The First Piece Of Truth

Rael's breathing was steady. His thoughts were not.

"You die."

Ithan had said it like a fact. A truth so absolute that it barely required discussion.

But Rael was still here.

Still breathing. Still thinking.

And that meant something had changed.

Something had stopped the cycle.

Now, he just needed to find out what.

His jaw tightened. "How do I usually die?"

Ithan sighed. "It depends."

Rael's gaze sharpened. "On what?"

"On how long you last."

The answer sent a slow chill down Rael's spine.

"Explain," he said.

Ithan exhaled. "Sometimes you don't even make it this far. Sometimes you die in the first battle. Other times, it's later—when you start questioning things. But no matter what, the ending is always the same."

Rael's pulse pounded.

"The world erases me."

Ithan nodded.

Rael clenched his fists.

He had been walking through this story like a man trying to find his place in a world that already knew him.

But that wasn't the truth at all.

This world didn't know him.

It had already forgotten him.

And now, it was trying to do it again.

---

A Memory That Shouldn't Exist

Rael let out a slow breath. He needed to stay in control.

He didn't like how much Ithan knew—but wasn't saying.

"You're still holding back," Rael said.

Ithan smirked faintly. "Of course I am."

Rael's jaw tightened. "Why?"

Ithan gave him a long, unreadable look.

Then, finally—

"Because remembering is dangerous."

The words sent a sharp pulse of something through Rael's skull.

A sensation like static at the edges of his mind.

A feeling like… something was pushing against him.

Like a locked door.

Like something was waiting on the other side.

He gritted his teeth. "Then I'll take the risk."

Ithan sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"You always say that, too."

---

A Scar in the Story

They had stopped walking.

The trees stretched tall around them, casting long, twisted shadows across the damp ground. The moonlight flickered between the branches, catching in the mist.

Rael could still feel it.

The weight in the air.

Like something unseen was still watching them.

Still waiting.

Ithan leaned against a fallen log, arms crossed. "You really want to know what's different this time?"

Rael exhaled sharply. "Obviously."

Ithan's lips twitched.

Then, after a long moment—

"You weren't supposed to wake up."

Rael's breath caught.

His muscles tensed.

"You said that before," he said carefully.

Ithan nodded. "And it's still true."

Rael's mind raced.

Something was breaking.

Something had changed the story.

And now, reality itself was trying to correct it.

He clenched his fists. "Then what woke me up?"

Ithan hesitated.

Then, softly—

"I don't know."

Rael hated how much of this felt like a lie.

But before he could press further—

The air shifted.

A sharp, slicing change.

Like something snapping into place.

Rael's pulse spiked.

And then—

A voice spoke.

Not from Ithan.

Not from anywhere he could see.

A whisper that curled at the edges of his mind.

"You shouldn't be here."

---

The World Noticing

The whisper wasn't a voice.

It didn't come from the trees, or the wind, or even the shadows pressing against the edges of the clearing.

It came from somewhere deeper.

Somewhere beneath reality.

Rael's breathing slowed.

He turned his head slowly.

But there was nothing there.

Nothing but the dark.

Then—

The trees flickered.

Just for a second.

Like the entire world had glitched.

Rael's stomach clenched.

Then, suddenly—

The sky wasn't the sky anymore.

It lasted for less than a breath.

But he saw it.

A vast, endless nothingness.

Something bigger than the world itself.

Something watching.

And then—

The world snapped back into place.

The trees were normal. The sky was normal. The shadows stretched the way they always had.

But Rael knew.

Something had seen him.

And it was still watching.

---

The First Real Threat

Ithan inhaled sharply. "That's bad."

Rael turned to him, his pulse still steady. "No kidding."

Ithan ran a hand through his hair, muttering under his breath. "You weren't supposed to get this far. Not this fast."

Rael exhaled. "Then tell me—what happens now?"

Ithan didn't answer immediately.

But Rael could see the tension in his posture.

See the way his gaze flicked toward the dark.

Then, finally—

"Now the world fights back."

The wind shifted.

The trees creaked.

And in the distance—

Something moved.

Not like an animal.

Not like a person.

But like a shadow unpeeling itself from the world.

Rael clenched his jaw.

Ithan pulled his sword.

"Time to run," he muttered.

And then—

The dark came for them.

---