The world around Kairo was still.The air was cool, the faint crackle of the dying campfire making soft hissing sounds against the stone walls of the cave. Shadows flickered along the rough, jagged surface above him, creating the illusion of figures moving in the corners of his vision. The faint scent of burned wood mixed with earth and dust clung to the place, heavy and unmoving.
Kairo's eyes widened — his breath caught sharp in his throat, his face visibly twitching between surprise, fear, and disbelief faster than even he realized. His brow furrowed, his mouth opening slightly, as if his words tangled before escaping.
He stayed frozen like that, not moving, not blinking. A sharp pulse of awareness surged through his mind — like being doused with cold water. The dull haze of fatigue vanished. His senses returned sharply, his heart calming, his muscles relaxing.Fully awake. Fully present.
He slowly turned his gaze toward the dagger, narrowing his eyes."…Are you… the flower?"His voice was hoarse, a dry, cracked whisper. His throat still raw from his earlier shouts, his body still heavy with exhaustion.
"Yes,"The voice answered plainly."And you've already heard us once."
Right… right…Kairo's thoughts tangled through memories, trying to piece it together, his mind racing.
Back at the Safe Path… those sudden, strange voices in my head. I thought it was fatigue, fear…His hand brushed over the dagger's hilt, his thumb tracing the familiar grooves.And… along the way here, I never…He clenched his jaw.
"I never put this dagger away, not even once…"He murmured, his gaze locked on the blade like it was a snake poised to strike.
His voice steadied a little."Is it because I… chose that path in my dream? That's why you're the only voice I hear?"
The voice giggled — high, light, like silver bells that slowly twisted into something sharp and mocking."Ahaha… you catch on fast. Good. Good."There was a sneer in her tone, something too pleased."Because if I had to speak with a dumbass one more time, I swear, I'm gonna lose it."
Suddenly, the giggle erupted into a long, shrill, almost hysterical laugh —A sound like glass splintering and branches creaking, high and sharp, echoing against the inside of his skull.Kairo winced, his hands shooting up to cover his ears, his teeth grit tight.
"Stop—! Gods… my ears—!"His body flinched like a struck animal, his shoulders shaking.
But before he could say another word, the voice cut in —"Anyway! You really are a mess right now, you know that? Look at you — sweaty, pale, all that lovely shaking… can't you just go back to sleep? I don't want our body to be a wreck like this, you know."
Her words wrapped around him like a scolding, as if she were scowling, though her tone still carried that unsettling playfulness.
Kairo let out a long, ragged sigh, the frustration evident in his voice as his head tilted back against the cold stone wall behind him."I… I want to ask you one more question."
But the voice didn't wait a second."Yeah yeah yeah — whatever that question is, keep it for tomorrow, idiot."There was no warmth, only irritation, like someone impatiently swatting away a buzzing fly.
"I want you to go to sleep now. Go to sleep, human."
And then —A strange sensation.Kairo felt it. A tightness around his waist. An unseen pressure, like vines coiling inside him, squeezing, pulling. His stomach churned in response, and for a split moment he could almost feel the flower — that living thing inside him, curling itself around his insides.
…Right. It's her doing this… again…
He growled under his breath, defeated."…Fine. I'll go to sleep."
He flopped back onto his bedroll, the stiff leather and rough cloth offering little comfort against the stone floor beneath.His arm lazily draped over his eyes as he felt his body relax.The dagger, cold and slick with sweat, clinked as he set it aside.
"Good human. See?"The voice purred in his head, her tone sweetly mocking."We can work things out nice and easy, just like this."
Kairo grit his teeth.The frustration boiled inside him — not just at her, but at himself.I can't… I can't do anything about this. I'm stuck… in my own head. A passenger in my own damn body.
But he said nothing.
He simply closed his eyes, let his breath even out, and allowed himself to be dragged into sleep.His last coherent thought before fading out was the mocking, smug voice whispering inside his skull
"Sleep now, boy."
Luke was the first to wake.
His eyes cracked open to the faint chill of damp air clinging to his skin. The thick scent of moss, earth, and old wood lingered in the cave, mixing with the faint remnants of smoke from last night's fire. With a low groan, he pushed himself up, his back cracking faintly as he stretched.
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the stiffness settle in his muscles."Tch… always the damn ground," he muttered, standing.His hand instinctively went to his pocket, fishing out a battered, silver pocket watch. It clicked open with a soft metallic snap.
