The fire crackled between them, throwing erratic shadows on the trees that seemed to lean in closer, whispering secrets of forgotten souls. The cold gnawed at their bones, but the discomfort of the forest was nothing compared to the weight of the conversation.
Erasmus sat across from the group, his posture perfect, his eyes glimmering with quiet calculation. Rei, to his left, fidgeted, his mind still caught between the horrors they'd witnessed—the erasures, the specters, the strange and silent emptiness that had swallowed their comrades whole. The others, a mixture of squires and knights, remained mostly silent, eyes downcast, faces drawn with fatigue and guilt. The firelight seemed to be their only connection to the present, flickering with the promise of an uncertain future.
Erasmus watched them, his expression neutral, but his mind was working tirelessly. He had already proven he could manipulate the situation to his advantage. The loss of comrades, the silence of those erased by the Witness, and now, the quiet guilt weighing on the knights—he knew how to navigate it all, how to make them see him in a favorable light. They couldn't afford to distrust him any longer, not with the way things had shifted.
"I've been meaning to ask," Erasmus said, breaking the silence, his voice cool but pointed, "Why are you all even in this forest in the first place?"
The knights and squires exchanged uneasy glances, unsure whether to respond. Rei's jaw clenched. It was a question that shouldn't have been asked now, not with everything that had transpired. But Erasmus had intentionally posed it now, at the height of their emotional fragility, knowing it would strike a chord. Rei didn't miss the intent—Erasmus had made sure to throw the word "erased" into the mix earlier, pulling at the rawest nerves of those around him.
Riven Kallor, sitting just beyond the firelight, shifted uncomfortably, his gaze flicking to Rei, then back to Erasmus. Though only a squire, Riven carried an aura of someone who had already seen more than his fair share of horrors. His long, weathered face reflected a far older soul than his years should have suggested. He remained silent, as he often did, knowing that his words were not always necessary, but his presence felt heavy in the air nonetheless. He had seen too much in the last few days to be fooled by Erasmus' calm exterior.
Rei, his fingers clenched around the strap of his pack, let out a sharp breath. "It's the ceremony," he answered, his voice strained but controlled. "We were supposed to enter, survive for fifty days, then find our way back. Knights supervise us. Squires earn their place."
"The ceremony," Erasmus repeated, as if testing the words on his tongue, as if wondering how they could sound so hollow coming from Rei's lips. "And how many of you have made it back so far?"
The words cut deeper than intended. The silence that followed was thick with shame. Even the knights looked away, unable to meet his gaze. They hadn't been able to protect everyone. Their duty was to lead, to ensure the safety of those they were entrusted with—but they had failed.
"I thought... we were supposed to ensure the squires' survival," a knight murmured, his voice cracking under the weight of unspoken guilt. "We were supposed to guide them."
"And yet here you are, just like the rest of us," Erasmus replied with quiet finality. His eyes never left the knight. "No one came back the same."
Riven's gaze flicked between the others, his unease growing. Though he had not yet earned the title of knight, the weight of responsibility already pressed down on him. His duty was to follow, to observe, but the reality of this mission had already been a brutal trial. Watching comrades fall, watching people simply erased by the Witness, had carved deep scars into his soul.
"You're right," he spoke up finally, his voice rough but resolute, "No one came back the same. But we did our best. We can't stop what's been done."
Erasmus let his gaze linger on Riven, sensing the cracks in his words. It wasn't weakness in Riven, not exactly, but a certain quiet resignation that drew Erasmus' interest. Riven, like Rei, had been shaped by the trials of the forest—but it was clear to Erasmus that the path of survival was already bending him. He would be no different than the rest, sooner or later.
Rei, struggling to hold his ground, spoke again, his voice cutting through the heavy atmosphere. "Some of them didn't even make it out, Veridion. They were erased. Gone. Without a trace. No one saw it coming."
The word "erased" hung in the air like a curse, a dark reminder of what lay beneath the surface of the world they inhabited. It was a word that had become far too familiar over the past days. The Witness—an unseen entity that took those who wandered too far, too deep. The idea of someone simply vanishing, of having their very existence scrubbed from the world, was enough to turn any mind fragile.
"I know," Erasmus replied, almost too casually. His gaze moved to Riven, then back to Rei. "I watched it happen. I saw the erasures, just like you."
A beat of silence followed, thick with the weight of his confession. Rei's fists clenched, his teeth grinding in frustration.
"You think that makes you different from the rest of us?" Rei shot back, his voice raw, his control slipping. "We're all still here, aren't we? You watched it happen, and yet you just... you just—" He broke off, his chest rising and falling with the weight of his emotions.
Erasmus' eyes flickered with something like amusement—just a flash of it before it was hidden away. He had pushed the right button. Rei, though a strong-willed squire, was not in a state to keep up with his manipulations.
Riven's silence became more conspicuous now. He studied Rei for a long moment before turning his gaze toward the darkness of the forest, as if looking for something beyond the fire's reach. Something elusive. Something that reminded him of his own quiet descent.
"You think you're different?" Rei spat, his eyes now sharp, angry. "You've seen people erased, too. So what does that make you? A survivor? A manipulator?"
"I've seen enough to know that survival is all that matters," Erasmus said coolly, his gaze fixed on Rei. "If keeping you alive serves my purpose, I will. If not... well, I've learned quickly how easily everything can be lost."
The words hit harder than they should have. Rei opened his mouth to respond, but the tension in the air was so thick, so stifling, that nothing came out. Instead, he looked at Riven, whose expression remained unreadable.
Riven's eyes flicked between Rei and Erasmus, before he spoke again, quieter this time. "Survival's a lot more complicated than that, Rei." He sounded almost tired—tired of arguing, tired of surviving, tired of everything the forest had forced them to become.
"You're right," Rei muttered under his breath. "Survival's a mess. But we can't pretend like any of us are innocent."
The fire crackled again, and Riven shifted closer to it, as though seeking the warmth that had begun to feel so distant. They were all broken in their own ways. And though Erasmus was colder than the rest, there was something undeniably unsettling about how he held the pieces of this broken puzzle in his hands. His manipulations were subtle but undeniable. They all played his game, even if they didn't realize it yet.
The night stretched long before them, but for all its warmth, none of them felt safe. Not from the forest. Not from the Witness. Not from themselves.