Chapter 2

Eli woke up gasping.

Air rushed into his lungs too quickly, making him cough as he jolted upright on his bed. His heart was pounding so loudly it felt like it was echoing inside his skull.

For a few seconds, he didn’t move.

Didn’t think.

Just tried to breathe.

“…What…?”

His voice came out rough and confused.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the familiar ceiling above him.

His room.

He was in his room.

But everything felt wrong.

The last thing he remembered was the forest. The smell of blood. The man with the glowing eyes. The grip on his wrist.

Then darkness.

Eli pushed himself up slowly, his body feeling heavier than usual, like he hadn’t fully woken up yet.

“How did I get here…?”

He looked around his room again, as if expecting answers from the walls.

None came.

A strange unease settled in his chest.

Something was off.

Very off.

Then he felt it.

A sharp sting on the side of his neck.

Eli flinched immediately, lifting his hand to touch it.

Pain shot through him.

“Ah—!”

He pulled his hand away quickly, breathing faster now.

“What is that…?”

His fingers trembled slightly as he slowly stood up from the bed.

Step by step, he walked toward the mirror across his room.

Each movement felt slightly strange, like his body wasn’t fully responding the way it should.

Like something inside him had shifted.

When he finally reached the mirror—

He froze.

His reflection stared back at him.

But his eyes weren’t what made him stop breathing.

It was his neck.

A mark.

Dark.

Strange.

Shaped like a symbol he had never seen before.

It wasn’t a bruise.

It wasn’t a wound.

It looked intentional.

Like something had been carved into his skin on purpose.

Eli leaned closer, his breath trembling.

“…This is not real,” he whispered.

He raised his hand slowly and touched it again—carefully this time.

Pain shot through him instantly.

“Ah!”

He stepped back sharply, almost losing his balance.

His heart began to race again.

“What did he do to me…?”

His voice was barely audible now.

A knock came at his door.

Eli flinched violently.

“Eli? Are you awake?” his mother’s voice called from outside.

He quickly straightened himself, forcing his voice to sound normal.

“Y-yeah… I’m awake!”

A pause.

“You didn’t come back early last night. Are you feeling okay?”

Eli swallowed hard.

“I’m fine… just tired.”

Another pause.

“…Alright. Come eat when you’re ready.”

Footsteps faded away.

Silence returned.

But Eli didn’t relax.

Because now, the silence felt different.

He looked at himself in the mirror again.

The mark was still there.

Still dark.

Still real.

And then—

He felt it.

A strange sensation in his chest.

Not pain.

Not fear.

Something else.

Like a thread.

Invisible.

Stretching outward from him.

Eli frowned, placing a hand over his chest.

“What… is that?”

At first, it was faint.

Almost like imagination.

But then it strengthened.

A pull.

Not physical.

Not emotional.

Something deeper.

Like something was calling him.

Not with sound.

But with instinct.

Eli stepped back from the mirror slowly.

“…No,” he whispered. “I’m not going back there.”

The moment he said it—

The feeling in his chest tightened slightly.

Like a response.

Like something reacting to his words.

Eli froze.

“…That’s not normal.”

He tried to focus on something else.

He drank water.

He sat down.

He checked his phone.

But the feeling didn’t go away.

If anything, it grew stronger as the day passed.

By afternoon, he couldn’t ignore it anymore.

It wasn’t random.

It had direction.

North.

Toward the forest.

Eli stood up suddenly.

“This is insane…”

He paced his room, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m imagining things. I have to be.”

But even as he said it, the pull tightened again.

Sharper this time.

Like punishment.

Like insistence.

Eli stopped walking.

“…What do you want from me?” he whispered.

No answer came.

Of course not.

But the feeling didn’t stop.

By evening, Eli couldn’t take it anymore.

He grabbed his jacket.

His hands were slightly shaking now.

“I’m just going to check,” he muttered. “That’s it. Just check.”

He paused at the door.

“…And then I’m coming back.”

But deep down, he wasn’t sure if that was true.

The forest at night felt different than before.

Heavier.

Colder.

More aware.

Eli stepped inside slowly, flashlight in hand, his heart already beating faster.

“…This is stupid,” he muttered.

The deeper he went, the stronger the pull became.

Guiding him.

Pulling him.

Like something invisible was leading him forward.

Until—

He stopped.

A figure stood ahead between the trees.

Still.

Waiting.

Eli’s breath caught instantly.

“…You.”

The man turned slowly.

Golden eyes met his.

Calm.

Intense.

Dangerous.

“You came,” the man said simply.

Eli clenched his fists.

“I didn’t come for you.”

But even as he said it, his voice lacked confidence.

Because something inside him reacted the moment he saw him.

The pull eased slightly.

Like relief.

Like recognition.

The man stepped forward just a little.

“You felt it,” he said.

Eli frowned.

“…Felt what?”

The man’s gaze dropped briefly to Eli’s neck.

“The bond.”

Eli’s stomach tightened.

“…What does that mean?”

The man studied him for a moment before answering.

“You’re connected to me now.”

Eli shook his head immediately.

“No. That’s not possible.”

But even as he denied it, the mark on his neck burned faintly.

As if responding.

As if agreeing.

The man watched him carefully.

“You don’t understand it yet,” he said calmly. “But you will.”

Eli took a step back.

“I don’t want any of this.”

The man didn’t move closer.

Just spoke quietly:

“It doesn’t matter what you want.”

Eli froze.

“…Excuse me?”

The man’s eyes darkened slightly.

“You’re already mine.”

Silence fell between them.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

And something in the air shifted.

Like the forest itself was listening.

Eli’s chest tightened again.

But this time—

He didn’t run.

He stayed.