One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

The whispers surrounded us.

Not loud.

Not urgent.

Just… there.

A presence lurking at the edges of reality, pressing against my mind like a shadow I couldn't escape.

Shira gripped my arm. "Don't answer."

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "Answer what?"

She didn't respond.

Instead, she reached into her pouch and pulled out a small vial of dark liquid.

She dipped her fingers in and quickly drew a symbol on my forehead.

It was cold, almost burning.

"What—"

"It will keep them from touching you," she whispered.

Them.

I didn't ask who.

Or what.

Because the moment she stepped back, I saw them.

The Watchers

At first, they were just shapes.

Blurred figures shifting between the trees.

Too tall.

Too thin.

Their limbs seemed wrong—like they were stretching and shrinking at the same time.

And then—

Their eyes opened.

Hundreds of them.

Some small like insects. Others large, glowing like embers in the dark.

Watching.

Waiting.

My chest tightened.

This wasn't a beast.

It wasn't something I could kill with a dagger.

This was something else.

Something ancient.

And it was hungry.

The First Step Into Madness

Shira moved first.

She placed her palm against a nearby tree, whispering something under her breath.

The moment she did, the air shifted.

The whispers stopped.

The creatures didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

Like they were listening.

Then—

The largest one stepped forward.

Its face was featureless.

No mouth. No nose.

Only a mask of shifting blackness.

And yet, somehow, I knew—

It was smiling.

And then, it spoke.

Not with words.

Not with sound.

But inside my head.

"You should not be here."

I shuddered.

It wasn't a warning.

It was a fact.

And for the first time since I entered this world—

I truly felt small.

Insignificant.

Prey.

Shira grabbed my wrist.

"We're leaving."

I didn't argue.

We turned, moving as fast as we could without running.

Never looking back.

Never answering the whispers that tried to follow.

And all the while—

I felt the eyes on my back.

Waiting.

Watching.

Like they already knew—

We would return.