Part 2: The Veil of Shadows

Armedus stepped back, his heels brushing against a stack of dusty boxes. His chest rose and fell rapidly, the room's warmth pressing against his skin like a suffocating blanket. Ellie Ann stood there, her figure almost too still, her green eyes unwavering and fixed on him. "This isn't real," Armedus whispered, his voice cracking. "It can't be." Ellie Ann tilted her head, her lips curling into a small, almost sorrowful smile. "You always were a dreamer, Garrett. But you can't run from this. Not this time." "Stop calling me that!" Armedus snapped, the panic in his voice giving way to frustration. He reached for the flashlight on his belt, but it was gone.

A cold chill rippled through him, and he glanced around, the room warping in his periphery. The walls began to shift, the jagged gashes reappearing, only now they seemed to pulse, almost as if alive. The faint light he had seen earlier flickered through the cracks again, stronger this time, casting strange shadows across Ellie Ann's face. "You've forgotten," she said softly, stepping toward him. Her bare feet made no sound on the floor. "But that's all right. I'll remind you." Armedus raised a hand, his palm trembling as he tried to ward her off. "Stay back!" he barked. "I don't know who you are, but I am not Garrett. My name is Armedus. I'm here because—because—" He faltered.

Why was he here? The memory of his purpose slipped through his mind like sand through his fingers. Ellie Ann's smile widened, though it no longer reached her eyes. "It's the forest, isn't it? It muddles everything. But you came here for me, Garrett. For us. You made a promise." "No," he whispered, his voice barely audible. He shook his head violently, as if the action might clear the fog clouding his thoughts. But her words burrowed into his mind, tugging at something buried deep. The room darkened as the light through the cracks flickered and dimmed. The air grew colder, and the faint sound of whispers rose, circling him.

Armedus turned, desperate to locate the source, but the room seemed endless now, the walls stretching out of reach. A loud thud made him jump. He spun back toward Ellie Ann, but she was no longer there. In her place stood a tall figure shrouded in shadow, its form indistinct yet suffocatingly present. The whispers grew louder, the words he couldn't quite make out, but their tone was unmistakably accusatory. "Garrett," the figure hissed, its voice like gravel dragged over stone. "You left. You broke the vow." "I didn't leave anyone!" Armedus shouted, his voice cracking under the weight of his fear. "I don't even know who you are!" The figure loomed closer, its presence pressing down on him, its outline flickering like a flame caught in the wind.

"You've forgotten, but the forest remembers. I remember." Armedus stumbled back, his heel catching on the edge of the hatch door. He fell hard, the impact jarring his spine. His hands scrambled for purchase on the floor, but it felt slick now, like glass coated in ice. The figure towered over him, its formless face mere inches away. "You don't belong here," it whispered, its breath freezing the air around him. "But you cannot leave until you understand." The shadows coiled around Armedus, pulling him downward, and he let out a desperate cry.

As the darkness consumed him, a familiar voice pierced through the chaos. "Armedus! Wake up!" The voice was distant, but it pulled at him, anchoring him to something real. The shadows faltered, retreating like smoke caught in a gust of wind. He opened his eyes, gasping for air, and found himself lying on the forest floor, the cabin nowhere in sight. The gravel path stretched out before him, the trees looming like silent sentinels. His head throbbed, his mind spinning with fragments of what had just happened. Had it been a dream? A hallucination? As he sat up, his hand brushed against something cold. He looked down to find a thin silver band lying in the dirt. It was intricately carved, the designs resembling the scratches he had seen on the cabin walls. Armedus hesitated, his fingers trembling as he picked it up. When he touched it, a faint echo of Ellie Ann's voice filled his mind: "You promised."

The forest grew quiet, and Armedus realized the path ahead was darker than before. But he had no choice now. Something had awakened, and it would not let him go until he uncovered the truth. Armedus rose to his feet with a deep breath, the silver band clenched tightly in his hand and continued down the path, the forest closing in around him.