Nkosana ran through the forest, heart thudding, feet silent on the damp earth. The trees whispered. Not with wind, but with voices. Some called his name softly, others laughed—childlike and cruel. He ignored them. He had to get home.
As he reached the edge of the village, the world around him slowed. People moved like shadows, mouths open mid-sentence, eyes blank. No one blinked. Not once.
He stepped into the square. Silence met him.
Then he saw his mother—standing perfectly still, head tilted unnaturally. A man approached her from behind, his face twisted into a permanent grin. His body flickered between human and something far worse.
Nkosana shouted, but no sound left his mouth.
The grinning man turned. His eyes… were Nkosana's.
"Why do you run from yourself?" the thing asked.
Nkosana raised his hand, instinctively. The sigil Gogo burned into his wrist glowed, white-hot.
The villagers began to twitch, like puppets whose strings had been yanked.
The air cracked.
A pulse of energy exploded from Nkosana's body, knocking the shadows back. His mother collapsed, gasping, human again.
But it wasn't over.Behind the collapsing villagers, a tall figure emerged. Cloaked in fire, horns of bone, eyes glowing red.
"You've awakened, little Seed," it hissed. "Now let me show you your roots."