Chapter 1: Don't Let Go
It was supposed to be a peaceful stream.
LyraVale smiled at the camera in her usual way, the soft pink hues of her animated VTuber model bouncing gently as she spoke.
"Alright, everyone. Today's a little different. We're doing a chill walk through the woods."
She tilted her head, playful.
"But I'm not the one outside."
Her hand gestured off-screen. "That would be our guide. Say hi, dummy."
The stream split into two feeds.
One showed Lyra's pastel-themed room, glowing softly with LED lights. The other showed a chest-mounted camera pointed down a narrow forest trail.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves overhead. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance. The forest looked calm—almost peaceful. The kind of calm that made you forget the world existed for a moment. Lyra felt a pang of envy. She'd forgotten what it felt like to walk through trees like that, just listening to the quiet, the wind, the life around her.
"I still don't get why you like dragging that camera around," Lyra teased.
"You like nature," his voice replied through her headset—low, calm, familiar.
"So I'm bringing nature to you."
> Awww
Boyfriend???
He's such a sweetheart!
I wish someone took me on nature walks like this
Protect this man at all costs
Lyra rolled her eyes, laughing. "See what you've done? They're all simping now."
He chuckled. "Let them. You deserve it."
She smiled… but something tugged at her chest. His voice sounded a little tight. Like he was holding something back. Maybe he hadn't slept well—he'd mentioned that earlier. Probably nothing. She tried to push the thought aside.
The path narrowed.
The forest grew quieter.
Then—he stopped.
The second feed wobbled slightly. The camera turned slowly.
Trees. Brush. Nothing else.
"You good?" Lyra asked lightly.
No answer.
A few seconds passed.
Then, barely above a whisper, he muttered,
"Something's wrong."
> Wait what?
That was fast
What's he looking at??
Did anyone else hear something??
The leaves rustled.
Too loud. Too close.
"That's not wind," Lyra said, her tone shifting. "Hey—talk to me. What's out there?"
He took a step forward.
Then another.
The camera shook.
Lyra's stomach twisted. She felt her fingers twitch. Every instinct screamed at her to get up, do something, anything, but she couldn't move. Her heart raced. Her breath hitched. The room felt too small, too bright, too silent except for the echoes in her headphones.
And then—BAM.
The footage jolted violently. The frame blurred into branches and dirt as something slammed into him.
A snarl ripped through Lyra's headphones—deep, raw, animal.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" she shouted, bolting upright so fast her chair screeched backward.
The feed lurched wildly.
Panting filled the audio.
His panting.
He was running.
"Run!" Lyra screamed, gripping her headset. "Don't look back—just RUN!"
> What is that noise?!
Oh my god is he being chased?!
RUN BRO RUN
Lyra end the stream!
Is this a prank???
HE'S NOT READING CHAT
LYRA DO SOMETHING
"I—I can't!" Lyra cried, her voice cracking on stream. "I don't know what's happening—he's not listening—he's—"
"Lyra."
His voice cut through the chaos.
Breathless. Low. Terrified.
"M-mute the stream. Please."
Her heart clenched. "No—don't say it like that. What's going on?!"
The camera tumbled.
The image slammed into the ground.
Dirt. Leaves. A shoe stepping into frame.
Then his face appeared—only partially visible.
Bruised.
Bleeding.
And scared.
"I'm sorry you had to witness this."
He looked directly into the camera.
His eyes weren't human anymore.
> What the f—
His eyes—did you see that?!
IS HE OKAY
Lyra end the stream PLEASE
OMG HIS BONES—IS HE—IS HE CHANGING??
A scream tore from Lyra's throat.
"STOP—NO—DON'T—!"
Bones cracked.
Loud. Wet. Wrong.
His hand—no, his claw—twitched at the edge of the frame, fingers bending where fingers shouldn't bend.
His voice broke into a half-growl, half-scream—no longer his own.
Lyra's ears rang. Her stomach lurched. She wanted to look away, to cover her eyes, but she couldn't. She couldn't stop watching. Her chest burned with helplessness.
And then, just before the feed cut—
The howl.
High.
Gut-wrenching.
Unmistakable.
The chat froze.
The VTuber froze.
The world stopped.
The screen went black.
Connection Lost.
LyraVale sat alone in her room, hands shaking, staring at the dead screen—unable to breathe, unable to speak, unable to process what the entire world had just seen.
Her chest heaved. She pressed a hand to her mouth, trying to swallow the panic. Outside, the wind rattled the window, birds called. Life went on. But inside, nothing moved. Nothing made sense.
She wanted to scream again, to run outside, to follow him, to rewind time.
But she couldn't.
All she could do was sit there… and wait.