I'd always thought the strange things in the world preferred to stay quiet. Like a snake under a rock: it only shows up when someone pokes it. I never wanted to poke anything. I just wanted to study, take care of animals, and go back to the farm when I could. But it seems the world didn't ask for my opinion.
My name is Dayanne Batista do Carmo, and the first time I realized something was wrong… was when Goiás stopped breathing.
Not really. His chest was still rising and falling, warm, alive, steady. But his eyes… his eyes were looking at a place where I wasn't. Where neither I, nor the corral, nor the world existed.
It was late at night on the rural campus of the university. The sky was heavy with stars, the air smelled of wet grass, and I was cleaning a small cut on his leg. Nothing serious. Barbed wire—the usual villain. I was about to complain, like I always did:
"You never learn, do you, Goiás?"
But the words died in my mouth.
He lifted his head slowly. Ears straight. Nostrils tight. His whole body silent, but tense, like he was seeing a jaguar.
The problem was that there was nothing there.
Nothing.
But I felt it.
A metallic taste in my mouth. Like rust. A shiver that didn't come from the cold, but from inside. Like when you remember a big mistake and your stomach drops.
"There's nothing there, boy…" I whispered, more to myself than to him.
That's when I heard it.
Not a normal sound. Not footsteps, not wind, not an animal. It was… a whisper. Not outside.
Inside.
Do you accept…?
That murmur cut through me like a slow knife. It wasn't a man's voice. It wasn't a woman's voice. It was… something that knew too much. Something that was way too close.
I stepped back without meaning to. Goiás snorted loudly and stomped his hoof, startled. He wanted to run. So did I.
But I didn't.
Because something in me wanted to understand.
The moon lit just enough for me to see my own hand trembling when I touched his neck. Warm skin… but goosebumps. I had them too. I should have called someone. A professor. A guard. Anyone.
But who would believe, "the horse stared into nothing and a voice spoke in my head"?
Exactly.
That's when I felt something else. A small sting in my fingers. I looked.
The cut on Goiás' leg… wasn't bleeding anymore.
I hadn't finished cleaning it. I hadn't stitched it. I hadn't even applied the medicine.
And it was closed.
Nicely closed. As if it had never existed.
My heart pounded too hard. Goiás relaxed all of a sudden, like the tension had drained from his body. He rubbed his head against my shoulder. Affection. Trust.
But all I could think was one simple sentence, ringing like a bell:
This isn't normal.
I looked up at the sky. The stars looked like they were staring back. I had the strange feeling that someone—or something—had seen what happened. The feeling that I had crossed a line.
And maybe there was no going back.
I took a deep breath. Gripped his rein tight. I smiled—the kind of smile you make when you're scared and don't want the world to notice.
"Okay… whatever that was… we're not telling anyone, right?"
Goiás huffed. It almost sounded like laughter.
But before I could decide whether I was going to pretend nothing happened…
The campus lights flickered.
It wasn't a normal power outage. It was like the world itself breathed wrong for a second. The wind stopped. The silence got heavy. And I felt that sensation again.
Like something had noticed I existed.
And, for the first time in my life, I was absolutely certain:
I wasn't just a farm girl studying veterinary medicine.
There was a war going on.
And somehow, in a way I didn't understand…
I had just been invited in.
The lights went back to normal after two seconds. Two seconds. Short. Insignificant.
But I swear that in that time I felt a gigantic gaze over me. Not a human gaze—cold, heavy, ancient. Like the night itself had turned its face just to pay attention.
Goiás neighed softly, but not in fear. In warning.
"Yeah… I get it," I murmured, throat dry. "Let's get out of here."
I managed to lead him back to the stable. The other stalls were quiet. Too quiet. No hooves tapping. No distant mooing. Nothing. The world holding its breath.
I locked his stall, stroked his muzzle, tried to smile again.
"Tomorrow we pretend none of this happened, deal?"
But when I turned to leave, I ran into someone.
"You shouldn't be out here alone at this hour."
I nearly dropped my own lungs from the scare.
It was André, the campus guard. Tall guy, serious face, but a good person. He pointed his flashlight at me—not straight into my eyes, thankfully—and I was blinking like an offended owl.
"I was just finishing a treatment," I said way too fast.
He moved the flashlight toward Goiás. The horse was normal now. Calm. Calm to the point of suspicious. Trying real hard to look like a saint.
"He was hurt," I added, remembering a bit too late that, technically, any injured animal should be taken to the official clinic.
"He was?" André frowned.
I swallowed hard.
I got closer and gently lifted his leg. Nothing. Not even much of a scar. Looked like an old injury. Days old. Not twenty minutes.
My stomach flipped.
"Must've been something minor," I managed.
He didn't believe it. Neither did I. But no one said anything.
"Go back to your dorm, Dayanne," he finally said. "Nighttime… isn't a good time to be around here."
