The night was no longer still.
It listened.
Every shadow bent unnaturally, leaning toward Je as if the world itself demanded he speak. Yet his throat was dry, his breath shallow, his heartbeat far too loud.
[System Recalibration… Failed.]
The words carved themselves directly into his skull, jagged and raw.
> "You are not ready."
The whisper didn't come from the system.
It came from somewhere deeper. Older. A place his soul instinctively tried to flee from.
Chains clattered in his ears—though there were no chains. A great door loomed in his vision, unseen but undeniable. And behind it, a thousand unseen eyes blinked open in the dark.
[Warning: Entity Interference Detected.]
The system's voice trembled, flickering like a candle in a storm.
> "Je… you were not supposed to hear this yet."
But the whisper pressed harder, cruel and patient.
> "The Void is not waiting. It is watching. And soon, it will devour me first."
The silence that followed was worse than the words.
Because it wasn't empty.
It was smiling.
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