Eryndor did not run.
Neither did Kael.
Neither did Aldren.
They simply walked.
The new path stretched between the trees, narrow and uneven, as though it had been carved into the forest only moments ago.
Kael kept looking over his shoulder.
“I still think we should have listened to the leaf.”
Aldren glanced at him.
“It said run.”
“Exactly.”
“You’ve never been very good at following instructions.”
Kael frowned.
“Neither are you.”
Aldren almost smiled.
Eryndor remained silent.
Something about the path bothered him.
It didn’t feel dangerous.
It felt wrong.
There was a difference.
Danger could be sensed.
This was something else.
The path seemed to change whenever he wasn’t looking directly at it.
A tree on the left would become a tree on the right.
A stone would disappear.
A branch would suddenly be hanging lower.
Eryndor stopped.
Kael nearly walked into him.
“What?”
“Look behind us.”
They turned.
The path they had just walked was gone.
There were only trees.
Kael stared.
“That’s impossible.”
Aldren slowly drew his sword.
“Not here.”
Eryndor looked ahead.
The new path remained.
He took another step.
The forest shifted.
A faint sound came from somewhere above them.
A whisper.
Not words.
Just a breath.
Kael’s mark warmed.
He looked down.
The symbol had changed again.
A thin line now extended from it.
It pointed forward.
Kael swallowed.
“It’s leading us.”
Eryndor shook his head.
“Maybe.”
“What else could it be doing?”
“We don’t know.”
Kael sighed.
“Right.”
They continued.
After several hours, the forest became strangely bright.
The trees were covered in pale flowers.
Their petals reflected the sunlight, filling the forest with a silver glow.
At the center of the clearing stood a small stone monument.
It looked ancient.
A circular hole had been carved into its center.
Kael approached.
“There’s something inside.”
Aldren grabbed his shoulder.
“Don’t.”
Kael stopped.
“Why?”
“Because every time you see something strange, you touch it.”
“I don’t always touch things.”
“You touched the glowing flower.”
“That was different.”
“It screamed.”
“It was a misunderstanding.”
Eryndor ignored them.
He examined the monument.
There were no symbols.
No writing.
No obvious mechanism.
Just the hole.
Then the wooden leaf in his hand became warm.
Eryndor placed it near the hole.
Nothing happened.
Kael looked relieved.
“Good.”
The stone suddenly opened.
Kael jumped.
A small compartment appeared inside.
There was an object within.
A ring.
Simple.
Made from dark metal.
Eryndor stared at it.
“That’s unexpected.”
Aldren frowned.
“Don’t touch it.”
Eryndor paused.
Then he reached for it anyway.
The moment his fingers touched the ring—
The forest disappeared.
Eryndor stood in a city.
Not Lunareth.
A vast city filled with towers.
People walked through crowded streets.
Cultivators flew between buildings.
Merchants shouted.
Children ran through the roads.
It was alive.
Completely alive.
Eryndor looked around.
No one noticed him.
Then someone rushed past.
A young man.
He looked frightened.
He was carrying something.
A black ring.
Eryndor followed him.
The young man entered a building.
Several people were waiting.
One of them stood.
“Did you find it?”
The young man nodded.
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Beyond the forest.”
The older man looked toward the ring.
His expression changed.
“Then it has begun.”
Eryndor stepped closer.
“What has begun?”
None of them reacted.
The scene changed.
The city was burning.
The towers were collapsing.
People were fleeing.
The same ring lay on the ground.
Then another scene.
A completely different city.
Then another.
A battlefield.
A mountain.
A desert.
A palace.
A ruined temple.
The ring appeared in every scene.
Always somewhere different.
Always unnoticed.
Then—
The vision ended.
Eryndor opened his eyes.
He was back in the clearing.
Kael was staring at him.
“Eryndor?”
He looked at his hand.
The ring was gone.
Only the wooden leaf remained.
Aldren stepped closer.
“What happened?”
Eryndor looked at the monument.
“I saw something.”
“What?”
“A city.”
“Which city?”
“I don’t know.”
Aldren frowned.
“Then what did you see?”
Eryndor hesitated.
“A ring.”
Kael looked around.
“Where is it?”
Eryndor opened his hand.
Nothing.
“I don’t know.”
Aldren examined the monument.
“Then perhaps it wasn’t meant to be taken.”
Kael suddenly pointed.
“Wait.”
There was something beneath the monument.
A small piece of stone had fallen away.
An inscription was revealed.
Only one sentence remained.
THE FIRST ONE WAS NEVER THE FIRST.
Eryndor stared at it.
Kael frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know.”
Aldren looked at him.
“You’re becoming predictable.”
Eryndor ignored him.
He touched the inscription.
Nothing happened.
No vision.
No energy.
Just stone.
They left the clearing.
But none of them noticed that a tiny black mark had appeared on Eryndor’s palm.
They walked until evening.
The forest became darker.
Eventually, they reached a stream.
Kael stopped.
“Water.”
He knelt.
Aldren immediately said:
“Wait.”
Kael looked at him.
