The whispers didn't vanish. Even though the hooded figure had dissolved into static, the forest still hummed with a low, vibrating sound, threading through the warped trees like a living pulse. Every step Erevan took seemed heavier than the last, his boots sinking into patches of grass that shimmered and flickered with corrupted light.

Kaelith stayed close, every movement precise, her bow at the ready. Her eyes, silver and unyielding, swept the twisted forest as if she could detect the source of the anomaly before it even revealed itself. "Stay alert," she warned, voice calm but firm. "The Grove doesn't like outsiders. It adapts."

Erevan wiped sweat from his brow, fingers brushing over the brim of the penguin's wizard hat. "Adapt, huh? Fantastic. I always wanted my worst nightmares to have an AI upgrade."

The penguin waddled beside him, quacking as though affirming the sentiment. Its icy breath left tiny frost trails in the air, a small, tangible comfort in a world of flickering illusions. Erevan felt a surge of relief just having the tiny creature with him. At least something in this place was… solid, if only barely.

The trees began to twist in closer, forming spirals that closed overhead like the ribs of a giant, living cage. Shadows danced unnaturally across the forest floor, and the whispers sharpened again, words seeping into Erevan's mind this time, clear enough to make his stomach churn.

You are not supposed to be here. You will break the balance.

Erevan swallowed hard. "Balance, huh? Yeah, I'm real sorry about that, universe. But last I checked, it was either me or giant teeth monsters."

Kaelith's eyes flickered briefly toward him. "Don't underestimate it. The Grove reacts to fear, to hesitation… to recognition. It knows you."

Erevan's chest tightened. It knows me… The thought made the air feel thicker, heavier, pressing against his lungs. His fingers itched, his mind flickering with images of laboratories, wires, and the hollow eyes of his past selves from the data fragment.

"Great," he muttered. "Recognized by haunted trees. What a résumé."

As they advanced, the forest floor began to ripple beneath their feet. What looked like roots shifted into jagged, crystalline formations, glowing faintly with digital light. Each step created a faint resonance, vibrating through Erevan's bones. The whispers swelled, circling him like a storm, now forming syllables just at the edge of comprehension.

"Kaelith…" Erevan's voice was low. "I think this place wants more than just a walk-through."

"Then we give it something it doesn't expect," Kaelith replied, her bow string humming as she nocked an arrow. "Survive. That's all it can react to."

A sudden snap echoed from above. One of the twisted branches lashed downward with unnatural speed. Erevan barely rolled aside, the air whistling past him. He glanced up—there were dozens of eyes embedded in the bark of the trees, blinking in synchrony, observing him.

"Eyes," he muttered. "Great. Living… forest CCTV. Perfect."

Kaelith didn't flinch. She fired, and her arrow split mid-flight into three, the fragments streaking across the branches. One of the eyes shattered with a fizz of static. The forest shivered in response, as if aware that the intrusion had caused real damage.

Erevan followed suit. "Well… if the system won't give me an army of fish this time, I guess it's just us and…" He glanced down at the penguin. "…you, little buddy."

The penguin quacked and waddled forward, leaving a faint trail of frost that cracked the shimmering ground. The effect destabilized the illusions slightly, revealing glimpses of what might be real beneath the corrupt surface.

A low, grinding growl emerged from deeper within the Grove. The trees themselves seemed to twist in anticipation, forming corridors and barriers to redirect Erevan and Kaelith. Shadows stretched unnaturally, forming jagged humanoid shapes. Whispers became a cacophony of layered voices, each one reciting parts of his life—some real, some twisted, some unknown.

Erevan's fists clenched. "Okay… okay, I don't care if the trees know my name, my past, my favorite pizza topping… they aren't getting my fear. Not today."

Kaelith's gaze met his briefly, and he caught a hint of something rare—approval. "Good. Focus, not panic. That's the only way."

They moved forward cautiously. Each step was a negotiation with reality. Floating fragments of earth flickered in and out of existence. Shadows lengthened and then snapped back to normal. The penguin waddled in circles, quacking strategically, releasing bursts of frozen shards to slow the emerging shadow figures.

A massive ripple coursed through the Grove, shaking the ground violently. One of the shadow figures lunged at Erevan, tendrils of static curling around his legs. He leapt, rolling mid-air and landing on a patch of stable ground the penguin had revealed.

"Nice save, buddy," he muttered, patting the penguin's head as the creature quacked proudly.

Kaelith fired another arrow, the tip glowing with light that stabilized the fragments in front of them, creating a narrow path. The shadow figures recoiled, hissing as the illusions faltered.

"Keep moving!" Kaelith shouted. "Every step counts!"

Erevan sprinted, muscles burning, lungs searing with effort. The Grove seemed endless, every turn revealing more twisted trees and whispers, testing both his resolve and his sanity.

At last, in the distance, a faint glow appeared—a stable patch of ground that didn't flicker or pulse with corrupted light. It was small, but it radiated solidity. A promise of reality.

Erevan's stomach twisted with both hope and fear. One misstep, one hesitation, and he could fall through another fragment into oblivion.

The penguin waddled ahead, quacking like it understood the urgency. Erevan ran after it, heart hammering, Kaelith right beside him. The shadows of the Grove reached for them, but they pressed on, ignoring the whispers that threatened to tear at their minds.

As they reached the glowing patch, the Grove seemed to recoil, the whispers fading to static. Erevan collapsed, gasping, chest heaving. The penguin hopped onto his shoulder, the tiny hat slightly askew.

Kaelith landed beside him, her eyes scanning the forest cautiously. "That… was Phase Two."

Erevan groaned. "Phase Two? Who even makes these phases? And why am I always the main course?"

The system chimed softly in his ear.

Side Quest Progress: Whispering Grove – Phase Two Complete
Companion Status: Glitch Penguin (Stable)

Erevan exhaled slowly, brushing dirt and frost off his armor. The forest still hummed faintly, alive and aware, but the immediate danger had passed. For now.

He looked down at the penguin and muttered, more to himself than anyone else, "Alright, little buddy… time to see what other nightmares this game wants to throw at us."

Kaelith's gaze softened, just slightly. "You're holding up better than I expected."

"Don't get used to it," Erevan replied, standing and brushing himself off. "I've got a long history of spectacular collapses ahead of me."

But deep in the Grove, shadows lingered. The whispers hadn't stopped. They were waiting. Watching. Remembering. And somewhere, someone—or something—was aware that Erevan Arclight had survived.