A small, dim light reflected off its cracked glass. The hands pointed just a little past dawn — though here in the Bleakroot fen, one would hardly know it.
Luke stepped toward the mouth of the cave, his boots crunching softly against loose gravel. Outside, a dense wall of fog rolled across the wetlands, pale and thick like spilled milk. Twisted trees loomed half-hidden in the mist, their gnarled branches swaying gently in the unseen breeze.
He narrowed his eyes, squinting at the barely-there light leaking weakly through the fog."…Early dawn, huh?"He said it to no one in particular, flipping the pocket watch closed with a snap."Only way to tell the damn time in this place."
Without it, anyone wandering the Bleakroot would be hopelessly lost in an eternal gray.
With a sigh, Luke turned back into the cave.
The cold air followed him as he walked deeper into the hollow, toward where the others lay sleeping. His sharp eyes took in the scene — the dying embers, the scattered gear, the steady breathing of his companions.
Kairo was the second to stir.He groaned softly, turning on his side before his eyes cracked open. His face was still pale, shadows heavy beneath his eyes from the restless night. His hand instinctively reached toward the dagger beside him before realizing where he was.
Luke gave him a curt nod."Morning."
Kairo sat up slowly, rubbing a hand over his face, brushing his longer hair out of the way. His body still felt heavy, though clearer than the night before."Yeah… morning," he replied hoarsely.
One by one, the others woke.
Vivy was next, sitting up and immediately groaning as she stretched her arms above her head, her black hair messy and tangled."Ugh… feels like I slept in a swamp."She looked around, blinking blearily before giving a small, teasing grin."Oh right… we are in a swamp."
Liora was the last, blinking awake, her auburn hair falling into her pale face as she sat up, rubbing her eyes."Mm… already?"Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.
"Yeah," Luke said, glancing around. "Time to move."
While Vivy and Liora started cleaning up the camp — gathering scattered gear, brushing away the ashes, and leaving no trace behind — Kairo moved to help Luke.
The two of them wordlessly began removing the makeshift barricade of logs and branches they'd stacked against the cave entrance overnight.The logs were damp and heavy, slick with morning moisture.
"Careful," Luke grunted, hauling one aside."If these things slip, they'll crush your damn foot."
Kairo worked beside him, his movements slower but steady. His thoughts drifted now and then to the night before — to that maddening voice, to the feeling of vines inside him. He clenched his jaw.
Together, they cleared the entrance.
their beasts — the sturdy, broad-shouldered wargons — waited tethered nearby at the entrance. it pawed at the muddy ground, snorting and shifting uneasily.
Kairo and Luke moved the final log aside and began untying the beasts, securing gear onto their backs.
Luke gave a glance back toward the others."Let's get everything loaded. We move soon — before this fog thickens again."
Vivy nodded, adjusting her pack and making sure nothing was left behind."We're good here."
Liora hesitated, looking out at the ghostly trees beyond."…It feels worse today," she murmured.
"It'll get worse the longer we stay," Luke replied, voice flat."Pack up. We leave now."
They finished clearing the cave — gathering their scattered gear, wiping dried blood from skin and blades. The air was cold, damp, and still, carrying with it a scent of wet moss, decay, and distant rot. The mist rolled low over the ground, clinging to boots and trailing around the legs of the great Wargon like restless fingers.
Kairo was the last to climb onto the Wargon's broad back, his hand trailing briefly along the cold, rough texture of its matted fur. He glanced up toward the colorless sky, feeling uneasy — but that wasn't new out here.
Luke mounted the beast he commanded, tightening the worn leather reins. His jaw was set, his expression unreadable, though his shoulders looked unusually tense.
They began moving again.
The Wargon lumbered through the Bleakroot fen, thick paws squelching against mud and shallow water, its breath visible in the cold. None of them spoke much. Eyes darted constantly into the shifting fog, hands close to weapons, ears straining for the wrong kind of sound.
Everything here felt too quiet. Too still.
Kairo shifted uncomfortably in the saddle behind Luke. It's like the whole place is holding its breath, he thought, glancing around at the endless mist. Even the trees stood crooked and silent, their black limbs clawing at the pale sky.
And then…
The sky changed.
A sudden burst of light bloomed in the mist-choked sky — a fractured, shimmering signal, composed of every color imaginable and colors that shouldn't exist. Swirling hues of violet, green, amber, cerulean, and crimson bled together like oil on water, rippling against the ceiling of fog. It was soundless, but its presence pressed down on them like invisible weight.
