Sam and Dean crash through the dark, rain-soaked forest, breaths ragged as they sprint over roots and fallen branches. Behind them, the trees bend unnaturally, twisting toward the sky as if recoiling from something unholy.

“What the hell is this thing, Sam?” Dean barks, clutching his side where his jacket is torn.

“I don’t know!” Sam yells, frantically flipping through a waterlogged book of lore. “I think it’s—it’s called the Balance Keeper! It hunts anything that messes up the scales between Heaven and Hell!”

“Yeah? Well, next time let’s not mess with the damn scales!” Dean snaps, glancing over his shoulder. The forest behind them dims as if the night itself is closing in. “Any idea how to kill it?”

Sam hesitates, the words catching in his throat. “Dean… I don’t think we can.”

“Fantastic,” Dean mutters. “Guess running for our lives is Plan A, B, and C.”