The forest was drowned in mist. What little moonlight tried to pierce the canopy above was swallowed whole by the thick veil, turning the woods into an endless maze of shadows. Every rustle, every distant hoot of an owl seemed louder than it should, echoing through the damp air like whispers of unseen watchers.
Kael inhaled sharply. The cold air stung his lungs, heavy with the scent of moss and wet bark. His grip tightened on the dagger in his hand, though his fingers trembled. "I have to hold on," he whispered to himself, as much a plea as a command. His heart pounded wildly, a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
Then-movement.
Something shifted within the fog. Heavy. Slow. The ground seemed to thrum beneath its weight. Kael froze, his eyes straining to pierce the darkness. That was when he saw them-two burning embers staring back at him.
Eyes.
Red, glowing, alive with hunger.
The Grath stepped forward.
The monster's massive frame emerged from the mist, its scales glistening like black stone slick with oil. Parts of its hide were torn, oozing thick, tar-like blood that smelled of rot. Its fangs jutted from its jaw, sharp and jagged, and every breath it released carried a heat so fierce it clashed with the icy night.
Kael's throat tightened. "Monster..." His voice broke, thin against the roar of the forest.
The Grath bellowed, a guttural sound that shook the branches overhead. Birds erupted into the night sky, fleeing in a frenzy. Kael staggered from the sheer force of the sound, his ears ringing.
The beast lunged.
It was too fast for something that size. A blur of claws slashed down at him. Kael ducked, but not quickly enough-the claws ripped across his shoulder.
"AAARGH!" Pain exploded through him, white-hot and blinding. Blood streamed down his arm as his body was hurled against a tree. Bark cracked beneath the impact.
Gasping for air, Kael forced himself upright. His vision spun, but he raised his dagger anyway, the only thing standing between him and death.
The Grath snarled, its rancid breath washing over him. Its claws swung again, slicing through the mist. Kael stumbled aside, barely escaping, and in desperation he slashed his dagger. The blade scraped against its flank, leaving nothing more than a shallow mark.
The beast howled, enraged. The stench from its mouth nearly made Kael retch. It opened its jaws wide, revealing teeth like swords glistening with saliva.
The forest seemed to shrink around Kael. There was no escape.
The Grath pounced
The Grath's leap was like thunder splitting the night. Its shadow swallowed Kael whole as it descended, claws outstretched, fangs glistening with the promise of death.
Kael threw himself sideways. The ground tore beneath the monster's weight, soil and roots exploding upward as if the earth itself was recoiling. Kael rolled across the damp grass, every movement sending pain lancing through his wounded shoulder. His body screamed at him to stop, but his mind spat back one truth-If I stop, I die.
The Grath turned, its bulk moving with terrifying speed. Its red eyes burned brighter in the mist, each step pounding like drums of war. Kael staggered to his feet, dagger trembling in his grip.
"Come on," he hissed through gritted teeth. "If I'm going to die here, I'll face you head-on."
The beast lunged again. Kael ducked under a swipe of its claws, the air itself shrieking from the force of the strike. Splinters of a tree trunk erupted as the Grath's arm cleaved through it like paper. Kael slashed upward in desperation. His blade bit into the monster's hide-just a shallow wound, but enough to make the creature snarl.
The sound rattled Kael's bones.
The Grath reared back, then whipped its massive tail. Kael didn't see it coming. The strike slammed into his ribs with the weight of a battering ram. He was flung through the air and crashed onto the ground, skidding across wet leaves and mud.
"Ghh-!" His lungs burned as he tried to breathe. Something hot and coppery filled his mouth-blood.
The monster stalked forward, each step deliberate, savoring its prey. Kael forced himself onto his knees, though his legs trembled violently. The dagger in his hand was slick with sweat and blood, nearly slipping from his grip.
The Grath's jaws opened. Heat rolled from within, searing even from a distance. Its breath stank of decay and ash.
Kael's vision blurred. His body screamed in agony. But in that haze, something sharp cut through-memories. His village. The laughter of children he once protected. The quiet sky he dreamed of exploring. His promise to himself that he would never run from the unknown.
"No..." Kael whispered. He planted his feet into the earth, raising his dagger once more. "I will not fall here."
The Grath roared and lunged.
And then-
Whsssh!
An arrow sliced through the fog. It struck the Grath's flank with a wet crack. The monster howled, its charge faltering.
Kael blinked, stunned. Another arrow whistled past him, burying deep into the beast's shoulder. The Grath thrashed, enraged, blood spilling black and steaming onto the grass.
"Who-?" Kael's words caught in his throat. Someone was there. Hidden in the mist. Watching. Helping.
The Grath snapped its head toward the unseen attacker, its fury boiling. For the first time, Kael saw uncertainty in those burning eyes.
A third arrow came. This one drove into the creature's leg, buckling its stance. The Grath roared, its scream tearing through the night before it turned and crashed back into the fog. Trees cracked and splintered as it vanished into the forest, leaving only silence behind.
Kael collapsed to his knees, gasping. His dagger slipped from his hand. He pressed his palm to his bleeding shoulder, eyes scanning the mist.
"Show yourself," he rasped into the silence. "Who are you?"
A figure emerged.