The group reacted at once.
Kairo's entire body stiffened. His eyes widened, jaw slack."What… in the hell is that?" he muttered under his breath.
Vivy's head snapped up, her black hair catching the odd light. Her face contorted with suspicion and wariness, one hand instinctively reaching for her crossbow. "That…. is"
Liora blinked slowly, her expression clouded. She said nothing, lips parting slightly, her gaze caught in the kaleidoscopic bloom above.
Luke's entire body tensed.
His fingers twitched around the reins, and his wide, unblinking eyes reflected the shifting colors. A sudden sharp pressure bloomed in his pocket — a pulse, a warmth, a spark of movement.
Kairo climbed quickly to the front, his boots slipping on the Wargon's bristling fur.
"Luke!" he called, voice tight and sharp. "Any idea what the hell that is?"
Vivy scrambled up beside him, still staring at the sky.
"It's not natural… it's not weather, it's not what we know. What… what is that?"
Liora leaned closer, her voice lower, almost trembling.
"Luke…?"
Luke's throat worked. He swallowed hard.
"I… I don't…" He forced his voice steady. "I don't have the slightest idea what that thing is."
He reached into his coat, pulling out the battered pocket watch.
The metal was hot. Alive. Trembling.
And then —
It screamed.
A tinny, broken chorus of names burst from it, a sharp, disjointed litany in a voice none of them recognized. The sound was ancient, ghostly, and mechanical all at once.
"Lareth… Eos… Mira… Verrun… Iara… Melith… Veyra…"
"Irelith… Maeron… Solen… Verrun… Aelena… Veyra… Elene…"
The sound echoed in the thick air, like a dozen voices spilling from a small, fragile thing.
The moment the name "Elene" rang out, Luke's face crumbled. His breath hitched. His fingers clutched the watch so tightly his knuckles turned white.
His mother's name.
Luke froze.
His expression crumpled.
A sharp intake of breath, his face pale, lips slightly parted as the air around him turned heavy. The watch clattered in his hand, the names still pouring out.
Kairo noticed the change instantly."Luke…?" he asked, his voice lower now, serious, brow furrowed.
Vivy blinked, tearing her eyes from the sky."What is it? What's wrong?"
Kairo's brow furrowed, confused.
"Luke…?"
Luke's voice was barely a whisper."Elene…"He swallowed hard."That's… my mother's name."
The others froze.
Liora's expression softened, confusion and unease mingling in her features."Your… your mother?" she echoed.
Luke gave a tight, shallow nod."She's… dead. She's been gone for years."His voice cracked at the edges, and there was something raw in his eyes now — old grief surfacing where it hadn't been welcome.
The watch was still spitting names.Some names felt ancient, like things lost in time. Some sounded almost too familiar, though none of them recognized them.
Liora's hand hovered near his shoulder."Could it… be a trick?" she asked carefully.
Luke's gaze flickered to hers. His lips pressed into a grim line.
Kairo spoke up, his voice rough."Yeah… this whole swamp's wrong. That light, those names… it's not natural. Could be a warning… could be a trick... could be a bait... could be anything."
Luke let out a shaky breath."I don't know what it is," he admitted."But… I know her name. I know it like my own blood."
The light above pulsed again and again, a ripple passing through the mist like a shuddering heartbeat.
Liora whispered, almost to herself."It's calling to someone. Or something."
Vivy's gaze darted from Luke to the sky."Do we keep moving? Or…?"
Kairo felt the dagger at his side twitch again, a faint warmth like a pulse.The voice inside him chuckled darkly.""Soon. We'll see. We'll see."
Kairo gritted his teeth. Not now.
He met Luke's eyes."We move. Whatever this is — if it wants us, it'll find us. But standing here just makes us easier to catch."
Luke's face hardened."Yeah. You're right."
He shoved the watch back into his pocket. The names muffled but didn't stop.
The group kept moving, the Wargon's heavy paws pushing through soggy earth, the mist parting in slow, curling tendrils around them. The colored signal above still pulsed like a distant wound in the sky, leaking impossible hues onto the world below. Every now and then it would flicker, like a lantern at the end of its life, making the whole Fen feel like a dream they couldn't wake up from.
They spoke quietly, tension sharp in their voices.
