The room went silent.
Not a peaceful silence, but a heavy one… the kind that made the walls feel too close, the air too thin. Lucy couldn't breathe properly. Her pulse hammered in her throat, rapid and uneven.
Connected? To Volmer?
To that… thing from last night?
"No," Lucy said, voice shaking. "You're mistaken— I'm just a normal person. I'm not connected to anything."
The tribal man lowered his eyes.
"You may not know it… but the forest knows you. And he knows you."
Merlin stepped protectively closer to Lucy.
"She doesn't have anything to do with this tribal lore. She's just a civilian caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time."
The man shook his head slowly.
"Spirits do not choose wrong people."
His words hung in the air like smoke.
Lucy Tries to Make Sense of It
Her thoughts spiraled:
Why me? Why would some creature—some ancient forest spirit—look for me?
She grabbed the edge of the metal table to steady herself.
"I just want answers," she whispered. "I just want to know why he came to my house."
The tribal man raised his gaze again, studying her as if she were a puzzle carved into stone.
"Volmer is not human. He does not think like us. But he has a purpose. And if he came to you… then you are part of it."
Lucy's shoulders tensed, fear twisting inside her like a knotted rope.
"What purpose?" she managed.
The man exhaled slowly.
"That… I do not know."
Merlin Takes Control
Merlin stepped forward, his tone firm but not aggressive.
"That's enough for now. She's overwhelmed. And we need facts, not riddles."
The tribal man nodded respectfully. "I understand. But listen carefully to this part."
He pointed again to the cloth with the five beasts.
"These are not just symbols. They are warnings. The last time the mark appeared, our tribe lost half its people. Nature turned against humans. The forest rose like a living wall."
Lucy swallowed.
"And now?" Merlin asked.
"Now… signs are returning. Animals are attacking villages. Moonlight behaves strangely. The forest whispers at night."
Lucy remembered the blue eyes in the dark.
The wolves circling her home.
The silhouette absorbing moonlight like a living shadow.
She felt cold.
"What do we do?" she whispered.
The man's answer offered no comfort.
"We wait. And we prepare."
Leaving the Headquarters
When Merlin and Lucy stepped out of the building, the air felt different—cooler, sharper, as if the world outside had heard everything said inside those walls.
Lucy walked beside Merlin in silence.
She kept seeing the tribal man's finger pointing at her.
You are connected to Volmer.
Part of his fate.
She wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold.
Merlin walked carefully, as though expecting her to break.
"You okay?" he finally asked.
Lucy forced a small smile. "Not really."
He nodded once. "I didn't expect you to be. But I'm here."
Something about the steadiness in his voice grounded her.
They walked a few more steps before Lucy spoke again.
"Merlin… do you believe what he said? Do you think I'm connected to that creature?"
He didn't answer immediately. He looked ahead at the quiet streets, the trees swaying in the morning breeze.
Finally he exhaled.
"I don't believe in destiny or spirits," he said gently. "But I do believe in danger. And whatever that thing was last night… it came for you."
Lucy looked down at her hands.
"That's what scares me."
Merlin's voice softened.
"Lucy, I'll protect you. I won't let anything happen to you."
A wave of relief washed through her, unexpected and warm.
"Thank you," she whispered.
Back Home — Confusion Grows
After returning home, Lucy sat on her bed, hugging her knees.
Her mind wouldn't stop spinning.
She couldn't stop thinking of the tribal symbols.
The strange man with moonlit hair.
The wolves.
That overwhelming gaze.
Why did he stare at her like he recognized her?
And why did her heart beat in a strange rhythm when she thought of him?
She closed her eyes and took a trembling breath.
Who are you?
And what do you want with me?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Merlin entering with a cup of warm tea.
"You need this," he said softly.
Lucy accepted it gratefully.
"Thank you."
Merlin sat across from her.
"I've been thinking," he said. "The tribal man's story… these beasts… Volmer's disappearance… something happened thirty years ago."
Lucy looked up. "Thirty years… that's around the time my grandmother was young."
"And also," Merlin said quietly, "around when your father joined the forest bureau."
A chill crawled up her spine.
"Do you think my father knew something?"
Merlin nodded slowly.
"I think your father knew a lot more than he ever said."
Lucy's heart pounded.
The forest.
Her father's strange behavior.
His dedication.
His death.
"Merlin… do you think the werewolf—Volmer—had something to do with my father's death?"
He didn't answer right away.
"I think your father saw something the night he died," Merlin said softly. "Something he was never supposed to see."
Lucy felt tears sting her eyes.
"He wasn't supposed to die," she whispered. "He promised he would come home."
Merlin's voice lowered.
"I know. And we'll find out the truth. I swear."
Her chest tightened.
For the first time since last night, she felt a small flicker of safety.
Night Falls Again
Hours passed.
Lucy drifted to sleep on the couch while Merlin researched old tribal legends.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
The night deepened.
The air changed.
Something stirred outside.
A Whisper in the Wind
Lucy woke suddenly, heart beating fastly for no reason she could understand.
The room was dim, lit only by the streetlamp outside.
Merlin was asleep on the chair, having dozed off with papers scattered across his lap.
Everything seemed ordinary… at first.
Until she heard it.
A faint sound.
A whisper.
Not a voice—more like a breath passing through the trees.
Lucy stood slowly and walked toward the window.
The glass was cold under her fingertips.
She peered outside.
The street was empty.
The fog was thicker tonight.
Her breath caught when she saw movement in the distance.
A silhouette.
Tall.
Broad.
White hair catching the moonlight like silver flame.
Her pulse raced in a confused mixture of fear and… something else. Something she couldn't name.
The figure didn't move.
It only watched.
Lucy stepped back instinctively.
Her voice barely a whisper:
"You…"
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Then—
The wolves emerged.
Not attacking.
Not growling.
Just circling him like loyal shadows.
Lucy stumbled back and shook Merlin awake.
He jolted up instantly, instincts sharp.
"What happened?"
She pointed with trembling fingers.
"He's back."
Merlin rushed to the window.
But the figure was already fading into the fog, swallowed by the night.
The wolves vanished behind him like whispers dissolving into air.
Lucy pressed a hand to her chest.
"He came again," she whispered. "Why? Why me?"
Merlin turned slowly, his face pale.
"I don't know," he said. "But whatever is happening… it's only just beginning."