The forest grew stranger with every step they took. It wasn't just the trees—though the trees were unsettling enough, with their spiraling trunks and leaves that shimmered like liquid gemstones—it was the air itself. It felt thick, heavy, almost viscous, as if they were walking through the breath of something ancient and half-awake. The deeper they went, the more Elias felt like the forest was watching them.
Not metaphorically. Literally watching.
Some trees had knots shaped like eyes. Others had bark patterns that resembled faces twisted in silent screams. And every time Elias blinked, he swore the patterns shifted.
He clung to the Trial Beast's back, fingers buried in the creature's newly hardened scales. The beast walked with a confidence it absolutely did not have two hours ago, its tail swaying proudly as if it had always been a miniature dragon-dog hybrid. Its paws left faint glowing prints on the moss, each one pulsing softly before fading.
Elias stared at the glowing footprints. "Why is everything glowing? Why is the ground glowing? Why is the air glowing? Why is my life glowing?"
Lira didn't turn around. She walked ahead with her dagger drawn, cloak brushing silently against the underbrush. "Because this part of the forest is saturated with system energy. It's unstable."
"Unstable like… dangerous unstable? Or unstable like my mental health?"
"Yes," Lira replied.
"That wasn't a yes-or-no question."
"It was."
Elias groaned loudly. "I hate this place."
Dorian marched beside them, chest puffed out, cape fluttering dramatically even though there was no wind. He had somehow managed to keep his helmet—shaped like a chicken, for reasons Elias refused to question—perfectly polished despite falling into bushes every ten minutes.
"Fear not, companions!" Dorian declared, raising his sword. "For I, Dorian the Magnificent, shall protect you from all dangers!"
A branch immediately swung down and smacked him in the face.
Elias snorted. "The forest hates you too."
"The forest respects me!" Dorian insisted, rubbing his nose.
Another branch slapped him.
Elias nodded. "It definitely hates you."
The Trial Beast growled softly, ears twitching. Elias patted its neck. "What is it, buddy? Another world-correction monster? A glitch wolf? A reality-eating squirrel? Please don't be a reality-eating squirrel."
Lira raised a hand. "Quiet."
The forest obeyed.
The silence was immediate and absolute. No birds. No insects. No rustling leaves. Even the faint hum of system energy seemed to dim.
Elias swallowed. "I don't like this."
"You don't like anything," Lira said.
"That's because everything keeps trying to kill me!"
A faint whisper drifted through the trees. It wasn't a voice—not exactly. It was the sound of leaves brushing together in a pattern that felt intentional, like a message carried by the wind.
Except there was no wind.
Dorian straightened. "A message from the spirits!"
Lira glared. "It's not spirits."
Elias whispered, "Please don't be spirits…"
The whisper grew louder, circling them like a breeze that didn't exist. The trees leaned inward, branches curling like fingers reaching for them.
Elias clutched the Trial Beast's fur. "Nope. No. No. I'm done. I'm leaving. Goodbye."
"You're not going anywhere," Lira said, grabbing his collar before he could flee.
The whisper condensed into a single point of sound.
Then a figure stepped out from behind a tree.
Elias froze. Lira tensed. Dorian gasped dramatically. The Trial Beast sat down and stared like it was watching a theater performance.
The figure was a girl—young, maybe Elias's age, with long silver hair that floated as if underwater. Her eyes glowed faintly, and her feet didn't touch the ground. She wore a robe made of translucent fabric that shimmered like moonlight, and the air around her rippled gently, bending the light.
Elias whispered, "Oh no… she's floating. Floating people are never good."
The girl tilted her head. "You are the variable."
Elias screamed. "STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
Lira stepped forward. "Identify yourself."
The girl blinked slowly, as if processing the question took effort. "I am… the Echo."
Dorian gasped. "A mystical title!"
Elias whispered, "That sounds like a boss fight."
The Echo drifted closer, her feet still hovering above the ground. The trees bent away from her, as if afraid to touch her.
"You do not belong here," she said softly.
Elias threw his hands up. "I KNOW! I'VE BEEN SAYING THAT SINCE CHAPTER ONE!"
The Echo ignored him. "The world bends around you. It breaks. It corrects. It suffers."
Elias pointed at himself. "I suffer too!"
"You are the cause."
"I DIDN'T ASK TO BE!"
The Echo's eyes glowed brighter. "The Administrator watches you."
Elias froze. "He WHAT?"
Lira's grip tightened on her dagger. "You know the Administrator?"
