Ryan woke up with a sharp, ragged gasp, his whole body jerking upright as if he'd been yanked out of a nightmare by force. His eyes darted wildly around the clearing. A fire crackled in front of them warm, steady, familiar. The others sat around it laughing, talking, completely relaxed, as though nothing strange had happened at all.
But Ryan could've sworn,no, he knew they had just been in a village.
"Where's the village?" he blurted out, voice too loud, too sharp.
Liora turned toward him, head tilted in confusion. "What village?"
"What do you mean what village?" Ryan snapped, panic rising in his throat like a tide. "The one with the weird statue!"
Josh's expression shifted instantly from relaxed to concerned. "Ryan… what are you talking about? Did you hit your head or something? The nearest village is like a three‑day walk from here."
Ryan stared at him, disbelief twisting in his chest. "So you mean you don't remember this weird short redheaded dude named Morwen? The village called itself Joy, and we were being chased, and then you all just passed o—"
He was cut off by Corin's voice slicing through the air.
"He's gone mad!" Corin yelled. "I told you those mushrooms weren't safe!"
"I didn't eat any mushrooms!" Ryan insisted, voice cracking under the weight of fear. "I know it was real! They were chasing us—Josh, you saw them! You turned and screamed and then everyone passed out and there was… there was…"
He trailed off.
The memory slipped through his fingers like water. Everything after the villagers blurred into a foggy smear then running,was there shouting? They all collapsed but one thing remained sharp enough to cut through the haze.
Purple.
He remembered seeing purple.
It was eyes, it was watching him.
Ryan swallowed hard, suddenly cold despite the fire. The more he tried to grasp the memory, the more it twisted away from him except for that color, burning at the edge of his mind like a bruise.
"Yeah… maybe it was a dream," he said, though the words felt heavy and wrong in his mouth. He forced a shaky breath and pushed himself to his feet. "I'll stay on watch tonight while you guys sleep."
Josh frowned. "Ryan, you don't need to do that. It's my night to watch—"
"No," Ryan said quickly. "It's fine. Really. And I just… I need some air."
He stepped away from the fire before anyone could argue. The night was beautiful,one of those rare, perfect nights where all three moons hung full and bright in the sky, and stars littered the darkness like scattered diamonds. It should have been breathtaking. It should have been calming.
But Ryan couldn't enjoy any of it.
A tight, cold knot sat in his chest, refusing to loosen.
He rubbed his arms, trying to shake off the lingering chill. His heart still thudded unevenly, and every time he blinked he saw flashes,fog curling around his ankles, cobblestones slick beneath his feet, villagers with twisted smiles stretching too wide across their faces.
And most of all,
Purple eyes.
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to steady his breathing.
It wasn't a dream. It couldn't have been.
"Hey, Ryan."
The voice behind him made him jump. He spun around, fists half‑raised.
"It's just me," Mika said quickly, hands up in surrender. "Didn't mean to scare you."
Ryan exhaled shakily. "Why aren't you asleep?"
Mika shrugged and stepped up beside him, tilting his head back to the sky. "I'm not that tired. And it'd be a waste not to stargaze on a night like this."
"Mika, I know that's a lie. Why are you really here?" Ryan asked, sinking back down onto the grass.
Mika hesitated for a moment, then lowered himself beside him. The moons cast a pale glow across his face, turning his expression unreadable.
"I believe you," he said quietly.
Ryan blinked. "What?"
"I said I believe you," Mika repeated, firmer this time.
"But… why?" Ryan's voice cracked with confusion.
Mika didn't look at him. His eyes stayed fixed on the stars. "Because you don't lie to us. You never have, so why would you start now?"
Ryan opened his mouth, but Mika kept going.
"And because…" He gestured vaguely toward the camp. "We didn't make this. The fire's too well‑built. There's extra wood stacked nearby. We never gather extra wood. We're always too tired from walking."
Ryan felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Mika finally turned to look at him, eyes steady. "So when you said something happened… I meant it when I said I believe you."
He paused, then added softly, "I may not remember this so‑called 'Joy Village,' but if you say it happened, then I know it happened. I don't know why the rest of us don't remember… but I do know one thing."
He held Ryan's gaze, unwavering.
"You've always protected us. You always have."