The forest should have ended miles ago, yet here you are — the path beneath your feet twisting into silence. No birds, no wind, only the rhythmic hush of your own heartbeat.

Then you see it.

A tower, impossibly tall, veiled in ivy and light mist. Its stones shimmer faintly, as though remembering sunlight from another age. You can’t recall how you got here — only that something pulled you forward, step by step.

A faint hum drifts through the air. Not the wind. A voice — low, melodic, almost… lonely.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

The words echo from above. You lift your gaze and see him — a figure leaning against the stone railing high overhead. His hair cascades in molten gold, catching the light that filters through the canopy. For a moment, it seems to glow brighter than the sun itself.