Chapter 1

The forest was never supposed to feel alive at night.

But tonight, it did.

Eli stopped walking the moment that thought formed in his mind, his breath catching slightly as the darkness ahead seemed to press closer.

The flashlight in his hand flickered weakly, throwing unstable beams between the trees. Shadows stretched unnaturally long, twisting between the trunks like something watching from every direction.

He tightened his grip.

“…This was a bad idea,” he muttered under his breath.

His voice sounded too small against the silence.

Too exposed.

Everyone in his village knew the rules—never enter the forest after sunset. Not even for a shortcut. Not even for curiosity. It wasn’t a superstition anymore. It was survival.

People who went in at night didn’t always come back.

And when they did…

They weren’t the same.

Eli had always thought it was exaggerated. Village fear passed down like stories meant to scare children into obedience.

But standing here now, surrounded by trees that felt too still, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

A cold breeze passed through the branches.

Eli paused.

The wind should have sounded normal.

Instead, it felt… heavy.

Like it carried something with it.

He slowly turned his head.

Nothing was behind him.

Just darkness.

But the feeling of being watched didn’t go away.

“…Okay,” he whispered. “Time to go back.”

He took one step backward.

Then another.

His heart was already beating faster than normal, though he tried to convince himself it was just nerves. Just imagination. Just fear playing tricks on him.

Then—

A sound.

Eli froze instantly.

It wasn’t wind.

It wasn’t insects.

It was something dragging across the ground.

Slow.

Uneven.

Wrong.

His throat tightened.

“…Hello?” he called out.

His voice cracked slightly.

Silence answered him.

But this silence was not empty.

It felt… aware.

Like the forest was listening back.

Then the sound came again.

Closer this time.

Eli’s fingers tightened around the flashlight so hard it almost hurt.

“No… no, I’m definitely not imagining that,” he whispered.

Slowly, against every instinct screaming at him to run, he turned the flashlight forward.

The beam cut through the darkness.

And stopped.

Something was there.

A shape.

Lying at the base of a tree.

Completely still.

Eli’s breath caught immediately.

For a moment, he didn’t move at all.

His mind tried to convince him it was just a log. Or clothes. Or anything else.

But even from here, he could tell—

That was a person.

“…Is that a body?” he whispered.

The forest didn’t answer.

His feet moved before he even decided to move.

Step.

Then another.

Each step felt heavier than the last, like the ground itself didn’t want him getting closer.

The closer he got, the more details became visible.

Torn clothing.

Dark stains spreading across the ground.

The metallic smell hit him fully now.

Blood.

Fresh.

Eli swallowed hard.

“This is not my problem,” he whispered.

But his body didn’t listen.

He crouched slowly beside the figure.

His flashlight beam trembled slightly as he moved it closer to the man’s face.

Young.

Sharp features.

Dark hair falling across his forehead.

Unnaturally still.

Eli hesitated.

“…Hey,” he said softly. “Can you hear me?”

No response.

He leaned in slightly.

Checking for breath.

And then—

A faint inhale.

Eli froze.

“…He’s alive.”

Relief hit him instantly.

But it didn’t last.

Because in the next second—

The man’s hand moved.

Fast.

And grabbed his wrist.

Hard.

Eli gasped violently.

“Hey—what the—?!”

The grip was iron.

Impossible to break.

His pulse spiked instantly as he tried to pull away.

But it was useless.

The man’s eyes snapped open.

And Eli stopped breathing completely.

Gold.

Glowing faintly in the darkness.

Not human.

Not normal.

Eli’s mind went blank for half a second.

“What… are—”

Before he could finish—

The man yanked him forward.

Violently.

The world tilted.

Eli didn’t even have time to scream properly before—

Everything went dark.