The Echo of a Dream

A cold shiver ran down Veil's spine as a light breeze brushed against his skin, lifting his hair slightly. He slowly opened his eyes, but his vision was blurred, veiled by a lingering mist that prevented him from making out his surroundings. A faint dizziness gripped him as he rubbed his eyelids with trembling hands, trying to dispel the confusion clouding his mind.

What he saw next froze him in place.

Before him stretched a vast body of water, dark red and ominous—thick and heavy in color, almost like coagulated blood. The sky above was a sinister scarlet, pressing down on him, a silent weight that smothered all hope of light. No stars, no breeze, only a stifling silence.

Veil looked around, heart pounding harder. Alynia… She was nowhere to be seen.

Alynia? Where did she go…? he thought, worried.

He took a hesitant step, realizing that his body floated slightly above the water's surface. The absence of solid ground beneath his feet deeply unsettled him. He looked down, expecting to see his reflection—but there was nothing except that stagnant, reddish sea, unmoving and silent.

Is this an illusion? A dream… or something worse? he wondered, disturbed.

He drew a deep breath, trying to calm his mind, now swarming with questions. Slowly, he stood upright, legs unsteady without anything firm beneath him. The balance felt unstable, and his breathing quickened as he extended his arms for equilibrium. The invisible floor gave the terrifying impression that he could fall at any moment, despite its unnatural stability.

This isn't real… It can't be, he thought, anxious.

He walked forward, uncertain. Time seemed to hold no meaning here, each step echoing through an oppressive silence. No landmarks, no horizon—only the still, mirror-like water refusing to reflect him.

The air was thick, almost suffocating, tainted by a metallic scent he couldn't quite place. The taste of blood clung to his tongue, though he hadn't drunk a thing.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and called out:

"Alynia!" Veil cried, anxious.

But no sound left his lips. They moved, his throat vibrated—but nothing came out. An abyssal silence swallowed all sound, as if this place denied the very existence of the human voice.

What's happening here… Why can't I speak? he panicked inwardly.

He tried again, with more force, shouting Alynia's name—but only the ghostly sensation of his vocal cords answered him. This silence… it wasn't natural. It was cold, omnipresent, like an invisible entity watching his every move.

Tension crept into his muscles, gradually locking them up. A discomforting chill ran down his spine.

Something… is watching me, he thought, alert.

The idea hit him with undeniable force. He wasn't alone. But where? How? His eyes scoured the horizon, searching for any anomaly in the uniform surroundings. There was nowhere to hide. The water was smooth as glass, and the sky stretched endlessly without a single obstruction.

If nothing's there… then why do I feel this heavy gaze? he wondered, uneasy.

His breath shortened slightly, becoming irregular under the pressure. Clenching his fists, he stepped back slightly, bracing for… something. Anything. But still—nothing.

He then attempted the only logical act that came to mind: provoking the unseen presence. He took a deep breath and shouted:

"Show yourself!" he yelled, defiant.

But once again, no sound broke through this frozen space. Only the faint noise of water beneath his feet echoed back—a distant, almost mocking resonance.

Helplessness swelled within him, a quiet rage layering over his fear. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to control the unbearable tension.

Calm down… Breathe. Keep a cool head, he told himself, determined.

When he opened his eyes again, his gaze was sharper, colder. If he couldn't make a sound, if he couldn't find Alynia, then he at least had to understand this place… find a clue.

He started walking again, moving slowly, his steps sending gentle ripples through the water beneath him. Every movement felt meaningless, every step identical to the last. He was lost in a world with no beginning and no end.

The sensation of being watched never left him. It even intensified, clinging to him like invisible mist, wrapping him in a suffocating atmosphere. His breathing shortened, his eyes grew sharper.

How long will I wander here… and is this even a dream… or something worse? he wondered, tense.

He tried to push away the doubts that gnawed at him, focusing on his steps, on the reality of his body, trying to anchor his mind to something tangible. But Alynia's absence, the solitude, and the silence were slowly wearing him down.

No… I have to find her. I have to understand, he thought, worried.

Veil kept moving forward, determined to break this nightmare, to escape this illusion… or to find its heart.

