They moved cautiously through the forest, the echo of the battle long gone but unease tightening every step. The dense canopy above blocked out much of the light, and shadows stretched unnaturally across the moss-covered floor.
Leo walked between Mira and Aric, one hand still pressed to his side. The pain had dulled, but a lingering throb reminded him how close he'd come.
"We shouldn't still be here," Aric muttered, more to Mira than Leo. "The second trial's rules are always standardized. Group survival, time-limited, extraction upon threat elimination."
"I know," Mira replied, her voice clipped and low. "That orc leader wasn't supposed to be there either. Not at that strength."
Leo glanced between them. "You're saying… this trial's different than what you expected?"
"We've run simulations before," Mira admitted, not meeting his eyes. "The scenarios are supposed to test coordination and adaptability—but not push into high-lethality territory this early. This... this is something else."
Aric nodded. "Someone's changed the rules."
A long silence followed.
They continued walking, careful to avoid crunching leaves or loose stones. The forest seemed to listen now, the air unnaturally quiet. Even the wind had stilled.
Eventually, the trees thinned. A crag of stone jutted from the forest floor ahead, half-shrouded by twisted vines and heavy roots. At its base yawned the entrance to a cave—wide, squat, and strangely shallow. Only a few meters deep. Just dark enough to hide something.
Mira slowed first. "You two feel that?"
Leo paused. "Feel what?"
She tilted her head slightly. "The air's wrong. Too still, but not empty."
Then a noise drifted out of the cave. A scratchy chuckle—dry, high-pitched, almost playful. Like a child playing with something it shouldn't.
Then, a voice:
"Ohhh, new snacks?"
Something moved inside.
A figure stepped into the light—not quite man, not quite beast. It was gaunt, unnaturally tall, with limbs too long for its torso. Its flesh shimmered faintly, translucent in places, like layers of skin sloppily stitched over something deeper. One eye was wide and milky, the other disturbingly human—sharp and aware.
It grinned with jagged, too-numerous teeth and spread its arms wide.
"Welcome, welcome… to my little corner. You're late for dinner… but you'll do."
Mira's fists clenched instantly, her entire posture shifting into readiness. "What the hell is that?"
Aric didn't answer. He took a slow step forward, eyes narrowing. "That's not part of any simulation."
The creature leaned forward slightly, its grin widening.
"Oh, but I'm very real. And this part? This isn't your trial anymore."
Leo felt the hairs on his arms stand up.
The trio froze before the cave, the silence thick enough to smother breath.
The creature leaned lazily against the stone wall, its body draped like wet cloth over jagged bone. Its smile never faded, and its voice came in a lilting, sing-song rhythm that prickled beneath the skin.
"Oh, don't look so stiff. I could have just jumped out and eaten you." It chuckled. "But I'm polite."
Mira took a slow step forward, her fists raised. "You're not part of the trial. What are you?"
The creature grinned wider. "A leftover. A mistake. A reminder." It tapped its temple with one crooked finger. "Depends who you ask."
Aric's hand shifted subtly, water beginning to pool at his fingertips, but the creature tilted its head and tutted.
"No, no, no. You're not here to fight me. Not yet. Not unless you're very stupid. And I don't think you are. At least, not all of you."
It looked directly at Leo.
"You. You're new. Fresh. Untouched by design. I like that."
Leo tensed. "What do you mean by that?"
The creature's grin sharpened.
"Oh, you don't know?" It looked mockingly surprised. "Your little friends do. They were briefed, prepared, nudged through the cracks in the Tower's teeth."
Mira didn't respond. Her silence was telling.
"You're saying they were… let in?" Leo asked slowly.
"Placed," the creature said. "Like pieces on a board. But you, little spark—" it leaned forward slightly, voice dropping into a conspiratorial whisper, "—you weren't supposed to survive. And that's… interesting."
Aric's voice was tight. "Why is the trial different?"
The creature smiled again—slow, patient. "Because the Tower doesn't like cheaters. And it loves balance."
Its body shifted, joints popping as it stretched. "Knowledge changes the game. You came in with too much of it. Your kind. The prepared. So the Tower adjusted. You poked the ant hill, and now the ants have fangs."
Mira's eyes narrowed. "You're saying this increased difficulty is… punishment?"
"No, no, no. Not punishment," the creature said sweetly. "Correction. Evolution. The Tower adapts. Always. You think it's a structure—but it's more than that. It sees. It learns."
Leo swallowed hard, a chill tracing his spine. "And what about you? Why are you here?"
The creature shrugged, arms dangling like broken marionette strings. "I slipped through a crack. Or was pulled through. I'm not entirely sure anymore."
Its head twitched slightly. "But I've seen what's coming. And you, little intruders, are walking straight into it."
It began to retreat into the shadows of the cave, chuckling all the while. "Go ahead. Pass your trial. If you can. Just know… the Tower is awake now."
Its final words echoed long after the creature vanished from view:
"And it's very, very hungry."