Episode 4 - Scene 1: Tne next day

Location: Edge of the Forest of Macabre

A veil of shadows still clung to the sky, caught between night and dawn. William opened his eyes, but his body refused to respond. He was as though trapped in stasis, suspended between sleep and wakefulness. A shiver ran down his spine as a cold, salty sea breeze filled his lungs. Each breath awakened a dull pain in his muscles, as if his own body was punishing him for some forgotten effort.

The sand stuck to his skin, creating a paradoxical sensation: both irritating and reassuring. After years confined in hospital walls, this raw, real contact reminded him that he was alive. He finally moved, and the pain caught up with him immediately. His muscles, rusty from the inactivity of the night, protested with each motion.

— "Damn... I should've taken the Airbnb option."

His voice broke the silence, a hoarse murmur torn from the void. He rolled to his side, cracking his sore neck. A salty breeze brushed his face as he lazily pushed aside the tent's flaps.

The outside world stretched out before him, vast and indifferent. The ocean stirred with a deep rumble, its waves crashing onto the shore with a hypnotic force. The sky, stained with hues of orange and purple, was torn by a pale moon, still suspended like a sentinel between two worlds.

But it wasn't the landscape that caught his eye.

A beeping electronic sound echoed in the air. A translucent interface appeared before him, vibrating with a familiar energy.

— Update complete.— Dimensional Veil extended.— Topographical analysis improved: accuracy +25%.

William squinted. He extended his hand, and immediately, the hologram took shape in the air, projecting a map of his surroundings. But this wasn't just a simple static diagram.

The air around him shimmered slightly, as though the space itself was recalibrating. Lines of energy snaked across the ground, tracing an invisible mesh that only he could perceive. A cold shiver ran down his spine. This wasn't just a map.

It was an extension of himself.

He could feel every relief, every breeze brushing the leaves, every tiny vibration of the ground beneath his feet. When he touched a point on the interface, a static tingling ran up his fingers. A metallic taste settled on his tongue, accompanied by a fleeting sensation, as though his mind were flirting with another dimension.

He furrowed his brow, intrigued.

— "Hmm… this is even more precise than yesterday."

He scrolled the map with a fluid gesture, focusing his attention on a point in the northeast. A signal pulsed faintly. A disturbance.

— "Hmm… what's this?"

Before he could analyze further, a bluish glow flickered to his left. A ghostly figure materialized in the form of a will-o'-the-wisp: Iris.

— "Possibility of extending the Dimensional Veil. Master, would you like to increase the range of your analysis field?"

William nodded, absorbed in his thoughts.

— "Extend the range. I need to see what's there."

An imperceptible vibration passed through the air, like a wave resonating beyond the visible space.

— "Range extended to 1 kilometer."

The map stretched, revealing a more detailed topography. Every crack in the ground, every grass breeze, every tree was rendered with obsessive precision. William felt his heart rate quicken.

— "Range extended to 10 kilometers."

His breath caught.

The entire horizon was laid out before him. He could see beyond what he'd ever thought possible. The mountains, the dense forests, the rivers winding through the valley… it was all within reach, as if he were looking at the universe through the eyes of a god.

— "Seriously? 10 kilometers… This is… incredible."

Iris confirmed, her voice soft but clinical.

— "According to my terrain analysis, a path has been detected. Probability of a city presence: 100%."

William raised an amused eyebrow.

— "Still as precise as ever, huh?"

— "My role is to provide you with accurate information, Master Cheezy."

A wry smile spread across his lips.

— "And I've never been disappointed, Iris."

He took a deep breath. An entire universe had just opened before him. But just as he was about to explore further…

The anomaly happened.

The interface flickered violently. A shrill beep resonated in his skull. The image blurred, and for a fraction of a second, he saw… something.

Shapes, impossible to identify.

Blurry, distorted, static like shadows cast from another plane of existence. Then, as quickly as they appeared, they vanished. A single message remained displayed:"Unknown Error – External Interference."

A shiver ran through him. His heart raced. He licked his lips, trying to ignore the icy sensation crawling up his spine.

— "Iris… what was that?"

— "Unlisted anomaly. Analysis in progress…"

Then, the overload hit.

Suddenly, the interface flooded his brain with a tsunami of data. Numbers, coordinates, energy variations flashed too fast, colliding in his mind like an avalanche out of control.

A piercing sound pulsed in his skull.

Too much. It was too much.

He staggered, gritting his teeth, a dull pain hammering at his temples. A metallic taste filled his mouth. He felt nausea rising.

— "Iris… shut it all down!"

Iris's usual calm voice showed a hint of concern.

— "Master, you are experiencing cognitive overload. I am filtering the data… please breathe slowly."

Silence. He closed his eyes, forcing his breath to slow. Gradually, the information stopped pouring into him. The map shrank to a radius of 100 meters, clearer, more digestible.

A deep sigh escaped him.

— "Okay… that was intense."

He opened his eyes again, cautiously focusing on the interface. That thing he had glimpsed… it wasn't just a bug.

Someone – or something – had been watching him.

And he was determined to find out what.