The air grew heavy the deeper they wandered into the Aokigahara forest, the roots twisting over mossy rocks like the veins of some ancient beast. It was only 6 pm but the thick trees made the forest dark already. Ren walked a little ahead, hoodie pulled over his blond hair, headphones slung around his neck and constant complaints behind him.

“Man, this is creepy…” Daichi muttered, clutching his phone like a flashlight even though the sun still filtered through the trees.

“Did you hear that?!” Sora yelped when a crow burst from a nearby branch, wings flapping like thunder in the silence.

Ren stopped, exhaling through his nose. “It’s just a bird. Again. We’ve stopped at every branch crack and gust of wind. If we keep this up, we’ll never make it past the trailhead.”

Kaito, the tallest of the group, laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, man, but… you gotta admit this place has a vibe. People say ghosts wander around here. I don’t really wanna be the first one to find out.”

Ren shot them a look, tired but amused in his own way. “You wanted to come, remember? Or would you rather be sitting in front of your screens all day?”

“Uh, yeah, duh” Daichi said flatly. “At least my games don’t whisper at me from the trees.”

Ren rolled his eyes and pushed forward, the forest swallowing his footsteps. When he caught it—a faint rustle. He turned, more to mock his friends than anything, but his voice faltered.

“Come on guys, stop—” The words froze in his throat as he saw his friends were all there and the noise was heard again in the bushes to his right.

From the shadowed tangle of leaves, a golden eye glimmered, unblinking, staring straight at him.