But just as he began to lose hope, a strange sensation washed over him. A chilling shiver crawled down his spine, as if an invisible hand brushed against his skin. He froze, breath caught, as a dense fog erupted all around him, rising from nothingness as if blown by some unseen force.

The air grew heavy, crushing, each breath more difficult than the last. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see something through the thickening haze, but it seemed to grow denser by the second, enclosing him in a spectral cocoon.

What is this…? This isn't normal… Veil thought, panicked.

His heart pounded violently in his chest, and a cold sweat slid down his temple. He felt panic creep up inside him, slowly, gnawing at the last threads of composure he had left.

He took a few steps back, but the atmosphere around him seemed frozen, like the entire world was holding its breath.

Then suddenly, laughter—coming from nowhere—shattered the deafening silence.

A laugh that seemed to pierce his soul—cold, mocking, inhumanly cruel. The sound sent a shiver through every fiber of his being, and he felt his knees buckle beneath him. Veil collapsed, breath ragged, hands pressing instinctively against his head in a desperate attempt to block out the horror.

"Stop… Stop it…" he gasped, voice low.

But the laughter only grew louder, echoing all around him, vibrating through the air thick with a dark, oppressive energy.

Why… Why can't I escape…? he panicked.

He dared to lift his eyes, desperately searching for an exit, and his heart clenched in his chest.

The mist around him rose into a swirling spiral, spiraling like a sinister storm, closing off his field of view into complete darkness. The fog thickened further, slowly dancing, oppressive, trapping him in a snare from which there was no escape.

Veil spun in place, his frantic gaze searching the darkness—but nothing… nothing but absolute void.

Then, in that crushing blackness, something emerged.

Two red points.

At first distant, they slowly grew larger, taking on a sinister shape. Two massive eyelids opened before him, revealing glowing red eyes that stared at him with terrifying intensity.

This… isn't real… I'm dreaming, I must be dreaming, he remained frozen.

But his body refused to move.

Then, beneath those demonic eyes, a gaping mouth slowly took shape, stretching into a predatory grin. The teeth revealed within were terrifyingly sharp—blades, ready to tear through flesh and life alike.

Veil tried to step back, but his legs wouldn't respond. Total paralysis overtook him, his muscles stretched like cords ready to snap.

A deep, mocking voice emanated from that monstrous mouth, each word striking his fragile mind like a hammer blow.

"So weak… so useless," mocked a cruel voice.

Veil felt his breath catch, his heart pounding so hard it hurt. He wanted to look away, but the intensity of those eyes held him captive, refusing to let him flee.

The creature exhaled a chilling breath that swept through the air, lashing Veil's face like an invisible blade. His stomach twisted from the sheer terror of its presence.

A silence fell, and for a brief moment, Veil thought the thing had gone quiet. But it was only a temporary reprieve.

The voice returned—closer now, more insidious.

"A pathetic being… Your life is nothing more than a cozy little cocoon," it hissed, threatening.

Veil clenched his fists, trying to resist, but his will felt crushed beneath the weight of those words.

"I'll remind you of that very soon," it added with a mocking grin.

Another laugh followed, shriller, deeper, echoing like a deadly promise.

Then, without warning, the darkness consumed him.

The mist, the red water, the crimson sky… all vanished in an instant, plunging him into utter blackness—a void so complete he could no longer tell up from down, reality from illusion.

A wave of vertigo swept over him, his body falling into that endless, formless abyss.

No… no, I have to… I have to wake up… he thought, panicked.

But there was nothing left except this endless fall and the weight of the words still echoing in his mind, whispering that he was nothing, that he had never been anything.

Then suddenly, his eyes snapped open, a bright light hitting him head-on. The contrast with the utter darkness he had just escaped made him grunt, his eyelids fluttering under the sun's glare. His vision, still blurry, filled with indistinct shapes before finally settling on a familiar face.

Alynia was leaning over him, her ears twitching with concern as she shook his shoulder insistently. Her breathing was short, her piercing blue eyes reflecting an unusual tension.

"Little Wolf, wake up!" Alynia shouted, worried and urgent.

Veil stared at her, his mind still fogged by the nightmare he had just crawled out of. The soft grass beneath him, the gentle sound of the stream, and the breeze caressing his face all felt almost unreal.

