The night felt wrong.
Not just dark—alive.
Cold air pressed against my skin as I stepped further down the empty street, Maya close behind me. The sirens hadn't stopped. If anything, they sounded closer now… desperate.
Marrakech, Stockholm, New York, it didn't matter. The world had changed everywhere. But this… this felt personal.
The houses ended sooner than I expected.
Järle was small. Quiet.
And beyond it
Forest.
"I don't like this," Maya whispered, her voice trembling. "We shouldn't go there…"
She was right.
Every instinct told me to turn back.
But the system pulsed faintly in my vision, like a heartbeat.
[QUEST UPDATED]Investigate the source of the disturbanceLocation: Unknown (Forest Region)
"…It's coming from there."
The trees stood tall and still, their branches tangled like claws against the sky. No wind. No movement.
No sound.
Not even insects.
That was the first real warning.
"Stay close," I said.
We stepped into the forest. And the moment we did
The temperature dropped.
Maya gasped. "Did you feel that?"
I nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
Something watched us. I couldn't see it.
But I could feel it.
Then, A sound.
Not a growl.
Not a roar.
Something… deeper.
Like wood breaking.
Like bones shifting.
I turned sharply.
"Get behind me."
Too late. The trees moved.
No. Not the trees.
Something inside them.
It stepped out slowly. Tall. Twisted.
Its body looked like it had been carved from black wood, bark cracked open to reveal something pulsing underneath. Its limbs were too long, bending at unnatural angles. Antlers, massive, jagged, spread from its skull.
And its eyes, Glowing.
Ancient.
Hungry.
[MONSTER DETECTED: SKOGSRÅ WRAITH – LEVEL 15]HP: 1800 / 1800
Maya's voice broke.
"…What is that…?"
I didn't answer.
Because for the first time since waking up. I felt it. Fear.
Not the kind from games.
Not simulated.
Real.
Heavy.
Crushing.
"…This isn't a Grahul."
The creature tilted its head.
Then smiled.
And vanished.
"—!"
Too fast.
Pain exploded in my side as something slammed into me from the darkness. I was thrown backward, crashing into a tree hard enough to crack it.
[HP: 9999 → 9720]
"…It's fast."
I pushed myself up, scanning the shadows.
Nothing.
Then, Behind me.
I turned, Barely in time to block.
Claws scraped against my arm, sparks flying as if they struck metal instead of flesh.
"Stay back!" I shouted.
Maya screamed as the creature reappeared in front of her.
"No!"
I moved without thinking.
Faster than thought.
I grabbed its arm mid-strike, And slammed it into the ground. The forest shook. It didn't stay down. Of course it didn't. It twisted. Adapted. Its body bending unnaturally as it kicked me away and rose again.
"…You're smarter."
Not a beast. Not just instinct. This thing was hunting. Good. My fear didn't disappear. But something else rose with it.
Focus.
"Let's see if you bleed."