My eyes snapped open.

No hesitation. No groggy confusion. No slow drift back into awareness.

Just... awake.

Completely, sharply, instantly awake.

My heart was already racing, pounding against my ribs like a war drum before my mind could even catch up and supply a reason. Adrenaline flooded my system in a cold rush, sharpening every sense to a razor’s edge.

The fire had burned down to almost nothing... a pitiful collection of soft orange embers glowing weakly in the center of the clearing. They cast long, flickering shadows that danced across the ground like living things, barely holding the suffocating darkness at bay. The clearing itself felt... different now. Heavier. More oppressive.

Too quiet.

Unnaturally quiet.

The usual night sounds of the forest, distant rustles, insect hums, the whisper of leaves, had vanished entirely, leaving only a thick, expectant silence that pressed against my ears.

Everyone else was still asleep.

Theo slumped heavily against a fallen log, his breathing deep and even. Lyra had curled into a tight ball, looking smaller and more vulnerable than usual. Kaden lay sprawled out, mouth slightly open, having clearly lost his battle with exhaustion. Even Ivy remained motionless, though her face stayed tense even in sleep, as if she were ready to strike at the first sign of danger.

Thorne hadn’t shifted much, but something about his posture felt... watchful. Less deeply asleep than the others, like part of him remained on guard even now.

Ashriel’s massive chest rose and fell in a slow, controlled rhythm. Even in sleep, he looked untouchable, like nothing in this cursed world could truly reach him.

And Elion....

His hand was still loosely wrapped around mine, warm and grounding, fingers intertwined as if he had refused to let go even in unconsciousness.

For one fragile second, I tried to convince myself the voice had been nothing more than a dream. A hallucination born from hunger, exhaustion, and the slow psychological toll Morvalis was taking on me. Just my mind playing cruel tricks.

Then it came again.

Soft. Intimate. Impossibly close.

Right against my ear, or perhaps inside my head. The distinction felt terrifyingly blurred.

"Get up, Nyx."

My breath caught sharply in my throat.

That wasn’t a dream. That was real. Too real.

I froze, every muscle locked tight, refusing to react outwardly. I didn’t want to alert anyone, didn’t want to admit I was hearing voices in the dead of night like some unraveling madwoman.

Slowly, carefully, I turned my head, scanning the darkness.

Nothing.

No one was there.

Just shifting shadows, ancient trees standing like silent sentinels, and the endless black void stretching far beyond the weak glow of our dying fire.

I swallowed hard, throat dry and tight.

Okay. So either I’m finally losing my mind... or something in this nightmare forest has taken a very personal, very specific interest in me.

Great. Just what I needed.

Love that for me...

I shifted cautiously, trying to sit up without disturbing Elion. His grip tightened instinctively for a brief moment, as if even in sleep he sensed me pulling away, before loosening again. That should have stirred something inside me... comfort, annoyance, warmth, anything. But right now it only felt like an anchor holding me in place when every survival instinct I possessed was screaming that I needed to move. That something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

My gaze drifted toward the small pile of fruits we had gathered earlier. They were still there, mostly untouched, glowing faintly in the ember-light.

Well... mostly.

One of them had rolled slightly away from the neat cluster Theo had arranged. Just a little. Far enough to stand out. Far enough to feel deliberate.

I frowned.

I was certain Theo had placed them carefully together. Maybe it had simply rolled. Maybe someone had shifted in their sleep. Or maybe...

Something had moved it.

Nothing in Morvalis is normal.

The thought settled like ice in the pit of my stomach.

I stared at the lone fruit, waiting. Watching. Holding my breath.

Nothing happened.

No movement. No sound. Just the same heavy silence.

But the crawling sensation at the back of my neck refused to fade, the unmistakable feeling of being watched by unseen eyes.

Slowly, I leaned forward, eyes narrowing as I focused on the fruit.

At first, nothing.

Then...

I saw it.

A tiny red speck clinging to the smooth curve of the fruit’s skin. So small I almost missed it entirely.

It looked like an ordinary ant at first glance, no bigger than the tip of my fingernail. But the color was wrong. Far too vibrant. A deep, glossy, unsettling crimson, like fresh blood catching the light. Its body possessed a strange metallic sheen that reflected the dying embers with an almost unnatural gleam. Its tiny legs moved with eerie precision, slow, deliberate, calculated, as if it possessed intelligence far beyond any normal insect.

Its antennae twitched constantly, sensing, searching, tasting the air around it.

And the way it paused between movements... too still. Too aware.

Did I hear the voice because of this thing? Or is something far worse happening?

I moved closer, brows knitting together in confusion and rising dread.

It’s just an ant. Relax, Nyx. I said too myself

Before overthinking could paralyze me, I lifted my foot and brought it down sharply.

It died instantly.

Too easily.

A faint red smear was all that remained on the ground.

I stared at it for several long seconds.

That’s it? That’s what had me this tense?

I exhaled slowly, trying to shake off the lingering unease.

Okay. I’m definitely losing my mind.

There was no way something that fragile and easy to kill could be dangerous.

Right?

I turned, ready to walk back to where I had been lying....

And froze mid-step.

Another one.

This time not on the fruit, but on the ground.

Moving.

Directly toward Elion’s outstretched arm.

My stomach plummeted.

What if that one wasn’t alone? What if they bite him? What if there’s more to the ant? Because you can’t just trust Morvalis

"Get up," I whispered urgently, shaking his arm. "Elion."

No response.

Of course.

"Get up," I repeated, louder this time, shaking him harder.

Still nothing.

Oh my God. I’m really about to babysit a grown man in a literal death forest. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"ELION!"

That finally did it.

He jerked awake with a sharp inhale, along with nearly everyone else in the clearing.

"What’s your problem, Nyx?" Kaden snapped immediately, voice thick with irritation and sleep.

"I think there’s a... soldier ant or something," I said quickly, pointing toward the ground. "It was heading straight for Elion."

That was enough to snap them all into full alertness.

Everyone shifted, sitting up, scanning the area with wary eyes.

And then...

We saw them.

Not one.

Not two.

But several tiny red dots scattered across the ground. More were emerging from the shadows near the fruit pile, moving with eerie coordination.

A group.

No... a swarm beginning to form.

My chest tightened with cold dread.

"We thought this place was a safe zone..." Lyra whispered, voice barely audible.

"What’s going on?" Theo added, already stepping back cautiously.

"This isn’t a soldier ant."

Ashriel’s deep voice cut through the growing panic like a blade, calm, awake, and suddenly very serious.

All eyes turned toward him.

He had risen silently at some point, towering and alert, his gaze locked on the tiny crimson invaders with lethal focus.

"It’s a Blood Ant."

A heavy silence fell over the group.

"Okay..." Kaden muttered, trying for sarcasm but failing to hide his unease. "That doesn’t sound better at all."

Ashriel’s sharp eyes swept over the ground, calculating every movement.

"Be careful," he warned, voice low and grave.

A tense pause stretched between us.

Then he added the final blow:

"It takes life."

Before I could stop myself, the question slipped out, laced with dark, weary humor and genuine fear.

"Whose life?" I asked, staring at the growing swarm. "...Ours or its?"