Noah chased the crimson sphere.
The abyss stretched endlessly around him.
Above him floated the Devourer of Fate.
Below him coiled the continent-sized serpent.
And somewhere beyond reality itself...
Something was watching.
The crimson sphere drifted forward.
Slow.
Steady.
Almost inviting him.
Noah gripped Shadowfang tighter.
"This better be worth it."
The moment he took another step—
The abyss vanished.
His surroundings shattered like glass.
A violent force pulled him forward.
Then—
Silence.
Noah blinked.
The battlefield was gone.
The serpent was gone.
Even the Devourer had disappeared.
He now stood within an ancient forest.
Black trees stretched toward a crimson sky.
Their twisted branches resembled skeletal fingers.
An unnatural fog covered the ground.
The air smelled of blood and decay.
Noah’s heart sank.
Blackthorn Forest.
He had arrived.
Yet something felt wrong.
The forest was silent.
No insects.
No birds.
No wind.
Nothing.
The silence itself felt alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
Then a notification appeared.
[Trial of Ragnarok]
Phase One Initiated
Objective:
Reach the Heart of Blackthorn Forest
Time Limit:
12 Hours
Failure:
Death
"Of course."
Noah wasn’t even surprised anymore.
The System loved threatening his life.
The fog shifted.
A distant sound echoed between the trees.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Something was moving.
Noah immediately drew Shadowfang.
Predator’s Instinct activated.
Pain stabbed behind his eyes.
Danger.
Not overwhelming.
But real.
The sound grew closer.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Then a figure emerged from the fog.
A human.
Or at least it had once been human.
Its skin was gray.
Its eyes completely black.
Its limbs bent in unnatural directions.
Its mouth stretched into a horrifying grin.
Noah’s stomach twisted.
The creature stopped.
Its head tilted.
Then another emerged.
And another.
And another.
Soon dozens stood among the trees.
Watching him.
Not attacking.
Just staring.
Noah slowly backed away.
The creatures copied him.
One step.
Then another.
Like reflections.
His pulse accelerated.
"What the fuck are these things?"
No answer came.
Then one of them spoke.
Its voice sounded broken.
As though it had forgotten how language worked.
"Late..."
Noah froze.
Another creature repeated it.
"Late..."
Then another.
And another.
Until the entire forest whispered the same word.
"Late."
"Late."
"Late."
"Late."
The sound echoed from every direction.
Thousands of voices.
Whispering.
Mocking.
Warning.
Noah’s grip tightened around Shadowfang.
Something was very wrong.
Then the creatures suddenly stopped speaking.
Silence returned.
And a new sound emerged.
A heartbeat.
BOOM.
Noah felt it in his chest.
BOOM.
The trees trembled.
BOOM.
The ground cracked.
His eyes widened.
Because the heartbeat wasn’t coming from the forest.
It was coming from deeper within.
From the center.
From the Heart of Blackthorn Forest.
And whatever was producing it...
Was waking up.