"I am a fragment," the Echo said. "A remnant of the world before the systems."
Dorian whispered, "Ancient lore…"
Elias whispered, "Ancient horror…"
The Echo raised a hand. The air rippled, and a small orb of light appeared above her palm. It pulsed gently, like a heartbeat.
"This is a warning," she said. "The Administrator has taken interest in you. That interest is dangerous."
Elias groaned. "Everything is dangerous!"
The Echo drifted closer until she hovered directly in front of him. Her glowing eyes locked onto his.
"You must not trust him."
Elias blinked. "I don't trust ANYONE!"
"Good," she said.
Then she vanished.
No flash. No sound. No ripple.
Just gone.
The forest exhaled, branches relaxing, leaves settling.
Elias stared at the empty space. "What… what was that?"
Lira sheathed her dagger. "A warning."
Dorian nodded sagely. "A prophecy."
Elias shook his head. "A nightmare."
The Trial Beast nudged him gently, as if agreeing.
Elias sighed. "I hate this forest."
Lira started walking again. "We need to move. If the Administrator is watching, we can't stay in one place."
Dorian raised his sword. "Onward, companions!"
Elias groaned. "I refuse to die today…"
The forest whispered back.
For now.
They walked deeper into the woods, and the atmosphere shifted again. The trees grew taller, their branches intertwining overhead to form a canopy so dense that only faint beams of light pierced through. The ground was covered in thick moss that glowed faintly with each step, illuminating their path like a trail of stars.
Elias stared at the glowing moss. "Why is everything glowing? Why can't anything be normal?"
"Because normal is boring," Dorian said proudly.
"Normal is safe!" Elias snapped.
Lira ignored them both. "Stay alert. The Echo's presence means this area is unstable."
"Unstable like—"
"Yes," Lira said before he could finish.
Elias groaned. "I hate you."
"No, you don't."
"I do."
"You don't."
"I do!"
"You don't."
Dorian raised a hand. "Children, please. The forest is listening."
The forest rustled ominously.
Elias glared. "See? Even the forest is judging me."
They continued walking until they reached a clearing. The air here felt different—colder, heavier, as if something massive had passed through recently. The ground was scorched in places, and the trees around the clearing were twisted unnaturally, their trunks bent at impossible angles.
Elias shivered. "What happened here?"
Lira knelt and touched the ground. "A correction event."
Dorian gasped. "A battle between gods!"
"No," Lira said. "A glitch."
Elias groaned. "Why is everything a glitch?"
"Because you exist," Lira said.
"I DIDN'T ASK TO EXIST!"
The Trial Beast sniffed the air, then growled softly.
Lira stood. "Something's coming."
Elias froze. "No. No. NO. I'm done. I'm leaving. Goodbye."
"You're not leaving," Lira said, grabbing his collar again.
The air shimmered.
A ripple spread across the clearing, distorting the trees like a heatwave. The ground trembled, and a low hum filled the air.
Elias clung to the Trial Beast. "Please don't be a monster. Please don't be a monster. Please don't be a monster—"
A monster stepped out of the distortion.
It had six legs, three eyes, and a mouth that opened sideways. Its body flickered like a glitching hologram, parts of it phasing in and out of existence. Its movements were jerky, unnatural, as if it was being rendered incorrectly.
Elias whispered, "Nope."
Lira drew her dagger. "Stay behind me."
Dorian raised his sword, dropped it, picked it up, then dropped it again.
Elias whispered, "We're going to die."
The creature lunged.
Lira dodged gracefully. Dorian screamed and hid behind a tree. Elias tripped over nothing and fell on his face.
The Trial Beast charged.
"NO!" Elias cried. "YOU'RE TOO SMALL!"
The beast headbutted the monster.
The monster blinked.
Then fell over.
Dead.
Elias froze. Lira froze. Dorian froze. The Trial Beast wagged its tail proudly.
Elias whispered, "What… just happened?"
"Your beast killed it," Lira said.
"Incredible!" Dorian shouted.
"He's… strong?" Elias asked.
The Trial Beast growled proudly.
Elias hugged it. "I love you."
The beast licked his face.
Lira pointed forward. "We need to move."
Dorian raised his sword. "Onward!"
Elias climbed onto the Trial Beast's back. "Please don't kill me."
The beast roared proudly.
And the three Chosen—one competent, one chaotic, one catastrophically stupid—continued deeper into the forest, unaware that the Administrator was watching with a smile.
Elias whispered, "I refuse to die today…"
The forest whispered back.
Not yet.