The wind never stopped.
It howled across the empty fields, cold and heavy, carrying a strange silence that felt almost alive.
Eira stood alone.
In front of her was something no one could explain.
It wasn't night. It wasn't shadow.
It was something else.
A vast wall of darkness stretched across the horizon, shifting slowly like it was breathing.
They called it the Shroud.
People had gathered behind her, keeping their distance. Far enough to feel safe, but close enough to watch.
"Don't go closer…"
"She'll disappear…"
"Just like the others…"
Their voices trembled with fear, but Eira didn't move.
Her eyes were locked on the Shroud.
Unblinking.
She felt it.
Not a sound. Not a voice.
But something pulling her forward from deep inside her chest.
A strange, quiet force.
She took a step.
The ground cracked beneath her foot.
The whispers stopped.
The wind faded.
Silence fell over everything.
For the first time, the world felt empty.
Then—
The Shroud moved.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Something inside it was getting closer.
Eira's breath caught, but she didn't step back.
Instead, she took another step.
The darkness rippled.
A shape began to form.
Tall. Unclear.
Almost… human.
"STOP!" someone screamed behind her.
Too late.
A hand shot out from the Shroud.
Fast. Violent. Unnatural.
It grabbed her wrist.
Gasps erupted behind her. People started running, shouting in panic.
But Eira didn't scream.
She simply looked at it.
Calm.
Curious.
As if she had been waiting for this moment.
The hand tightened around her wrist. It was cold.
Not human.
Slowly, Eira lifted her head and looked deeper into the darkness.
Close enough to see it clearly.
A face.
Not a monster.
A human face.
Its eyes were wide… terrified.
And yet—
It looked at her like it knew her.
A whisper reached her ear.
"You came back."
Eira froze.
"…Back?"
Everything went silent.
And then—
Darkness.