“Did they… turn left?” Sadie frowned, picking up her pace.

Akari pointed ahead. “I think I see them—come on.”

Shapes flickered between the trees: Tasunee’s red hair, Harlen’s tall figure, Haskiel’s small frame. They were walking just a few paces ahead, but no matter how fast Sadie and Akari moved, the distance never closed.

Sadie’s breathing grew shallow. “Wait… weren’t we just here?”

The forest floor sloped suddenly, and Sadie almost slipped. She stumbled forward, her phone dropping on the ground with a thud as the screen shatters.

“Akari!?”

No answer. She turned, and what she saw left her frozen. Akari stood between two massive trees, the gap between them slowly closing. His frame was slowly getting compressed as sounds of his bones cracking could be heard. He kept staring at her with dead eyes

Sadie was terrified by the sight and somehow managed to run, leaving her phone behind.

The air vibrated. A low hum echoed through the roots, calling her forward. Ahead, a dark opening yawned between two trees—half-hidden by vines and thick moss.

Something inside whispered her name.

Her legs moved before her mind caught up. Each step pulled her deeper into the earth, and by the time she stopped, the forest had vanished. She was standing alone in a cold, hollow cave.