Luke rode at the front, his face grim. He was still lost in his thoughts — the watch in his pocket, the names, the name of his mother. His hands tightened around the reins as if afraid they might slip away.
Kairo sat back on the Wargon's rough hide, fiddling nervously with the hilt of his dagger. His eyes flicked upward to the sky, then back down again, his stomach twisted into knots.
Vivy suddenly spoke, her voice cutting through the fog like a clean blade. "Wait."
The others turned.
Vivy's sharp, pale eyes narrowed as something clicked in her head. She reached into her coat and pulled out a small, worn map, her gloved finger stabbing down at a spot marked faintly in charcoal.
"That's in the route we're moving," she said, voice low but urgent. "Whatever that thing is up ahead… we're heading straight for it."
The words hung in the air like a frozen blade.
Luke's head snapped around, eyes wide in alarm.
His voice was hoarse.
"Wait… you mean we've been heading right for it… without realizing?"
Kairo's face drained of color. He sat bolt upright.
"I—how the hell did we let that slip…?"
His voice trembled.
Damn it… I should've noticed. I should've noticed.
The realization clawed at all of them.
Liora grabbed their attention with a sharp voice, her tone serious.
"But if we turn back now… we'll lose too much time. We can't afford it. You know that."
Her face was pale but firm, set like stone.
"Nothing good comes from changing your path halfway. If it wanted us to forget, we forgot. If it wants us to notice now, it's too late."
There was silence after that, broken only by the heavy breaths of the Wargon and the distant sound of fog swirling.
Luke let out a rough exhale, almost a curse.
"...I know. Damn it."
He rubbed a hand over his face, then gripped the reins hard.
"Sorry for stopping."
His voice cracked slightly at the end, something heavy behind it, something no one had time to address.
He gave a sharp command.
The beast groaned but pushed forward again, mist curling around its legs.
Vivy gave a short, silent nod.
She didn't speak after that — instead she scurried toward the back of the Wargon, where her pack was strapped. She pulled out a thick, leather-bound book, pages dog-eared and ink-smeared. Sitting herself down on the edge of the platform, she opened it and began leafing through, her brows furrowed, muttering under her breath.
Kairo slumped back into his seat, still pale, the weight of it all dragging down his shoulders. He looked toward his waist where the flower lay.
His voice was low, tense.
"Hey… what the hell did you mean just now?"
The flower shifted slightly, its petals quivering unnaturally.
"What?" it said in its usual mocking, sing-song voice.
Kairo glared.
"That thing you said — 'we'll see.' What the hell do you mean by that? Tell me!"
The flower's voice changed. It grew sharp, irritated, as if Kairo's persistence was a thorn in its side.
"Are you dense? I said we'll see. Is that not clear? Or do you need me to draw you a picture in your head, little boy?"
Kairo clenched his fists, biting back the frustration, his face tight.
"So you don't know either?"
A pause.
"No."
The flower's tone was flat, blunt.
"How would I know? I'm riding this mess same as you. You think I like being stuck in this swampy, rotting place?"
Kairo felt a mixture of irritation and unease twisting in his stomach.
"Maybe you do know," he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"Maybe you're just lying to me."
The flower let out a strange, bubbling laugh.
"Oh, if lying to you meant you'd drop dead, I'd think twice, but sadly… no. Lying won't kill you. And trust me — I'd much prefer you alive. This is the situation we're in, boy. No one's getting out early."
Kairo fell quiet at that. The creeping cold of the Fen pressed in around him.
But… there was something else gnawing at his thoughts. Something left over from last night. A question he'd been too afraid to ask until now.
His voice was smaller this time.
"So… why am I the only one who hears you? Where are the others… the other voices?"
The flower giggled, a soft, sinister thing.
"Ah… finally. That question."
It swayed slightly in its little wrapping, petals curling like lazy fingers.
"Simple, really. You chose me."
Kairo's brow furrowed.
"What…?"
"You gave me more control than the others. I feed on your little doubts and fears… so now I can shut them up whenever I like. I hold the reins now."
Its voice dropped low and mockingly royal.
"Like a queen, hee-hu-he-ha-ha-hu-hu-he-ha-ha-hee-hee."
It laughed then, high and cruel, a sound that mixed with the fog and made the world feel even more unstable than before.
Kairo gritted his teeth, feeling sweat bead along his spine despite the cold.
He didn't answer.
He didn't want to.