He hesitated for a second. Like he wanted to say more. But he didn't. Just turned and left.
I stood there for a few seconds, staring down the stable hallway, like any shadow might suddenly stand up and turn into a person.
Or worse: turn into something that looked like a person, but wasn't.
I took a deep breath and started walking, trying to convince my brain that all of this was just… I dunno. Stress. Fatigue. Student tiredness fueled by coffee and too little sleep.
But the night didn't let me believe that lie for long.
When I got near the dorms, I heard footsteps behind me.
Light footsteps.
Footsteps that didn't sound like shoes.
Like bare feet on cement.
My whole body bristled. I turned slowly.
Nothing.
The campus was lit by tall, cold lamps. The wind stirred the trees gently. Everything absolutely normal.
But I knew something was there.
I don't know how to explain it, but I knew.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
I should've gone to my room and ended it. Should've turned around, locked the door, laid in bed, and decided to ignore it until I died. But I took two steps forward. Idiot. Curious. Stubborn as always.
Then I felt it again.
Do you accept…?
The same voice in my head. Sweet whisper. Promise without words, just sensation.
Power.
Protection.
Answers.
Things I wanted. Things anyone would want.
And amid that, I felt another presence. Not a voice. Not an offer. Just… warmth. A steady weight in my chest. Comfort. But with something firm behind it. It wasn't an easy promise. It felt like a look saying: If you choose this, you'll suffer. But it'll be real.
A streetlight flickered again.
Two sensations. Two forces. Two directions.
Me. In the middle.
That's when a hand touched my shoulder.
I almost fainted.
I spun around ready to see a demon, ghost, spirit, I don't know…
It was just Marina.
My classmate. Hair tied lazily, wrinkled lab coat, tired eyes.
"Girl!" she laughed. "You're white as a ghost. What're you doing standing here alone?"
I opened my mouth. I was going to tell her everything. I was going to dump it all out: "SO, THE WORLD IS FULL OF ENTITIES AND MY HORSE HEALS HIMSELF."
But all I managed was:
"I… thought I heard something."
She looked around.
"The most you'll hear here is owls and students crying because there's a test Friday." She gave my arm a playful pat. "Come on. Let's sleep."
I looked back toward the far end of campus.
Nothing.
Nothing visible.
But I knew something was there.
I inhaled deeply.
"Let's go."
And we went.
But walking beside her, pretending to be normal, one certainty stayed stuck in my head like a stinger:
The world hadn't just noticed me.
It had chosen me.
And Goiás…
Goiás knew it before I did.
Sleeping wasn't really an option. I lay down, turned off the light, pulled the blanket up… and stared at the ceiling. The room smelled like cheap soap and a bit of dust soaked into the walls. The girls breathing softly around me, some shifting in their sleep. The normal world. Safe. Human.
But inside my head, nothing was quiet.
Whenever I closed my eyes, I saw Goiás' wound healing on its own.
The flickering lights.
That feeling of being watched.
And that question stuck to my soul:
Do you accept…?
"Accept what?" I whispered in the dark.
Nobody answered.
But I felt… an absence. Like something was waiting patiently. Like it wasn't in a hurry. Like it knew that sooner or later, I'd have to decide.
I turned onto my side, hugged my pillow to my chest, and forced myself to breathe slowly. Four seconds in. Four seconds out. Anxiety technique. My technique.
At some point, exhaustion won.
I slept.
And I dreamed.
I was in the same stable. But it wasn't just nighttime—it was a deeper dark, like the night had been dipped in ink. No lights. No stars. Just a living darkness, pulsing slowly like a giant heart.
And yet, I could see.
Goiás was in front of me.
But he wasn't just a horse.
His eyes glowed faintly, like embers buried in ash. He looked at me with something that wasn't animal instinct.
It was… understanding.
Behind him… there was something.
Or someone.
A tall shadow. Long. Thin like a distant post, but alive. No face. No real shape. But breathing. I could feel its breath stirring the air.
The stable floor began splitting in two.
On one side, a bright light, but harsh, almost cutting.
On the other, a deep darkness, warm, inviting.
And I was in the middle.
Two paths.
Neither looked safe.
Neither looked like a lie.
"I didn't ask for this…" I murmured in the dream. My voice echoed too far, like I was speaking into a well.
Goiás stamped his hoof.
A crack ran across the ground between the two sides, like the world was insisting: you can't stay neutral forever.
The shadow behind him moved.
And then…
Do you accept…?
This time, the voice wasn't a gentle whisper. It was like muffled thunder inside my chest. Strong. Present. Impossible to ignore.
I was going to answer.
I was going to say "no."
Or "yes."
Or "I don't know."
But before I could…
Something yanked me out of the dream.
I woke with a jolt, shooting upright in bed. My heart racing too fast. My breathing short. The room still dark, but tinged with that gray of almost dawn. For a second, I didn't recognize where I was.
