The Watcher in the Dark

As Gean and Lora moved cautiously through the dense underbrush of southern Brebos, the air grew thick with tension. The forest was ancient, its gnarled roots twisting over the ground like skeletal fingers. A cold wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and something else—something rotten.

The Circle Enforcers had gathered here in response to unsettling reports. Locals before their disappear had spoken of figures moving in the woods at night, of strange whispers carried by the wind, of hunters who never returned.

"Stay alert," Gean whispered, scanning the surroundings. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade, the leather grip worn from years of use. Moonlight filtered through the dense canopy above, casting eerie patterns on the forest floor. Lora, walking slightly ahead, nodded, her sharp eyes scanning the darkness.

They were not alone. Other Enforcers patrolled the perimeter, their lanterns flickering like fireflies in the dark. Shadows shifted between the trees, some tricks of the light—others... something else.

A rustle. A shape moving in the corner of Gean's vision.

Then—a figure darted past them.

It was barely visible, a blur in the dim light. Too quick. Too silent.

Gean's pulse spiked. "Did you see that?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Lora nodded, her brow furrowed. "It was too fast… almost like it vanished."

She turned in the direction it had gone, scanning the trees, but there was nothing. The forest was still. Too still. No birds, no insects—just silence.

Then the reports started coming in. One by one, the other Enforcers stationed around the perimeter began to disappear.

At first, it was just odd gaps in communication. A flickering lantern abandoned on the ground. A distant voice calling out, then cut short.

Then came the whispers.

Not human. Not natural.

Low, crawling through the air, seeping into their bones. Words they couldn't quite make out.

Gean's grip tightened on his weapon. He turned to Lora, his voice steady but urgent. "We need to regroup."

She nodded. They turned back the way they came, but—something was wrong.

The path had changed. The trees looked different, taller, their twisted branches reaching down like skeletal hands. The underbrush had thickened, choking off familiar trails.

Gean swallowed hard. "Where is everyone?"

They called out, their voices cutting through the night like knives. No answer. The silence was suffocating.

Then—a breath of cold air.

A whisper slithered through the clearing, brushing against their ears like an unseen hand.

"Leave this place."

The words weren't spoken aloud. They settled inside their heads, chilling them from the inside out.

Lora's breath came fast and uneven. She turned sharply, searching the darkness. "We're being hunted," she said quietly.

Gean didn't argue. The weight in the air had changed—they were being watched.

They pressed forward, moving faster now. The lantern's glow flickered, as if something unseen was breathing too close. The whispers grew louder. The shadows shifted, stretched.

Then, from the corner of his eye, Gean saw something move.

Not like before. Not a shadow or a trick of the light. Something real.

A figure, tall and thin, just beyond the edge of the trees. Its limbs were too long, its body draped in something dark that bled into the forest around it. No face. Just the vague suggestion of eyes—watching.

Then—it was gone.

Gean's breath hitched. He turned to Lora. "Tell me you saw that."

Her face was pale, her fingers clenched around her weapon. "I saw it."

For a long moment, they just stood there, the weight of the forest pressing in on them.

Then—a scream.

Not close, but not far enough.

It was one of the Enforcers. One of their own.

Without hesitation, they ran toward the sound, crashing through the underbrush. Branches tore at their cloaks, roots threatened to trip them. The scream had come from a clearing up ahead.

As they broke through the treeline, they stopped dead.

A circle of trees. Dark, twisted. In the center—a lantern, still burning, lying on the ground.

But no sign of the Enforcer who had screamed.

Gean stepped forward cautiously. The air was heavier here,thicker. He bent down, picking up the lantern. It was still warm.

"He was just here," Lora said.

Gean looked around. The ground was untouched. No footprints. No sign anyone had ever been here.

Then—a low sound.

Not a whisper this time. Breathing.Coming from the darkness beyond the trees.

Lora turned sharply, raising her weapon. "Show yourself!" she demanded.

Silence.

Then—movement.

Something shifted just beyond the lantern's glow. Not one figure. Many.

Shadows unfurled from the darkness, tall and silent. The same faceless, elongated figures Gean had seen before—except now, there were more.

They didn't move. They only stood at the edges of the clearing, watching.

Waiting.

Gean's heartbeat thundered in his chest. His grip tightened on his blade. Lora whispered under her breath, "What are they?"

Then—one of them moved.

It didn't step forward. It didn't walk. It shifted, like a ripple in reality, suddenly closer than before.

Gean barely held back a curse. "We need to get out of here," he muttered.

Lora didn't argue. They backed away slowly, keeping their eyes on the figures. The shadows didn't follow.

The whispers returned. Soft. Lingering. Words curling at the edges of their minds.

"Leave this place."

Then—a gust of wind.

The lantern flickered out.

Darkness swallowed them whole.