As soon as the knife kissed Drew's throat, everything inside him seemed to shutter and collapse. His hazy mind blew away like ashes in a storm. The strength he once held slipped through trembling fingers. Luca's vision blurred, tears he had fought to hold back finally spilling, dripping like cold rain. His body gave in, slamming onto the blood-soaked floor beside Drew—who lay struggling between life and whatever waited beyond.
Everyone could see it: Drew's heart was surrendering, even as it fought violently to keep its fading pulse alive. His body had already begun to give up, though his wide, terrified eyes begged not to die yet. Crimson blood spread across the floor, warm and sticky, creeping toward Luca's knees. Drew's fingers clung to him with desperate strength, trembling, slick with blood. His lips shivered, his breaths rattling like stones rolling in his chest.
He looked so young. Too young. And the thought carved its way through him:
"Oooh… poor me. Is this how I die?"
His tears fell harder as he stared at his two friends, their faces twisted in horror. And yet—strangely—he felt a flicker of comfort. At least he wouldn't have to watch them die in front of him. With the last scraps of strength inside him, Drew forced his mouth to form words, still gripping Luca as if letting go meant vanishing forever.
"Pl… please… I don't… I don't want to die now, Lu… Luca. I don't want… to…"
He coughed violently, blood spilling over his chin. "…But I'm happy… I'm dying. I don't have much time. Please… stick together."
"Hold onto me, Drew!" Luca cried, voice cracking. "I was the target. Why did you shield me? You could've let me die instead."
Drew tried to smile, but his lips only twitched.
"I'm so… sorry, Andy…" he breathed, his voice barely a thread.
Andy jerked as if snapped from a nightmare, scrambling forward.
"Drew? No—no, you're not leaving me! Not like this. Fight! Listen—remember all our memories? You and I… why leave me now?" he sobbed, gripping Drew's wrist as if he could anchor him to life.
"Shhh…" Drew whispered.
"You must run… save yourselves… or you're next. Especially you, Luca. You can't die now…"
His trembling hand reached into his coat and pulled out a diamond-shaped gem, glowing faintly as if holding a trapped breath of light.
"Take this… I stole it from Lyn's room… the day I visited. I think… it's what she needs… to awaken her husband. Hide it. Don't… let her… get it… at all. Please… brothers…"
He exhaled, long and fragile—the kind of breath that doesn't return. His eyes gently closed. His body cooled. And though he looked gone, the blood still dripped from his wound like a clock counting down the end.
"Drew… Drew, please!" Luca screamed, shaking him. "Come back! Just once—just smile once—please!"
Alex's voice pierced the chaos as he barged toward them.
"Luca! Andy! Run! She's coming—Drew is already dead!"
"No!" Luca sobbed. "We can't leave him! He's still breathing—Alex, I feel it! We can't—"
"There's no time," Andy said hoarsely, though his own voice trembled. "If we stay, we die."
But Luca clung to Drew's lifeless body like it was the last warm thing in the world.
Alex had no choice. He grabbed Luca and hauled him over his shoulder like a sack of grain, as Luca kicked and screamed.
"Drew! Drewww! I'm sorry—oh God, I'm sorry—!"
His cries ended in a sudden silence as Alex forced him unconscious.
They ran. Through the choking dark of the forest, Mr. Tan leading them without a word. No one spoke until they reached an unfamiliar clearing. It was quieter than the forest—too quiet. Unnaturally quiet.
By then, Luca had woken. His eyes were swollen, his cheerful face hollow and unreadable. Even Lyn, who once comforted him so easily, now trembled at the sight of him—his sickness worsening, the medicine she carried running dangerously low.
She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to appear strong. Alex rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She forced a breath.
"Where… are we?" Linet whispered, breaking the long suffocating silence.
"We are in the Dark Forest," Mr. Tan Woo said. "A forest seen by few. To the blind, it appears empty… but it is full."
"Dark Forest?" Andy echoed. "You mean… the Invisible Forest?"
Mr. Tan stiffened.
"How do you know that name? Do you hold some connection to this place?"
"N-No, sir," Andy said. "I just—read many articles about it. It's the oldest forest in existence. A refuge for the weak during ancient attacks. They say the first spell cast here was by Doctor Lee Hiah—the man who died mysteriously. But people say he didn't die at all. His spirit… wanders to protect the helpless."
His voice dropped, as though afraid the trees might be listening.
"So this forest is… under a spell?" Luca asked softly, breaking his long silence.
"Spell," Mr. Tan murmured. "Such an outdated word. This forest is wrapped in a barrier of ancient power—woven from the blood of witches Dr. Lee Hiah hunted. Their blood was the only force strong enough to shield humans. But instead of protecting the weak… those witches devoured them."
A chill crawled down everyone's spine.
"Though," he continued, "I doubt Dr. Lee Hiah killed them all. Regardless… witches cannot enter this place. It's forbidden."
"Then…" Alex whispered, paling. "Why do I smell blood? Fresh blood."
Everyone froze.
Alex wasn't mistaken. The coppery scent was sharp, recent—too recent.
A sign.
A warning.
A presence.
His skin crawled. Every instinct screamed.
And something in Mr. Tan's expression—something flickering and unreadable—made Alex's gut twist.
Why bring us here? he wondered. Why here of all places? What is he hiding?
Because the scent of blood meant only one thing:
They were not alone.
And something in the dark was hungry.