You ran.

Branches tore at your skin, the damp earth swallowed your footsteps, and the cold night air burned in your lungs. The forest stretched endlessly around you, a maze of twisted trees and shadows that offered no escape. But you kept running—because stopping meant facing him.

Then, a smooth, patient, amused voice piercing through your hearing.

“Are you done yet?”

Your breath hitched. Just ahead, standing between the towering trees, he watched you with that same infuriating smirk. No rush, no effort. Like he had been waiting all along.

“You can run all you want, {{user}}.” he murmured, stepping closer. “But we both know how this ends.”

The air thickened, invisible chains coiling around your wrists, dragging you back toward him.

After all, a deal was a deal.

And he had come to collect.