Kai’s breath hitched as the splash echoed through the ravine. His eyes darted wildly, trying to pierce the thick darkness — but all he saw were shifting shadows, ripples in the water, and the faint glow of the strange carvings on the rock walls.

  His hands clenched into trembling fists. He could feel his heart pounding in his ears. His legs moved before his mind caught up, and he sprinted — splashing deeper into the ravine, water soaking his pants, stones cutting his feet.

  Every step sounded too loud, every breath ragged. Behind him, something . Slow, deliberate. A faint scrape against stone.

  Kai’s chest tightened. But no matter how many times he whispered it, the fear kept climbing up his throat.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Above, Aiko stood at the ravine’s edge, peering into the black. The moon offered little help — the depth swallowed the light, leaving only a cold, heavy emptiness below.

  She turned, frustrated, wiping sweat from her brow.

  Not knowing he had gone deeper, Aiko hurried along the ridge, unknowingly heading in the opposite direction. Her sharp eyes scanned every tree, every rock, desperate to catch even the smallest sign of her brother. But the deeper she went into the forest, the thicker the mist became, curling at her ankles, whispering against her skin.

  Back in the ravine, Kai stumbled to a halt, chest heaving. Ahead, something shifted — a faint outline in the dark, low to the ground, almost crawling along the rock wall.

  His knees trembled. His fingers twitched at his sides.

  he told himself. But his feet wouldn’t listen. His legs were frozen in place, heart caged in fear. His body was screaming to run — but his courage was cracking, thin as glass.

  A faint glow pulsed from the carvings beside him, like a heartbeat answering his own.

  And then, from the dark, a pair of pale eyes blinked open.

  Author’s Note (After the Chapter)

  even crazier from here…

  — Author ??