Sorel's eyes widen as he looks at the surroundings. Lifeless dirt seems to stretch on for miles until it's engulfed by the darkness that coats his surroundings. Lifeless trees with no hint of ever bearing life are scattered around. It seems like a forest was here before, but also in a way... It seems there wasn't.
A second ago, he was at the academy hospital, getting ready for his new life, and now. Well... he's here. He can't shake the feeling that he's being watched. His eyes dart around, searching for any sign of danger or escape. The emptiness of this place is suffocating, and he couldn't help but feel lost and vulnerable. Out of what seems to be nowhere, a gust of cold wind whispers past him, sending shivers down his spine. He pressed his hand against his chest, trying to hold back the fire suddenly roaring inside of him.
"Shit! Where did this come from?" Sorel clutches tighter and tighter—trying to handle the pain. Then, it disappears, as if the pain was an illusion his mind created. "What the fuck?" he whispers. Sorel's head jolts up, and he looks around. He definitely heard a branch snap. "There was no way I made that up... Right?"
His eyes dart around the dark forest. Shadows twist between the trees like they're alive. Every nerve in Sorel's body screams for him to run, but his legs refuse to obey, as if they turned into jelly. He takes a cautious step forward, and the ground crunches under his boot.
Another snap. Closer this time. His hand goes back to his chest, the ghost of that pain lingering like smoke. Heart pounding, he strains to listen. He hears nothing but the wind—or maybe it's something else.
A low, almost imperceptible hiss cuts through the silence. Sorel's head snapped toward it. There, between two trees, a figure moves. Just a silhouette, dark against the faint moonlight. What... is that?
The silhouette stands there—Not moving an inch, like a statue. Sorel's heart starts running a marathon as he struggles to breathe. Fear was what he felt, and he hadn't felt it a while...
He blinks.
To his horror, the silhouette is gone. No footprints are leading anywhere to where he stood a moment ago. Sorel swallowed hard, his throat feeling drier than desert sand.
Gulp.
He takes a slow step forward, forcing his legs to move despite the weight in his stomach. Every snapped twig or rustling leaf makes him flinch, but there's nothing. Nothing.
He decides to keep walking. Turning around now and then to see if the silhouette's following him again. In the distance, he spots some buildings. Walking closer, he makes out that it's a village. A really... familiar one. He stopped dead in his tracks. Staring at the village, every bone in my body suddenly goes tense.
"No. No, it can't be true." The bank. The grocery store. The butcher. Uncle's house. His best friend's house. His house... Whoever is doing this to him. Crossed the. Fucking. Line.
Because it wasn't random.
Random doesn't follow him home.
Random doesn't know his house or the spare key under the flowerpot!
Someone had been watching! Waiting—Mapping Sorel's life like it was theirs to rearrange.
And now that he saw it, really saw it, there was no pretending he could go back. Whoever did this deserved to die the most painful death ever known to mankind. And he would be the one to deliver it to them. Even if they're stronger than him, he swore he won't die. He won't let them get away with this. He won't let them win.
His body suddenly freezes. He felt many fingers grabbing and pulling his back. He tried to move, but he couldn't budge."L-Let me go." He tries to say, but all he lets out is a silent mumble. He heard many voices telling him to help. To put them out of their misery. And he could recognize them all—They're all from the Huds village after all. And they didn't see another day. "I-I" Sorel couldn't make out any words. As he stares out into the distance, he spots it again. The Silhouette. It's his fault. ALL HIS FAULT—BECAUSE OF HIM, HE HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS. "COME HERE NOW! FACE ME YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" The silhouette didn't even budge. He continues observing him, as if staring into the deepest parts of his soul.
"I'll tear you apart!" Sorel shouted, his voice echoing like thunder, trying to free himself from the hands, but he still couldn't seem to budge.
The silhouette didn't flinch. Didn't even breathe.
A chill crawled up his spine, his heart beating like Usain Bolt in the Olympics.
His chest tightened. His heart started thudding—too loud, too fast. "…W-what… are you?" The roar died in his throat, swallowed by a fear sharper than any blade. What's this sudden fear in his heart? His vision gets coated in white. His heart beat faster, his eyes shook inhumanely. Why is he here? Why does he exist?
He kept asking himself. His heart beat even faster—wilder than before. His eyes go blind from movement. What's... Happening?
"Hello? Are you there?" His vision cleared, sluggishly at first. Then, he started making out shapes. Sorel is standing back in the hallway, inside the Academy. What? I'm back-
"Hello? Are you brain-dead? I'm clearly talking to you."