Then I heard it.
Clop, clop.
It wasn't coming from inside the room.
It was outside.
I got up slowly, barefoot, and went to the window. The cold dawn wind hit my face.
And the world decided I wasn't getting a normal day.
In the middle of the lawn, alone, where no one should be,
where he shouldn't be…
…was Goiás.
Loose. Calm. Looking at me.
Like he'd walked there just to get me.
Like he knew I needed to see him.
Like he was saying:
"It's time to stop pretending nothing's happening."
It took me a few seconds to accept that I was actually awake.
Blinking, breathing, gripping the window ledge… and nothing changed.
The wet grass.
The sky, cold blue before sunrise.
And Goiás. Standing there. Staring at me.
"No… no, no, no…" I whispered. "You didn't get out by yourself."
No one would leave him loose on campus. It wasn't safe. It wasn't allowed. It wasn't possible.
But he was there.
And when our eyes met, something inside my chest… clicked.
This time, it wasn't fear.
It was certainty.
He snorted softly, lifted his head a bit, like he was calling. I felt—didn't think, didn't analyze—felt that he wanted me to go to him.
And being the rational, responsible person I am, what did I do?
I snuck out of the room as quietly as humanly possible, just a sweatshirt thrown over my shoulders and my heart pounding like a drum.
The hallway was empty. The girls sleeping. The campus half-asleep too. I went down the stairs carefully, each step echoing louder than I liked. Passed the entrance slowly, praying no one showed up.
When I stepped outside… the dawn chill wrapped around me. I shivered—half because of the cold, half because of what I knew was about to happen.
Goiás was still there.
And when he saw me, he took two steps toward me.
"How did you get out?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't answer in words. "Who brought you?"
He turned his head to one side.
Toward the stable?
No.
Toward nothing.
A blank part of campus, just trees and a dirt path.
I felt that same invisible pressure I was starting to recognize: like the world wanted me to make a decision.
I could go back.
Turn around.
Call someone.
Blame stress.
Convince myself I was crazy.
Or…
I could go.
And honestly… I knew what I was going to choose from the moment I touched him the night before.
"Alright then…" I murmured. "Let's see where this goes."
I grabbed his mane and started walking beside him. He didn't pull. Didn't hesitate. He went steady, calm. Like he knew exactly where he was going.
We crossed the lawn. Passed dark buildings. The smell of dirt grew stronger. Grass turned to gravel. The academic campus faded behind us.
And then… we entered the trail.
The world got quieter.
The distant city noise disappeared. Only the rustling leaves and the sound of Goiás' hooves remained.
With every step, something tightened in my chest. Not pain. Expectation.
Destiny.
Big, ridiculous word—but that's what it felt like.
After a few minutes, we reached a small clearing between trees.
And stopped.
"Okay. We're here," I said. "Now what…?"
That's when I realized:
We weren't alone.
I didn't see anyone.
I felt it first.
The air grew heavy. The wind stopped. The leaves seemed to go still, like they were listening too.
Goiás turned his head to the right.
And slowly…
…something began to form there.
It didn't appear like a person stepping out of the bushes. It was like the shadow remembered it could become a body. Like the darkness decided it could have shape.
A silhouette.
Tall.
Thin.
Faceless.
Detail-less.
But alive.
I swallowed hard, feeling the urge to run and stay at the same time.
The whole world seemed to shrink to just that place.
Then…
The voice.
Not in the air.
Inside me.
Do you accept…?
Now it wasn't a sweet invitation. Not a distant whisper.
It was a choice.
An open door.
A boundary.
I felt two impulses inside me. One hot, heavy, dangerous. The other steady, constant, demanding.
Light and Shadow.
Two different promises.
Two consequences.
All waiting on… me.
I took a deep breath. My heart hammered. My hands shook.
"Accept what…?" I whispered. "Power? Servitude? Help? A prison? Who are you? What do you want from me?"
The silhouette didn't answer with words.
But the feeling shifted.
It didn't want my soul.
It didn't want my body.
It didn't want obedience.
It wanted something much simpler.
And much more terrifying.
Choose.
Because the moment I chose…
Nothing in the world would ever be normal again.
I closed my eyes.
For a second, I thought of the farm.
My family.
The animals.
The smell of fresh coffee.
The simple life I always thought I'd have.
And I realized I'd never go back to that untouched.
I opened my eyes.
Looked at the shadow.
And before I could say anything…
A sound tore through the morning silence:
"DAYANNE!"
A human voice.
Frightened.
Urgent.
Coming from behind me.
I turned.
And saw someone running toward us.
And, in that exact moment…
The shadow recoiled.
Like it had been shoved back into the world.
It vanished.
The heavy air lifted.
The wind returned.
Birds sang.
Like nothing had happened.
But it had.
And I knew:
The world had given me my first step.
And I was dangerously close to taking the second.