The clearing felt darker than before.
Not because there was less light.Not because of magic.But because something inside it was taking up space—a presence Ren sensed even before opening his eyes.
He woke slowly, the broken echo still vibrating in his chest.
The first thing he saw was Lyra, sitting at his side, holding his hand firmly—not out of fear, but out of choice.
The second thing was Borin, standing like a statue, watching the forest as if expecting an ambush at any moment.
The third was Draven, asleep upright with his mouth open, clutching a stick like a spear… upside down.
Ren breathed in.
And felt it.
The presence.
Sitting.Calm.Watching.
Lyra immediately noticed the change in his eyes.
"Ren… did you feel it again?"
He nodded.
"Not the Rift."
"Then what?"
Ren slowly turned his head.
Toward a corner of the clearing.
Toward a moss-covered trunk.
And he saw the silhouette.
Sitting on a thick root, like a man resting after a long journey.
It wasn't a physical body.It wasn't a complete illusion.
It was a shape—a shadow darker than the surrounding darkness.
Ren froze.
The shadow did too.
But he knew.
It was looking directly at him.
Lyra followed his gaze and went pale.
"Ren… w-what… what is that?"
Borin raised his axe.
"Finally! I've been waiting for that thing to show up!"
Draven woke with a scream:
"WHAT—WHO—WHERE—OH GOD SOMEONE PICK ME UP!"
Ren stepped forward.
"Don't approach."
The shadow didn't move.
But when Ren spoke, it tilted its head—slowly—in a gesture that almost resembled approval.
Lyra grabbed his arm.
"Ren, this isn't normal.""I know."
"Then why are you walking toward it?!"
Ren answered with a calm far too old for his age:
"Because it's waiting for me."
Borin's eyes widened.
"Waiting to kill you?"
Ren shook his head.
"No."
His eyes dimly reflected gray light.
"Waiting to see how much I've already broken."
The shadow shifted.
Just a little.
But enough to tell Ren it liked that answer.
Draven hid behind a tree so fast he slammed his knee into the trunk.
"I DON'T LIKE THIS!I DON'T LIKE THIS AT ALL!"
"No one asked," Borin muttered.
Ren took another step.
The shadow didn't attack.
Didn't speak.
Didn't threaten.
It simply… created a space beside itself on the root.
As if inviting Ren to sit.
Lyra yanked him back with both hands.
"Don't you DARE!"
Ren glanced at her.
"Lyra—""NO.""I need—""NO!" she snapped, voice sharp and trembling with fear."I'm not letting you sit beside a cursed shadow that wants to rip your soul open!"
Ren's smile was soft.
Sad.
"She doesn't want to open it."He turned to the shadow."She wants to see if it's already open."
The shadow tilted its head again—like a smile with no face.
Ren's chest tightened.
Its presence—its silence—its study of him—
Was more terrifying than any attack.
The shadow rose.
Slowly.
As though reanimating forgotten muscles.
Ren swallowed.
Lyra stepped between them, bow raised.
"TAKE ONE STEP AND I SHOOT."
Borin beside her, axe ready.
Draven behind the tree… praying to every god he could name.
The shadow stopped.
And then—for the first time—it spoke.
Not with sound.Not with voice.
But with intent.
"Not yet."
Ren felt the words enter him like cold air.
He stepped back.
The shadow stepped forward once.
Stopping at the edge of the clearing, where the light dimmed.
"You are not ready."
Ren tightened his grip on the staff.
"Ready for what?"
The shadow turned slightly.
As if pointing to a path—not toward the forest's exit.Not toward the colossus.Not toward the fragment.
But deeper.
Darker.
Lower.
A chill crawled up Ren's spine.
And the shadow finished:
"To follow me."
Then it vanished.
Gone.
As if it had never existed.
Borin cursed loudly.
Draven collapsed on the ground.
Lyra placed both hands on Ren's face.
"Don't follow him.Ren… don't follow him."
Ren breathed slowly.
The broken echo tightened inside his chest.
And he answered:
"Not now."
Lyra exhaled and pulled him into an embrace.
Borin lowered his axe, still shaking.
Draven fainted with his eyes open.
Ren looked at the path the shadow indicated.
The forest felt darker there.
Quieter.
Deeper.
"But one day…" he whispered,"…I'll have to follow."