Step by step, from the thick fog, a man appeared-tall, cloaked, his face half-hidden beneath a hood. In his hand was a longbow, carved with symbols Kael had never seen. His presence carried a weight heavier than the forest itself.
The man stopped a few paces away, his gaze unreadable.
"You shouldn't be here," he said, his voice low, steady, carrying a strange resonance that made the hairs on Kael's neck rise.
Kael's breath caught. His savior was no ordinary wanderer.
The forest had fallen silent, as if every living thing was holding its breath. Even the mist seemed to grow thicker around them, shrouding the world in secrecy.
Kael forced himself to his feet, though his knees buckled under his own weight. Pain radiated from his shoulder, warm blood soaking through his tunic. His dagger lay abandoned at his side, but he didn't reach for it. The man before him radiated no hostility, and yet his presence was more unnerving than the monster itself.
"Who are you?" Kael's voice cracked, a raw whisper.
The hooded man did not answer immediately. Instead, he studied Kael with eyes like shards of silver, sharp and unyielding, glowing faintly in the dim light. When he finally spoke, his words rolled like a distant thunderstorm-measured, deliberate.
"You stood against the Grath," the man said. "Most would have fled. Yet you remained, even when death was certain."
Kael swallowed hard. His heart still pounded, though now less from fear and more from the weight of being seen-truly seen. "I... I didn't have a choice."
"There is always a choice," the man replied, tilting his head slightly. "And you chose to fight. That is not nothing."
Kael stared, unsure how to respond. He wanted to ask who this man was, why he was here, how he wielded such precise power with his bow-but the words tangled in his throat.
Instead, the silence stretched between them.
The stranger finally lowered his hood. His features came into view-dark hair streaked with silver at the temples, a sharp jawline, and eyes that seemed older than the forest itself. Though his face carried no obvious scars, there was a weight in his gaze, as though he had seen countless battles and borne every one of them alone.
Kael shivered.
"You shouldn't linger," the man said at last, his tone cutting through the quiet. "The Grath will return. They always do."
Kael blinked. "They? You mean... there are more of them?"
The man's expression hardened. "The one you fought tonight was only a fragment of a greater storm. If you value your life, leave these woods and never return."
Kael's fists clenched at his sides. "I can't just walk away."
Something flickered in the man's silver eyes-curiosity, perhaps even the faintest trace of respect. "Then you're either braver than most... or more foolish."
The silence returned, heavier now. The mist coiled around them like listening spirits.
Finally, the man stepped closer. His boots made no sound on the damp earth, as though the forest itself parted for him. He stopped within arm's reach of Kael, his gaze boring into him.
"Tell me your name."
Kael hesitated, but found his voice. "Kael."
The man studied him for a long moment, then nodded once. "Kael... Remember this night well. It will not be the last time you face the darkness. But the next time, you may not be so fortunate."
Without another word, he turned away, fading back into the fog as silently as he had come.
Kael took a step forward. "Wait! At least tell me-why did you save me?"
The man did not look back. His voice drifted through the mist, quiet but unmistakable.
"Because the world has plans for you, Kael. Greater than you can yet see."
And then he was gone.
The forest swallowed him whole.
Kael stood frozen, his breath shallow, the echo of those words anchoring in his chest. The pain in his body remained, but now another fire burned within him-questions, endless questions, and a strange pull toward a destiny he couldn't yet name
The mist lingered long after the stranger vanished, wrapping the forest in a suffocating quiet. Kael pressed his hand against his bleeding shoulder, wincing as he staggered toward the nearest tree for support. His body was battered, but his thoughts were louder than the pain.
The world has plans for you...
Those words clung to him like chains and wings all at once-binding him with mystery, yet pulling him toward something greater. He wanted to deny it, to say he was just a wanderer, a dreamer chasing horizons. But deep down, he knew. Tonight had changed everything.
The Grath was real. And so was the man cloaked in mist.
Kael sank to the forest floor, back against the rough bark of a tree. His breath steadied as the night sounds slowly returned-the distant call of an owl, the rustle of leaves in the wind. Nature, uncaring, moved on as though nothing had happened. But Kael could not.
He clenched his fists.
If monsters like the Grath truly walked the world, then his journey was no longer just about discovery. It was survival. It was truth. And perhaps, if the stranger's words were to be believed, it was fate.
His gaze lifted toward the faint glow of the moon breaking through the fog. "If this world has plans for me," he whispered to the night, "then I'll meet them head-on. No matter how dark the path."
He pushed himself upright, every muscle screaming in protest. His legs shook, but they carried him forward, step by step, until he found the edge of the forest. Beyond lay a stretch of winding hills, their slopes silvered by moonlight. The world seemed endless from here-vast, dangerous, breathtaking.
Kael drew in a shaky breath. Pain shadowed his body, but inside, something else stirred-resolve.
Tomorrow, he would leave the village behind. Tomorrow, the real journey would begin.
Unseen by Kael, far deeper in the forest, a pair of silver eyes watched from the mist. The stranger lingered still, his bow at his side, his gaze fixed on the young wanderer who had dared to stand against the darkness.
"Let us see," the man murmured to the fog. "Let us see how far you can walk this path."
The wind carried his words away, leaving only silence.
And with that, the chapter closed.
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