Questions in the Dark
The Direwolf's corpse still smoked faintly, the scent of burnt fur clinging to the air. Its body lay crumpled in the undergrowth, a reminder of how close they had come to dying.
Kai's chest heaved, every breath sharp with exhaustion. The faint glow of his System notifications still lingered at the edge of his vision, pulsing with rewards and new stats. But he blinked hard, forcing them away before his friends noticed.
For a moment, there was silence—no monsters, no rustling wind, just the three of them staring at one another.
Lira was the first to speak. Her voice shook, a mix of awe and suspicion."Kai… what was that?"
Dane wiped his blade on the grass, his eyes locked on Kai. "Yeah. You moved faster than I've ever seen. And that light around your arm when you struck… that wasn't normal."
Kai swallowed. His mouth was dry. "I—I just pushed myself harder. Adrenaline, maybe."
"Adrenaline doesn't make you glow." Lira stepped closer, her hand resting on his shoulder. Her touch was gentle, but her eyes were sharp, searching. "You've been… different ever since we entered the forest. More aware. Stronger. Like you knew things before they happened."
Kai forced a weak laugh. "Lucky guesses, maybe?"
Neither of them smiled.
The silence stretched, pressing down heavier than the forest canopy. Somewhere above, a raven cried out, its echo sharp and foreboding.
They moved on eventually, but the air between them felt charged. Every few steps, Kai caught Lira watching him, and Dane's usual blunt demeanor had shifted into something colder, more calculating.
Kai's thoughts churned.
If I tell them now, they'll think I'm cursed. Or worse… what if they tell others? What if the wrong people find out?
But the guilt burned just as hard. He hated lying to them. Lira had been his friend since childhood, always the voice that steadied him. Dane had saved his life more than once. And now, here he was, hiding the truth that might mean life or death for all of them.
[System Alert: Trust Level with Companions Decreasing]
The words appeared in front of his eyes like a dagger to the chest. His jaw tightened. Even the System knows I'm messing this up.
By the time night fell, they had found a shallow cave in the hillside to rest. A small fire crackled at the entrance, casting long shadows against the stone walls.
Lira leaned against the wall, arms crossed, her gaze never leaving Kai. Dane sharpened his blade with slow, deliberate strokes, the sound grating in the tense silence.
Finally, Dane spoke. "I'm not sleeping until you explain, Kai. You were holding back on us—and out there, that could've gotten us all killed."
Kai clenched his fists. "I wasn't holding back. I was just… desperate. I didn't want to die."
Lira shook her head, her voice quieter but sharper. "Don't lie to me, Kai. I saw your eyes when that thing lunged at me. You knew what was coming before it moved. You knew. That's not desperation. That's something else."
The fire popped, sending a shower of sparks into the air.
Kai stared into the flames, wishing they could swallow the weight of her words.
"I can't—" He stopped himself. The truth sat at the edge of his tongue, aching to be freed, but fear clamped down like iron chains.
Dane's voice cut through. "You can't what? Trust us? Or do you just think we're too weak to understand?"
Kai's head snapped up. "It's not that!"
"Then what is it?" Dane slammed his blade into the ground, the echo ringing in the cave. "We've bled together, Kai. Fought side by side. If you're hiding something that affects us, then we deserve to know."
Lira stepped closer, kneeling beside Kai. Her expression softened, but her eyes still burned with determination. "Please, Kai. If you care about us… don't keep us in the dark."
Her words twisted in his chest. He wanted nothing more than to tell her, to unload the burden that had been eating at him since the System appeared.
But…
What if they looked at him differently? What if their friendship cracked under the weight of the truth?
He turned away, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not tonight. I'll… I'll explain tomorrow."
Neither Lira nor Dane looked satisfied, but they didn't press further.
Still, the silence was thick with unspoken doubts.
Kai lay awake long after they had drifted into uneasy sleep. His eyes traced the cracks in the cave ceiling, while the System flickered faintly in the corner of his vision.
[Warning: Concealment of System Functions may endanger party survival.][Companion Bond Stability: Critical]
He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. "I know," he muttered under his breath. "I know. But how can I tell them without losing them?"
The System, as always, gave no answer. Only cold, impartial warnings.
The night stretched long. Every sound beyond the cave walls felt louder than it should have—the hoot of an owl, the rustle of leaves, the distant snap of twigs. Kai's sharpened senses kept him alert, even when exhaustion pulled at his body.
At one point, he thought he saw eyes in the trees—glowing, watching—but when he blinked, they were gone.
Morning came too slowly.
When the first rays of dawn spilled into the cave, Lira was already awake, her bow across her lap. Dane rose soon after, checking their supplies. Neither spoke to Kai at first, their silence cutting sharper than words.
Finally, as they prepared to move, Dane broke it.
"You're telling us today," he said flatly.
Lira met Kai's eyes, her gaze steady, unwavering. "No more delays, Kai. We're in this together—or we're not in it at all."
The ultimatum hung in the air, heavier than any monster they had faced.
Kai's heart pounded. He nodded slowly, though fear still twisted in his gut.
Tomorrow became today.
As they left the cave and ventured deeper into the forest, Kai could feel the weight of their eyes on him, the question lingering with every step.
His secret wouldn't stay hidden much longer.
And when it came out… everything would change.