"I'm still dreaming…? No, this is different," Veil muttered, confused.

He sat up with effort, bringing a hand to his head as Alynia shook him again, this time more firmly.

"Come on, get up! Something strange is happening," Alynia pressed, impatient.

Veil blinked several times, finally sitting up fully.

"Sorry… I must've fallen asleep without realizing it," Veil replied, hesitant.

Alynia raised a hand, cutting him off immediately.

"No time for that. Look!" she snapped.

She pointed toward the forest. Veil followed her gaze and immediately felt a chill run down his spine.

A greenish mist was slowly creeping across the ground, spreading like a silent wave—but that wasn't what disturbed him most. It was being drawn into the nearby trees, their bark cracking with a sinister sound, like wood burning from the inside. The acrid scent of scorched sap filled the air, sharp and unsettling.

"It smells bad… Literally," Veil muttered, alert.

The trees twisted slightly under the strange transformation, their bark creaking with an eerie sound, like bones shattering under extreme pressure.

Alynia, on high alert, bent her knees slightly, unsheathing her claws with a fluid motion. Her gaze never left the trees as she instinctively crouched, ready to pounce.

"Smells like a trap, Little Wolf…" Alynia said in a grave tone.

Veil, still rattled from what he'd just experienced, stood up with effort, one hand clutching his aching arm before drawing his dagger in a swift motion. He pinched his arm hard, hoping to shake off the lingering sense of being trapped in a dream.

"This is real… This pain is real. I'm not hallucinating," Veil muttered with resolve.

He turned his attention back to the mist as it began to fade, revealing something even more disturbing.

The bark of the trees suddenly split open, as if sliced from within. Massive crevices formed, and humanoid shapes began to emerge slowly, their silhouettes peeling away from the very substance of the trunks.

"What the hell is this…" he muttered under his breath, tense.

The creatures that emerged were made of hardened wood, their bodies shaped as if carved for combat. Their slender limbs were lined with sharp branches, like deadly blades. Their hands had become nothing but tapered wooden spikes, sharpened like daggers.

The worst part was their faces. Their hollow sockets, glowing with a ghostly white light, stared unblinking at Veil and Alynia. Their mouths, formed from tangled splinters, stretched into sinister grins, revealing a malevolent hunger.

"Sylvoïds…" Alynia whispered, her voice low and tense.

Veil turned to her, surprised by the strange familiarity in her tone.

"You know them?" Veil asked, surprised.

Alynia, eyes locked on the creatures slowly spreading out around them, shook her head.

"I've heard of them… but I've never faced one," she admitted, hesitant.

She clenched her fists, her claws gleaming under the dim light filtering through the canopy.

"And I don't know how to kill them," she added grimly.

The tension rose sharply. The Sylvoïds were numerous—maybe fifty—emerging from the trees with a disturbing rustle. Their movements were fluid, almost organic, despite their wooden nature. They advanced slowly, silently encircling Veil and Alynia, their bodies creaking with every step.

As the mist that had lingered along the ground finally lifted, the full extent of the monsters was revealed. Then, in perfect unison, each Sylvoïd raised its head, their empty sockets fixing on Veil and Alynia.

A heavy silence fell over the forest.

And suddenly, a piercing screech rang out, tearing through the air.

The creatures violently swung their arms, their sharp limbs slicing the air in jagged, threatening motions, as if to declare their deadly intent.

Veil took a deep breath, tightening his grip on his dagger.

"Alright… Looks like we've officially got trouble," he muttered, tense.

Alynia, eyes burning with determination, stepped up beside him, claws at the ready.

"You ready, Little Wolf?" Alynia asked, serious.

Veil nodded, a nervous smile tugging at his lips.

"Like I've got a choice," Veil replied, resolute.

The Sylvoïds remained still, their empty gazes fixed on Veil and Alynia, as if silently sizing them up. The screech rang out again—louder, more suffocating—as their limbs twitched, producing sharp, cracking noises.

Alynia rose slightly, claws poised, her gaze locked on their hesitant movements.

The wait was suffocating. But the fight was only seconds away.