Shoto pushed open the heavy stone door, and a rush of cool, unfamiliar air swept into the room. One by one, they stepped outside, blinking against the strange, shimmering light.
The world beyond was even stranger than it had appeared through the window.
Rolling hills of silver grass stretched out forever, broken only by twisted trees with glowing branches. The violet sky pulsed like a living thing, casting long, eerie shadows across the land.
Nothing about this place felt real.
Shoto's heart pounded harder with every step away from the stone building.
Whatever had happened — wherever they were — they all knew one thing for certain:
There was no going back.
They walked cautiously, each step drawing them deeper into the unknown. Every sound made them jump — the whisper of the wind, the crack of a distant branch.
At the top of a low hill, they found a crumbling stone marker.
The carvings on it glowed faintly, ancient words that shifted until they could understand them:
"Welcome to Valoria — Land of the Forgotten."
"Forgotten by who?" Braydon asked under his breath.
Before anyone could answer, a low tremor shivered through the ground, like a slow heartbeat.
The mist thickened around them, coiling between the trees.
That's when it started.
KJ's shadow shifted first.
It twisted on the ground — stretching, writhing — before lifting slightly into the air like smoke. It curled up around his legs, then snapped back into place with a soft hiss.
Everyone stared.
KJ stumbled back, wide-eyed. "What the hell was that?"
"You did something," Elizabeth said, her voice tight.
KJ opened his mouth to argue — but even he could feel it.
The strange, cold energy still clinging to him.
They moved quickly after that, unnerved.
A little farther ahead, Braydon stumbled on a rock.
He threw out his hand instinctively — and the rock floated.
It hovered midair, spinning slowly.
Braydon froze, staring at it.
With a flick of his wrist, the rock zipped sideways, slamming into a nearby tree with a loud crack.
The others turned to him, stunned.
"You can move stuff," Pate said, almost in awe. "Gravity."
Braydon just stared at his hands, too stunned to speak.
They kept walking — now faster, more cautious.
Something was wrong with this place.
Something was wrong with them.
Shoto kept his head down, fists clenched. A hot pressure built in his chest — frustration, confusion, fear.
Why had they changed? Why now?
Every step made the pressure grow worse.
Finally, when Elizabeth tripped and cried out, Shoto reached for her — and snapped.
He let out a shout of pure anger.
The ground around him exploded.
Wind screamed through the valley.
The silver trees bent violently, some cracking under the sudden force.
The others stumbled back, shielding themselves from the blast.
Shoto stood at the center of it all, fists still clenched, his heart pounding in his ears.
Slowly, the wind died.
Silence settled over them like a heavy blanket.
"You okay, man?" Braydon asked, his voice cautious.
Shoto didn't answer. He didn't know if he was okay.
All he knew was that something inside him had changed — something massive.
The others exchanged wary looks, keeping a careful distance now.
But before any of them could speak —
the ground trembled again.
This time, it wasn't Shoto's doing.
A deep, guttural roar rolled across the hills, so low and heavy it rattled their bones.
The mist ahead began to churn and twist, swirling like a storm.
"What the hell is that?" KJ whispered.
From within the fog, a shadow emerged.
Towering. Twisted. Wrong.
The figure moved slowly, each heavy step sending tremors through the ground.
Its body looked like a terrible fusion of gnarled roots and jagged black stone, with shards of glowing blue crystal embedded across its chest and arms.
Its hollow, eyeless face was a jagged mouth stretched wide — nothing but sharp black teeth gleaming in the misty light.
A Hollowfang.
Born of ancient magic gone wrong.
A monster that hunted anything new, anything powerful… and it had felt them awaken.
The creature let out another roar, loud enough to crack the air.
The friends backed up instinctively, terror gripping their hearts.
They weren't ready.
They didn't know how to fight.
And deep down, they all knew:
Whatever was coming out of that mist…
it wasn't human.