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

The mark on my back burned.

Not with pain, but with a strange, unnatural coldness.

It pulsed—like a second heartbeat.

Like something was inside me, breathing, waiting.

Shira pulled me forward, her steps urgent.

"We need to get back to the village," she said, her voice tense.

But my mind was spinning.

The Watchers had chosen me.

For what?

To become like them?

To be claimed by whatever darkness lurked beyond those trees?

A shiver ran down my spine.

I refused to be a puppet.

I refused to let them take control.

But what if it was already too late?

The Warning of the Elders

When we finally reached the village, the air was tense.

Fires burned low.

People whispered.

They knew something was wrong.

The Elder was waiting for us.

His old, tired eyes locked onto me the moment we arrived.

He exhaled slowly.

"Let me see it."

Shira hesitated before nodding, pulling my shirt down just enough to reveal the mark.

The Elder's face darkened.

Silence filled the air.

Then, he spoke.

"This is bad."

I clenched my fists. "Tell me something I don't know."

His gaze sharpened. "You don't understand, boy."

He turned to Shira.

"You should have left him."

Her jaw tightened. "I don't abandon people."

The Elder shook his head.

Then, he looked at me again.

"The Watchers do not claim people randomly," he said.

"If they marked you, then you are already part of them."

His words hit me like a hammer.

"No," I growled. "I am not one of them."

The Elder sighed.

"Not yet."

A Path Already Decided?

Shira stepped forward. "How do we remove it?"

The Elder exhaled.

"There is no removing it."

Silence.

My hands trembled.

I wasn't going to accept that.

"There's always a way," I said, my voice firm.

The Elder studied me for a long moment.

Then, he turned and motioned for me to follow.

"There is one place you might find answers," he said.

"The tomb of the forgotten."

Shira stiffened. "You can't be serious."

The Elder's face was grim.

"It is the only place where those who have been chosen have ever left their stories behind."

A chill ran down my spine.

"Their stories?" I echoed.

The Elder nodded.

"Yes."

"But never their bodies."