The fog thickened until it felt alive—curling around her ankles, climbing higher, whispering against her ears. The moment one of those goat-creatures lunged, its body melted into the mist. It didn't run. It didn't fall. It simply… vanished.
Isabella froze, her heart dropping straight to her stomach. "What the hell—" she started, spinning around. But Glimora was gone too. Her arms were empty. "Glimora?" Her voice trembled, barely more than a breath.
"Bubu?" Nothing. No soft electronic hum. No sarcastic comment. No glowing screen. The silence was heavy, so thick it pressed against her chest until it hurt to breathe.
"Bubu!" she shouted louder this time, her voice bouncing off the rocks and dying quickly after. Nothing answered her except the distant, hollow drip of water.
Her pulse began to race. She wasn't stupid. She'd been in this world long enough to know when something was wrong. This wasn't normal—none of it.
