feverish peak and then dying away as the sky began to pale.
Yet—thankfully—nothing attacked.
A dull gray light seeped through the canopy, revealing a world slick with dew. Shadows shrank back, and the shapes of trees, bushes, and half-buried roots emerged in muted detail. With cautious relief, they gathered near the dying embers of the fire, stirring from uneasy rest.
Morning had come.
Mira leaned over to check Jace's half-healed scrapes, while Theo murmured something about looking for more wood. Elias ran a hand through his hair, exhaling as though releasing a long-held breath. Kurai set aside his spear and rolled the stiffness out of his shoulders, feeling the beginnings of real hunger gnaw at him again.
That was when it happened.
A sudden voice—cold and indifferent—rang inside each of their minds, as if whispered directly into their ears:
"Congratulations on surviving your first day. All your collected points are now accessible for purchasing goods. All necessary instructions on how to proceed will be given shortly."
Everyone jerked in alarm, eyes widening. Elias clutched at his head, wincing as if he'd been struck. Jace stumbled back, nearly tripping over a rock. Mira gasped, doubling over with a pained expression. Theo let out a ragged hiss and sank to his knees.
Kurai felt it, too—a sharp sting at the base of his skull, radiating through every limb. He inhaled sharply, expecting the agony to persist, but for him, it receded almost as quickly as it came. He drew a halting breath, blinking away spots of light dancing at the edges of his vision.
The others didn't recover as fast. Mira's face contorted, the pain still wracking her frame. Theo breathed in shallow bursts, and Jace pressed trembling hands to his temples. Even Elias grimaced, brow knotted in a mixture of confusion and hurt.
Kurai's gaze flicked from one face to another. Why did it hit them harder? He remembered the voice awarding him "points" every time he made a kill. That intangible aether in his blood. Perhaps it had toughened him against this… whatever this was.
Jace was the first to speak, voice trembling slightly. "What… the hell was that?"
Mira brushed hair from her eyes, still breathing hard. "Some kind of… message? Telepathy?"
Elias, face drawn in tight lines, let out a low exhale. "They're… congratulating us for surviving," he said with a bitter twist in his tone. "Like we're in some damn game."
"Or test," Theo muttered.
"They said something about points," he continued, grimacing as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And… purchasing goods. Like there's some kind of shop in our heads."
Mira propped herself upright, still recovering from the throbbing pain that had come with the message. "A… shop?" She shook her head. "That's what it felt like. Soon as I caught my breath, I realized I have these instructions. It's hard to explain."
Jace huffed, running a hand through his hair. "Right. I'm seeing it too, if I concentrate. Like a menu. Weapons, survival kits—stuff that'd be really useful."
Elias frowned, brow furrowed in disbelief. "Seriously? In your heads?" He paused, expression shifting as he felt the same faint mental presence. "I… I have it as well. Like I can scroll through categories if I focus."
Kurai stood somewhat apart, arms crossed. He also felt the new jolt of information, forced into their minds by that stabbing wave of pain.