“What now?”
“Look.”
The water was flowing toward them.
But their reflections were not.
Kael stared.
His reflection was looking away.
Aldren’s reflection was holding a sword.
Eryndor’s reflection—
wasn’t there.
Kael slowly stood.
“Eryndor.”
Eryndor looked at the water.
Nothing.
His reflection had disappeared.
Then the water rippled.
A different face appeared.
An unfamiliar young man.
He looked directly at Eryndor.
Then he smiled.
Eryndor stepped backward.
The face disappeared.
The stream returned to normal.
Kael looked frightened.
“Did you see that?”
“Yes.”
“Who was it?”
“I don’t know.”
Aldren looked at Eryndor.
For once, he didn’t make a joke.
“Perhaps we should leave.”
Eryndor nodded.
They crossed the stream.
Halfway across, Eryndor felt something touch his ankle.
He looked down.
Nothing.
Then he heard a whisper.
“Don’t trust the one who walks behind you.”
Eryndor turned.
Aldren was behind him.
Kael was farther ahead.
Aldren looked at him.
“What?”
Eryndor said nothing.
The whisper came again.
“Not him.”
Eryndor looked ahead.
Kael.
Then the voice continued.
“Not him either.”
Eryndor froze.
“Then who?”
No answer.
The stream suddenly became still.
Eryndor stared at the water.
His reflection had returned.
But it was no longer looking at him.
It was looking behind him.
Eryndor turned.
There was nothing there.
He looked back at the water.
His reflection smiled.
Eryndor stepped away.
The image vanished.
Night fell.
They found a large tree with roots forming a natural shelter.
Aldren lit a small fire.
Kael sat beside it.
“I hate this forest.”
Aldren nodded.
“That’s reasonable.”
Eryndor sat across from them.
He looked at the wooden leaf.
The word RUN had disappeared.
In its place was another word.
WAIT.
Kael noticed.
“Was that there before?”
“No.”
Aldren stared at it.
“Perhaps it changes according to what is happening.”
Eryndor nodded.
“Maybe.”
Kael frowned.
“Then what are we supposed to do?”
Eryndor looked into the darkness.
“Wait.”
They waited.
An hour passed.
Then another.
Nothing happened.
Kael eventually fell asleep.
Aldren remained awake.
Eryndor closed his eyes.
For a moment, everything was peaceful.
Then—
A branch snapped.
Eryndor opened his eyes.
Aldren was still sitting across the fire.
Kael was asleep.
Nothing was wrong.
Another branch snapped.
Closer.
Aldren stood.
“I heard it.”
Eryndor nodded.
They waited.
A shadow moved between the trees.
Aldren raised his sword.
“Come out.”
Nothing.
Then a voice answered.
“I wasn’t expecting you to find this place.”
Eryndor stood.
A figure stepped from the darkness.
A young woman.
She wore a grey cloak.
Her face was unfamiliar.
She looked at Eryndor.
Then at Kael.
Then at Aldren.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Aldren pointed his sword.
“Who are you?”
The woman smiled.
“My name doesn’t matter.”
Eryndor’s eyes narrowed.
“Then why are you here?”
The woman’s smile disappeared.
“Because someone lied to you.”
Kael suddenly woke.
“What?”
The woman looked at him.
“About why your mark appeared.”
Kael stood.
“What do you know?”
The woman stepped backward.
“I know enough.”
Eryndor moved forward.
“Then tell us.”
She shook her head.
“Not yet.”
Aldren’s sword tightened.
“You expect us to trust you?”
“No.”
She smiled.
“You shouldn’t.”
Then she threw something toward Eryndor.
He caught it.
A small silver coin.
The woman’s expression changed.
“Take that to the next city.”
“What city?”
“Vareth.”
Eryndor looked at the coin.
There was a symbol carved into it.
A broken circle.
The woman turned away.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
“Who lied to us?”
She looked over her shoulder.
“I didn’t say it was a person.”
Then she vanished into the darkness.
Kael stared.
“Was that supposed to help?”
Aldren sheathed his sword.
“Probably not.”
Eryndor examined the silver coin.
The wooden leaf in his other hand suddenly became warm.
He looked down.
The word had changed again.
GO.
Eryndor looked toward the direction the woman had disappeared.
Then toward the deeper forest.
Two paths.
One leading deeper into Lunareth.
The other leading away.
Kael looked at him.
“What do we do?”
Eryndor remained silent.
For the first time, the mark on Kael’s hand pointed toward something outside Lunareth.
But the wooden leaf pointed deeper into the forest.
Two directions.
Two different choices.
And neither one felt completely trustworthy.
Eryndor closed his fingers around the coin.
“We don’t choose tonight.”
Aldren nodded.
“We rest.”
Kael looked relieved.
But before anyone could move—
A distant roar shook the forest.
The ground trembled.
Birds erupted from the trees.
And somewhere far away, beneath the upward-flowing river—
the gates of the submerged city opened completely.
Something stepped out.
Not toward them.
Not yet.
It walked in the opposite direction.
Toward the surface.