Jin sat by the edge of a small stream, staring at the water's surface as it flowed gently over smooth stones. The sound was peaceful, almost comforting, a fleeting moment of calm in the otherwise oppressive silence of the Dark Forest. But peace was a fragile thing here. His mind was restless. It always was.
The memories that came in flashes—brief, vivid images—were becoming more frequent. The family he could barely remember, their faces blurred like a dream fading with the dawn. A sense of loss tugged at him, but there was something else... a weight, a looming presence in his chest that seemed to grow heavier with each passing day. It felt like something was watching him, something that had been watching him for a long time.
He shook his head, trying to focus. The feeling was growing stronger. The forest, the creatures, the isolation—everything was pressing in on him. But worse than all of that, worse than the hunger and the constant battle for survival, was the feeling that he didn't belong here.
Why am I here? he wondered, his hands gripping the edges of the stone, his nails digging into the rough surface.
His powers—whatever they were—had come to him in fits of rage or fear. The first time, when he had killed the monstrous creature in a blur of instinct, it had been a surge of energy, a rush that left him breathless and trembling. The second time, when he had barely escaped the large, clawed beast that nearly shredded his back, his power had come as a crackling force that sent his assailant reeling. And there were the occasional bursts of strange heat or cold that he could feel inside him, pulsing through his veins like an untamed fire.
But none of it made sense. What was he? Who was he? His memories were like fog, always just out of reach. The only thing he knew for certain was that the forest would not let him forget that he was different, and neither would the strange, growing energy inside him.
A rustle in the underbrush snapped him from his thoughts. His heart skipped a beat, and before he could stop himself, he was on his feet, his hand instinctively reaching for the weapon he had crafted from bone and stone. His breath hitched, and he forced himself to stay still, to listen.
The rustling continued, and Jin's muscles tensed, ready for whatever was about to emerge. Then, out of the shadows, a figure stepped forward.
A girl. At least, she looked like a girl.
Her skin was pale, almost translucent in the dim light, and her hair was wild, tangled in knots of thorns and leaves. She didn't look like any creature Jin had ever seen. Her eyes were wide and bright, reflecting the pale moonlight that filtered through the canopy above. But what struck Jin most was the aura of calm that surrounded her, like the stillness before a storm.
She didn't speak at first, just watched him with those strange, glowing eyes. Jin felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Something about her seemed... wrong.
"Who are you?" Jin managed, his voice barely a whisper, though he knew it was useless to hide his fear. His heart pounded in his chest.
The girl tilted her head slightly, as if considering his question. Her lips curled into a faint smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"I am a part of this place," she said softly. Her voice was oddly soothing, almost like the wind in the trees. "And I know what you are."
Jin's grip on his weapon tightened, but he didn't raise it. He didn't feel like he was in immediate danger, but something about her felt too unnatural. Too familiar. His instincts screamed at him to run, but his feet were frozen in place.
"What do you want?" Jin demanded, his voice gaining strength despite the unease spreading through him.
The girl stepped closer, her movements fluid, almost ghostlike. "What I want is not for you to understand. Not yet."
She raised a hand, palm open, and the air around them seemed to grow colder. Jin's breath caught in his throat as he felt the stirrings of something deep within him, like an instinct he hadn't realized he had.
"What are you?" Jin asked again, his voice trembling now.
The girl's smile faltered for just a moment, as if she had expected him to ask something else. Then, as if it didn't matter, she answered, "I am what lives here. The Forest is my home, and it has been for a long time. And you… you are something new."
Jin took a step back, his heart racing. Something new? He wanted to ask more, to understand, but the girl was already turning away, her ethereal form blending into the shadows.
She paused for a moment, her back to him, and spoke again without looking back. "You will need to learn to control it. Before it controls you."
And with that, she vanished into the forest, leaving only the whisper of her words lingering in the air.
Jin stood frozen for a long moment, trying to make sense of what had just happened. His mind raced, his pulse still hammering in his ears. The feeling of being watched hadn't gone away. In fact, it was stronger now. And yet, there was something unsettling about the girl. She had known about him, about what he was.
Before it controls you.
The words echoed in his mind as he turned back to the stream, his reflection now distorted by the trembling water. The power within him surged, a wave of heat coursing through his veins.
Jin's breath caught as he realized something: the forest wasn't just a prison. It was something else—something ancient, alive, and full of secrets. And he was part of it now. He had no choice but to learn what that meant.