The Watching Ones

Ezra's grip on his dagger tightened.

The faces in the mist didn't move. They didn't blink.

Just… watched.

Their mouths stretched too wide, as if frozen mid scream. But no sound came out.

The whisper inside his head stirred.

"They see you."

Ezra exhaled through his nose. "Yeah, no kidding."

The faces shifted , melting in and out of the fog. Familiar and unfamiliar. Some looked human. Others… didn't.

His fingers twitched. "They going to attack?"

"No."

Ezra frowned. "Then what do they want?"

The voice was silent for a moment.

"To see if you belong."

Ezra's stomach twisted. "And if I don't?"

The fog thickened.

And then— a single voice.

Not a whisper. Not inside his head.

A real, rasping voice , coming from the mist.

"What are you?"

Ezra's breath hitched.

The words weren't aggressive.

But they weren't friendly either.

They were… curious.

Ezra swallowed. "That depends. Who's asking?"

A pause.

Then— a shape moved.

From the swirling fog, a figure emerged.

Not quite human. Not quite anything.

Its body was thin , stretched unnaturally, its limbs slightly too long. Its face was hidden behind a mask of writhing shadows.

And yet, its eyes —

They were the only thing visible.

Two pinpricks of cold, silver light.

The other faces in the mist vanished.

Ezra forced his breathing to steady. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

The silver eyed figure tilted its head.

"You are an intruder."

Ezra tensed. "That's not my fault."

"No."

The figure stepped forward, silent. Unnaturally silent.

"But it is your burden."

Ezra exhaled sharply. "Let me guess. This is another test?"

The fog pulsed.

The silver eyes burned into him.

"No. This is a choice."

Ezra's fingers curled. "You people and your choices."

"That is what the Path is."

The figure raised a hand.

The fog behind it twisted , warping into two shapes.

On one side— a doorway, tall and black. A passage deeper into the unknown.

On the other— a figure, bound in chains. Their body shuddering , half submerged in the mist.

Ezra's pulse pounded.

The silver eyed being spoke.

"Step through the door, and the Path continues."

Ezra's gaze shifted to the chained figure. "And them?"

"Take them, and you gain strength. But you will remain here."

Ezra frowned. "You're saying if I absorb them, I get stronger—but I can't leave?"

"For now."

Ezra clenched his jaw. "And if I refuse both?"

The silver eyes flashed.

"Then the mist will decide for you."

The whisper inside Ezra's head stirred again.

"Choose wisely."

Ezra exhaled.

One path forward.

One path for power.

And one path where he lost control.

He had to decide.

And he had to decide now.