The days that followed felt different to Jin. The forest, once a familiar and hostile landscape, now seemed to pulse with a life of its own. The shadows between the trees were thicker, heavier, and the whispers in his mind were no longer faint echoes—they had become a constant hum, a buzzing presence in the back of his thoughts.
Each time he closed his eyes, he could almost feel the eyes watching him again. Those yellow lantern-like eyes. But they were never there. Not physically. Yet, Jin couldn't shake the feeling that something was drawing closer, something ancient and powerful.
The symbol on the beast's hide—the one that had faded when he touched it—came to him in flashes. Sometimes he saw it in his dreams, glowing faintly against the darkness. Other times, it appeared when he stared too long at the shadows, as if it were waiting for him to remember. But Jin had no answers. Only questions.
As he navigated deeper into the heart of the forest, his senses on edge, a strange sensation settled over him—like a weight pressing down on his chest. The further he traveled, the more intense the pull became. There was something here, in the depths of the forest, that he was meant to find. He didn't know why he felt it, but it was undeniable.
At night, the forest seemed to shift. The trees creaked with unnatural groans, their branches twisting like dark fingers. The air grew thick with the scent of damp earth and something else—something metallic, almost like blood. Jin had become used to the forest's smells, its strange creatures, but this was different. This was a presence. A call.
He crouched low, blending into the shadows, his hand instinctively reaching for his bone knife. His breath slowed, and his pulse quickened as he scanned the darkness. It was too quiet. The creatures that normally roamed the forest seemed to have disappeared, leaving only the eerie hum of silence in their wake.
A rustle broke the stillness, sharp and sudden. Jin whipped around, his blade drawn, ready to strike. But it was just a wind, twisting through the trees. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and stood up, his eyes still wary.
But then, he saw it again. The yellow eyes. Farther away this time, hidden in the shadows, watching him. They blinked slowly, deliberately.
"You seek what is hidden," the voice came, deep and resonant, as though it emanated from the forest itself. "But you are not ready."
Jin's heart pounded in his chest. This voice again. The presence that had haunted him since the encounter with the glowing eyes. It wasn't a creature. It wasn't human. It was something older, something tied to the very fabric of the forest.
"What are you?" Jin demanded, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. "What do you want from me?"
The voice chuckled, low and mocking. "Want? We do not want. We are. And you, child of forgotten blood, are the key."
Jin's breath caught in his throat. "The key to what?"
There was no immediate answer. The eyes blinked again, and the presence in the darkness seemed to pull back, retreating further into the forest's depths. But not before one last cryptic word lingered in the air.
"Awaken."
Jin stood frozen in the silence that followed. The eyes were gone. The forest was quiet once again, but Jin's heart hammered in his chest as the weight of the voice's words settled in. Awaken. What did it mean? Why was he, of all people, being singled out?
The pull in his chest grew stronger, more insistent. Whatever lay hidden in the heart of the Dark Forest, it was waiting for him. But he wasn't sure if he was ready to face it.
And yet, the unknown power in him—the one that stirred with each passing day—demanded his attention. It wanted him to follow. To learn. To awaken.
But would he be able to control it once he did?
With a final glance at the now empty shadows, Jin sheathed his knife and began moving deeper into the forest. He didn't know what awaited him, but he knew one thing for certain: the Dark Forest had no mercy for the unprepared.
And he would have to face whatever was pulling at him—whether he was ready or not.