Ryan’s Encounter
The right path twisted unnaturally, the trees bending toward Ryan like claws. He stumbled forward, muttering to himself. “Why do I always get the worst jobs?”
A faint laugh echoed through the mist, and Ryan stopped dead in his tracks. The sound was familiar—too familiar.
“Ryan,” a soft voice called.
He turned, his heart pounding, to see his younger brother standing in the mist. The boy looked just as he remembered, his wide eyes filled with tears.
“Why did you leave us?” the boy asked, his voice trembling.
Ryan shook his head. “No. You’re not real. This is another trick.”
The boy stepped closer, his face contorting with pain. “You abandoned me. You let me die.”
Ryan’s chest tightened. “I didn’t—”
The figure lunged at him, its form twisting into a shadowy creature. Ryan raised his crystal just in time, a burst of light exploding outward and disintegrating the illusion.
He fell to his knees, gasping for air. “This forest really hates me,” he muttered, forcing
