Kael stretched his body, wincing as lingering aches flared along his muscles. The pain had dulled, but his body still felt like a poorly mended weapon—functional, yet brittle. From his perch atop the willow, he scanned the endless sea of trees, searching for any sign of civilization. Nothing. Just an ocean of green and the oppressive silence of a forest that refused to breathe.
No birds.
No insects.
No life at all.
Only the weight of unseen eyes pressing against his back.
He dropped to the ground, his boots sinking slightly into the damp earth. The sooner he put distance between himself and the willow, the better. His screams last night had surely drawn something, and in this dead world, whatever came would be nothing good.
As he moved, the silence thickened. Even his footsteps were swallowed by the unnatural hush. His instincts screamed—not at a single threat, but at the forest itself. Like the trees were holding their breath.
Waiting.
"Eva," Kael whispered, his voice barely disturbing the stillness, "where the hell are we?"
The orb pulsed, its white-flame halo flickering. "A secret realm. The site of your trial."
Kael froze.
A secret realm.
He'd read about them in tattered books and drunken tavern tales—pockets of reality severed from the natural world, forged by ancient powers. Some were lost sanctuaries of forgotten sects. Others, death traps layered with curses and guardian beasts. All of them held one truth: power came at a price.
And now he was inside one.
His pulse quickened. This changed everything.
"What trial?" he demanded.
"Every shard-bearer is tested," Eva replied. "The trial is unique to both the wielder and the shard they carry."
"And what's the point?"
"To prove you are more than a vessel." For the first time, Eva's voice carried something—a hunger. "Succeed, and the shard's true power opens to you. Fail, and you become another corpse in this realm's graveyard."
Kael exhaled sharply. "Great. And how do I pass?"
"Unknown."
"Unknown?" His grip tightened on a low-hanging branch. "You're my damn guide. Guide me."
"The center of the forest may hold answers."
"Oh, perfect," Kael muttered, rolling his eyes. "And how do I find the center of a forest that probably shifts every time I blink?"
Eva offered no reply.
Typical.
Kael pressed on, his stomach growling. The berries had staved off starvation, but now his body demanded more. Water. Meat. Anything. Yet the forest remained barren—no prey, no streams, just the creeping sense that the trees were watching him.
Judging.
Then—a sound.
Faint. Distant.
Running water.
Kael's head snapped toward it. Water meant survival, but also danger