The forest changed.
Aarav felt it before he saw anything.
The air grew heavier.
Thicker.
Like breathing through something invisible.
"…What noticed us?" he asked, his voice low.
The girl didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes were fixed on the darkness behind him.
"It's already here," she whispered.
Aarav's body tensed.
"What is it?"
A pause.
Then she said—
"The thing that erases me."
A cold wave ran through his chest.
"…That's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Listen carefully," she said, stepping closer.
"If you want to survive—don't look for it."
Aarav frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Don't try to understand it. Don't try to see it."
The wind stopped again.
Silence returned.
And this time—
It felt alive.
🌑 The First Sign
Aarav swallowed.
"Okay… yeah, I'm officially creeped out now."
He turned slightly—
And froze.
"…Did you hear that?"
A faint sound echoed through the forest.
Not footsteps.
Not breathing.
Something… dragging.
Slow.
Heavy.
Getting closer.
The girl's hand grabbed his wrist suddenly.
"Don't turn around."
Aarav's heart started pounding.
"It's behind me, isn't it?"
"…Yes."
His throat went dry.
"Then how am I supposed to—"
"Because the moment you see it…"
She tightened her grip.
"It sees you too."
🩸 The Rule
Aarav forced a nervous laugh.
"Yeah, that's definitely not how anything works."
"…It is for me."
Her voice trembled slightly now.
"Everything has rules," she continued.
"My existence… its existence…"
A pause.
"And your survival."
The dragging sound grew louder.
Closer.
Aarav clenched his fists.
"…I don't believe in this."
But his body did.
Every instinct screamed—
Run.
⚠️ The Mistake
And then—
He made the worst possible decision.
Slowly—
Aarav turned his head.
Just a little.
Just enough—
To see.
At first—
Nothing.
Then—
The darkness shifted.
And something inside it—
Moved wrong.
Too long.
Too thin.
Like a shape that didn't understand how to be human.
Aarav's breath stopped.
"…What the hell is that…?"
The thing froze.
Completely still.
Then—
Its head—
Twitched.
And turned.
Not toward the girl.
Toward him.
👁️ It Sees You
Aarav felt it.
Not physically.
But inside his mind.
Like something had just—
Locked onto him.
The girl's voice broke through—
"You weren't supposed to look!"
Too late.
The thing began to move.
Faster now.
The dragging sound turned into something sharper—
Closer—
Closer—
"RUN!" she shouted.
🏃 Escape
Aarav didn't think.
He ran.
Branches scratched his arms.
Roots nearly tripped him.
Behind him—
That sound.
Getting faster.
Impossible.
"…It's catching up!" he shouted.
"I know!"
The girl grabbed his hand and pulled him in a different direction.
"Don't stop! No matter what happens—don't stop!"
The forest blurred around them.
Twisting.
Shifting.
Like reality itself was trying to slow them down.
Then suddenly—
She stopped.
Aarav stumbled.
"What are you doing?!"
Her face had gone pale.
"…It's too close."
The sound was right behind them now.
Right there.
Aarav turned—
And this time—
He saw it clearly.
A figure made of darkness.
Not solid.
Not real.
Its body stretched unnaturally—
Like it was glitching.
And its face—
There wasn't one.
Just empty space.
"…That's not possible," Aarav whispered.
The thing tilted its head.
Then—
It lunged.
⚡ The Witch Reveals
"Get down!" she shouted.
Aarav dropped instinctively.
And in that moment—
Something changed.
The air around her—
Cracked.
Like glass.
For a split second—
The world itself—
Broke.
A pulse of energy exploded outward.
Invisible—
But powerful.
The creature froze mid-air.
Then—
It began to tear apart.
Not physically—
But like its existence was being rejected.
The girl stood there—
Eyes glowing faintly.
Hair moving without wind.
And for the first time—
She didn't look human.
"I told you," she said softly.
"I'm a witch."
The creature let out a sound—
Not a scream—
Something worse.
And then—
It vanished.
Gone.
Like it was never there.
🌫️ Aftermath
Silence returned.
But this time—
It felt fragile.
Aarav slowly stood up.
Heart racing.
Mind completely shattered.
"…You just… destroyed that thing."
The girl looked at her hands.
They were trembling.
"…No," she whispered.
A pause.
"It will come back."
Aarav stared at her.
"…What do you mean come back?"
She looked up at him.
And this time—
There was no hiding it.
Fear.
"As long as I exist…" she said quietly,
"It will keep hunting me."