Chapter 3: The Voice in the Dark
The forest was too quiet.
Elias staggered to his feet, the stone weapon still slick in his hand. The whisper of the system lingered in his skull, but now it was joined by something else—raw, desperate, undeniably human.
> "Help me!"
His breath caught. He scanned the treeline, but the voice carried strangely, bouncing from trunk to trunk as if the woods themselves were mocking him.
The system's interface shimmered into view.
> [Echo II Directive: Decide.]
Option A: Pursue the voice.
Reward: Potential Ally.]
Option B: Ignore the voice.
Reward: Guaranteed Safety.]
The words pulsed like a heartbeat. Elias clenched his jaw. So that's it. Another test.
He took a cautious step forward. The soil squelched beneath his boots. His archaeologist's instincts screamed trap. In history, voices from the dark were never salvation—they were omens, lures into tombs better left sealed.
The plea came again, sharper this time.
> "Please! Someone—help me!"
Elias's pulse hammered. If it's real… do I risk myself for a stranger?
The countdown timer ticked relentlessly.
> [07:55:23]
Something snapped in the underbrush. Elias whipped around, stone raised, but no beast emerged. Just the wind rattling the branches—too deliberately, as though unseen eyes followed his every move.
He muttered through gritted teeth, "If this is a game, then fine. Let's play."
He forced his legs forward, deeper into the woods. The moons overhead bled pale light through the canopy, painting everything in shades of silver and shadow. His breaths echoed too loudly in his ears.
Then he saw her.
A girl—no older than twenty—huddled against a tree trunk, wrists bound by some kind of black vine. Her clothes were torn, her face streaked with dirt, but her eyes glowed faintly, unnaturally.
> "Please," she whispered, trembling. "They'll come back. Cut me free—quickly!"
Elias froze. Something was wrong. Her bonds pulsed as if alive. He edged closer, weapon raised.
The system flickered again.
> [Warning: Echo II is observing your choice.]
Failure to act results in forfeiture of reward.]
The girl's gaze locked onto him, too sharp, too intent. Hungry.
Branches above cracked. Shapes moved. Dozens of glowing violet eyes stared down from the trees. Hollowfangs. More than he could ever fight.
The girl's voice shifted, low and resonant, not her own.
> "Cut me free, Elias… or join the echoes that failed before you."
Elias's grip tightened on the stone. His heart slammed in his chest. He had seconds to decide.