Recap of the Previous Chapter
Breaking dawn should have brought safety, but instead it revealed something worse: a massive, ancient predator lurking in the forest, its golden eyes watching Kael and the others with cold intelligence. The storm eased, but the danger only grew, the pale figure and its shadows retreating as if bowing to this greater power. With the cabin half-destroyed, Kael chose to lead the group into the forest—but every step carried them deeper into a game they didn't understand.
The forest in the early light was deceptive. Rain had washed the grime and darkness away, leaving leaves glistening like emerald mirrors, while droplets clung to every branch. The mist curled around tree trunks and roots, giving the entire woodland the appearance of being suspended in another world—an otherworldly, dangerous realm where reality seemed fragile.
