Dark Bound

The voice was familiar, yet it felt distant, like a whisper from another world. He froze, unsure if he had heard it correctly. Had the man just said "Nyx"?

He turned around quickly, his heart racing as he tried to find where the voice came from. He stumbled back into the hut, breathing hard like he had just run a long way. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it, hoping the door would keep the fear out. His hands shook, and his heart thumped loudly in his ears.

The whispers of his name—Nyx—echoed in his head, making him shiver. "So, I'm Nyx now... yeah, it's the game world, and they don't know my real name... that's why she called me Nyx... but... who is she? I've never met her before while playing the game..."

It didn't make sense. Nothing did. His room, his world, the game—everything he knew—was gone, replaced by this strange, mysterious village.

He took a deep breath and looked around the room again, hoping to find something—anything—that might give him a hint. His eyes landed on the carvings on the walls. They were detailed, twisting patterns that looked almost alive, moving just a little when he wasn't looking directly at them. Shapes of eyes, roots, and crescent moons seemed to appear and disappear in the rough wood.

He ran his fingers along one of the lines, trying to remember every detail and keep it in his mind. It didn't make sense; none of it fit together. He'd never seen anything like it. Was this some strange dream? But if it was, why was he seeing things that felt real? What was happening to him? Just as if answering his question, a gentle breeze blew through the house, flowing from the doorway toward the small window.

Kai swallowed hard. "This has to be part of the game," he muttered, trying to convince himself. "It's just an advanced level. An expansion. Something I missed in the update notes."

But deep down, he knew the truth. This wasn't a game anymore. This was something else entirely.

The soft hum of the stones outside filled the air, a constant reminder of the village's strange energy. Kai pushed away from the door and walked over to the small table in the center of the room. A simple bowl of water sat on it, reflecting the flickering light from the lantern. Next to the folded parchment was a small book titled 'The Book of Time', its edges worn and torn. The cover page had an image of the blood moon that pulsed gently. Kai picked it up and opened the book—a single word swam across the page in front of his eyes.

'Nyx!!'

Kai froze, the weight of the word pressing down on his mind. He flipped through the pages, and it looked like an encyclopedia—a guide through his game.

"At least this game did one thing right," he thought, recognizing the vampire language called Mordrith.

Curious, he picked it up the letter and opened it. The handwriting was jagged and uneven, like it had been written in a hurry:

"ᗴ𓂀⊗↯ ⩯⊳⊗⊱ Ϟ⩯⊗𓂀 ⍂⩯⊗ ⩯⊱⊗ 𓂀⊗⊱ Ϟ⊱⩯ 𓂀⊗⊱ ⨸⊱⚝ ⨁↯⩯ ⩯⊱⊗ Ϟ⊱⩯⩯ ⨸⊱⊗ Ϟ⩯⊗⩯⩯"

He matched each letter with the symbols in the book and was shocked to read it.

"The blood moon calls. Remember the path. Follow the roots. Trust no one."

Kai stared at the message, his blood running cold. The strange warning only added to the mystery. He turned the parchment over, hoping for more, but the other side was blank.

His grip tightened on the note. "Follow the roots?" he whispered. His mind raced to the massive oak tree in the village square, its glowing roots stretching out like veins. Were they meant to guide him somewhere? And who had left this note?

The questions kept piling up, with no answers in sight.

Unable to sit still, Kai stepped back outside, feeling the cold, damp air against his face. The blood moon still hung high above, casting everything in a red glow. He looked around the village, watching the villagers move through the narrow paths with an eerie, purposeful grace. Despite their simple clothes and modest homes, there was something unsettlingly determined about the way they moved.

Kai moved cautiously, staying close to the shadows as he wandered through the village. His curiosity clashed with his fear. He had to understand more about this place, these people—and why they seemed so real… yet different. They were beautiful, but there was something about them that felt dangerous.

As he passed by the fountain of flowers, he caught sight of an unfamiliar face in the water's reflection. A boy was kneeling beside a pile of white petals, gazing intently at a small stone in the center of the pool. Kai watched as the boy picked it up with both hands, holding it tightly while he studied it. He looked at the water around it, frowning. His eyebrows furrowed, and he shook his head. Then, without warning, the boy tossed the stone aside and stood up, walking quickly through the crowd of villagers.

Kai followed, staying close to the wall, until he passed a small group of villagers gathered around a fire. They spoke in low, musical voices, their language unfamiliar to Kai. But as he listened, certain words seemed to echo in his mind, like they were just on the edge of being understood.

A young girl spotted him and tugged at her mother's sleeve, whispering something. The woman glanced at Kai, her glowing violet eyes narrowing. Kai tensed, ready to run, but the woman simply nodded and went back to her conversation.

Kai let out a shaky breath. They weren't hostile—but they weren't welcoming, either.

As he moved further, Kai's steps took him toward the edge of the village, where the trees grew thicker and the air grew colder. The hum of the stones beneath his feet faded, replaced by the soft rustling of the blood-red leaves overhead.

"Nyx," a voice called softly again, and Kai froze.

Turning, he saw a figure standing at the edge of the tree line. It was a woman, her cloak tattered, her face hidden beneath a hood. Her amber eyes glowed faintly in the shadow, watching him closely.

Kai approached cautiously, his heart pounding. "You keep calling me that. Why? Who are you?"

The woman tilted her head slightly. "You don't remember," she said, her voice low and filled with something Kai couldn't quite understand—pity, maybe. "You've forgotten who you are."

"I'm not Nyx," Kai snapped, frustration bubbling over. "I'm Kai. I was… I was playing a game, and now I'm here. Stuck. I just want to get back home."

The woman's lips curved into a faint smile. "Home?" she repeated, her tone almost mocking. "There is no home for you anymore, Nyx. The blood moon has chosen you. You are bound to this place now."

Kai shook his head, stepping back. "No. That's not true. This is just… some twisted dream or part of the game. I'll figure out how to beat it."

The woman stepped closer, her movements unnervingly smooth. "You think this is a game? That you're a player?" She chuckled softly, the sound empty of humor. "Then go on. Play, Nyx. See how far you get before the Veil consumes you."

Kai clenched his fists. "Why don't you just tell me how to get out of here?"

The woman's glowing eyes fixed on him, intense and unblinking. "The only way out is through. Survive the trials. Face the blood moon's will. But beware, Nyx—this world remembers. And it will not forget your choices."

She smiled, her expression sharp and knowing. "You shouldn't curse the Darklord."