The Ridge of Howls lived up to its name.
As Rey climbed the twisted path of crumbling stone and jagged roots, wind screamed between the cliffs like a chorus of wailing spirits. Each step forward sent dust tumbling into the deep ravines below. The sky was overcast, casting everything in a sickly gray hue.
He gripped the short spear Fianna had sharpened for him and checked the Seeker's Stone tied to a cord around his neck. It pulsed softly, the faint hum almost inaudible over the howling wind. So far, no danger.
Yet every instinct in Rey's body screamed: turn back.
He ignored it.
Hours passed. He found signs—broken branches, claw marks along boulders, strange black feathers soaked in slime. Nothing made sense. The air here was heavier, charged with a pressure that pressed against his skull.
Then, he saw it.
A clearing, surrounded by fractured pillars of black stone, unnatural and smooth like obsidian. In the center stood a mutilated tree, leafless and bleeding red sap. Hung from its twisted branches were the bodies of beasts—some familiar, others like nothing Rey had ever seen. All of them drained, their flesh pale and sunken.
Rey stepped closer, mouth dry. As he neared the base of the tree, the Seeker's Stone around his neck began to throb violently.
Too late.
Something dropped from above—black and fast.
Rey dodged instinctively. A thin claw missed his face by inches. He rolled and leapt back, spear raised. Standing before him was a creature that looked almost human… except its eyes were empty sockets, and bone spikes jutted from its joints. Its mouth split sideways into a grin far too wide for any normal skull.
Rey's breath hitched. "Twisted One…"
It moved with unnatural speed. He barely blocked the first slash, the impact rattling his arms. He countered, thrusting the spear into its chest—but the tip only scraped bone. The creature let out a high-pitched hiss, then lunged again.
Rey turned and ran.
He didn't flee aimlessly—he used the terrain. Slid down slopes, ducked between narrow paths, leapt over fallen rocks. The creature followed, relentless, but slower now.
He spotted a narrow crevice between two boulders. Without thinking, he slipped inside, pressing against the stone, barely breathing.
The Seeker's Stone was silent.
Minutes passed.
Then… footsteps. Slow. Dragging. Just beyond the crevice.
Rey clenched his jaw, heart pounding. The creature stood just outside—he could feel it. It sniffed the air. Its claws scraped the stone. Then… silence.
Eventually, it moved on.
Rey didn't leave the crevice for a long time.
When he finally did, the sun was gone. The Abyss had dimmed into twilight. He was bruised, bloodied, and terrified. But he was alive.
And he had seen what now hunted this realm.
He reached the edge of the cliff and looked back toward the direction of the village.
"I need to tell them," he whispered. "They're not ready."
But something else tugged at his thoughts.
That creature… it had intelligence. It didn't attack blindly. It was watching him.
And worse… when it had first appeared, it whispered something he couldn't forget.
One word.
"Human."
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