The wind had changed.
As Violet stepped out of the Silent Fen, something shifted in the air—like the world had taken a slow, sharp breath. Even the trees, which once loomed crooked and silent, now leaned slightly away from her.
Like they knew.
Iris watched her quietly.
"You're different."
Violet nodded. "I remember everything."
"Does it hurt?"
"Less than forgetting."
---
They set up camp just beyond the edge of the fen. A patch of dry ground, ringed by glowing stones Iris had collected over the years. The orb hovered above them like a watchful lantern.
Ren sat near the fire, silent.
Iris roasted a small skewer of mushrooms.
Violet sat with the seventh shard pulsing faintly in her hand—now embedded in the center of her mask. It felt like a heartbeat.
Her heartbeat.
Finally, Ren spoke.
"I was there that night."
Violet turned.
"You saw it?"
"I saw you. You were crying. Holding their hands. And I couldn't reach you."
Violet swallowed.
"I didn't even know what I had done. I just wanted the light to stop flickering in the cellar."
Ren nodded. "The seal was weak. It had to break sometime. It just chose you."
"No," Violet said, voice low but steady. "I chose it."
The fire popped.
A breeze tugged at the edge of the tent.
Iris glanced up. "We should talk about what's next."
Violet leaned back, her eyes on the stars. "The monsters came from somewhere. I want to know where."
"They came from dungeons," Iris said.
"No," Violet replied. "The dungeons came later. I remember the first one. It appeared after the outbreak—not before."
Ren raised an eyebrow. "You think the dungeons are following you?"
"I think they're following the mask."
The orb buzzed.
"Analyzing global mana patterns… Seventy-two new dungeons emerged in the past month. All near locations where shard resonance was detected."
Iris cursed under her breath. "That's not a coincidence."
"No," Violet said. "It's a message."
---
That night, she dreamed of monsters.
Not just one kind.
All kinds.
Clawed and winged. Slimy and sharp. With teeth like glass and eyes like stars.
But they weren't hunting.
They were hiding.
Running from something bigger.
Something darker.
Something with a face she couldn't see.
---
She woke with a gasp.
The orb blinked beside her.
"Disturbance detected. Western ridge. Twelve lifeforms approaching at high speed."
Ren grabbed his sword. "Monsters?"
"No," the orb replied. "They're too fast. Too… coordinated."
Violet stood, mask sliding over her face.
"Hunters."
From the trees, they came.
Black cloaks. Red sigils on their chests. Eyes glowing faint blue.
They didn't shout. They didn't warn.
They attacked.
Iris deflected the first blade with a flash of green mana, spinning into a counterstrike that dropped one of the attackers. Ren moved like a shadow, slicing through two more.
Violet raised her wand.
No incantations.
No hesitation.
Just a whisper of thought—
And the ground exploded with golden vines.
---
The hunters staggered, caught.
One of them snarled. "You're not supposed to be here."
Violet stepped forward, her voice cold.
"You tried to erase me. I'm still here."
The leader growled. "You wear the mask. That makes you a threat."
She raised her wand again. "Good."
The remaining hunters fled into the woods.
Ren didn't chase.
Neither did Iris.
Violet lowered her wand, breathing hard.
The orb floated beside her. "Warning: they will return. Reinforcements likely. Estimated time: two hours."
"Let them come," Violet said.
"I want answers."
Ren looked at her. "What if they're not the only ones who know?"
"Then we find the rest," she said. "All of them."
Iris chuckled softly. "You sound like a war general."
Violet gave a small smile. "No. I sound like someone who's finally stopped running."
---
In the distance, the wind carried the cry of something ancient.
Something that remembered her.
And Violet?
She was ready to remember it too.
---
The night deepened. Clouds covered the moon, and the forest fell into shadows so thick they looked like walls of ink. Violet sat cross-legged at the edge of camp, tracing lines in the dirt with her wand. Golden sparks glowed where the wood touched the soil, weaving a wide, round sigil.
Iris watched. "A trap?"
"A welcome mat," Violet said. "If the hunters come back, I want them to talk, not fight."
Ren sharpened his sword nearby. "Hunters don't talk."
"They will," Violet answered, "when they see what's behind them."
---
A long, low howl rolled over the ridge. Trees shuddered; small animals fled. Seconds later, two huge shapes barreled from the dark—wolf-monsters made of black mist and silver bone. They skidded to a stop just outside the campfire, hackles up.
Iris raised her dagger. Ren stepped forward.
Violet lifted a hand. "Wait."
The wolves did not attack. Instead, they backed toward Violet, ears flat, eyes bright with fear.
"They're running," Iris whispered. "From what?"
Branches cracked. Twelve hunters burst from the trees—double the number from before. Their blades hummed with blue fire. The lead hunter pointed at Violet.
"Step away from the beasts. Now."
Violet stood, mask glowing. "They came for help. Lower your swords and listen."
"Monsters don't need help," the hunter spat. "They need cages."
Violet flicked her wand. The sigil under the hunters' boots flared. Roots of light snapped up, wrapping their ankles. Swords clattered to the ground.
"Let's talk," she said.
Ren and Iris gathered the disarmed hunters in a rough circle. Violet kneeled in front of their leader, a scar-faced woman with white hair.
"Who sent you?"
The woman clenched her jaw. "You know who."
"Tell me anyway."
"The Masked Seeker," the hunter hissed. "He said the shards belong to him. And you are the world's next disaster."
Violet's heart thumped. "Where is he?"
The hunter looked away. "Everywhere dungeons open."
Violet's eyes narrowed. "What does he want?"
"To keep the door shut forever. To stop what you woke years ago."
Violet leaned closer. "Does he know why I woke it?"
The hunter finally met her gaze—and for a moment, fear flickered behind her anger. "He knows."
---
The flames whirled. A cold breeze swept the camp, carrying a whisper only Violet understood.
"You unlocked the gate. Now unlock your courage."
The wolves whimpered and bowed their heads.
Violet rose. "Let them go," she told the roots. Light dissolved; the hunters stumbled free. "Take this message to your master: I'm done hiding. If he wants the shards, he meets me at the first dungeon—where it all began."
The white-haired hunter hesitated, then nodded once. She signaled her team; they vanished into the night.
The wolves lingered, nuzzling Violet's hand before melting back into mist.
Ren sheathed his sword. "The first dungeon is days away."
Violet stared at the sky. "Then we start walking."
Iris touched the rim of Violet's mask. "Are you ready to face him?"
Violet thought of her parents, of little Violet in the darkness, of the monsters fleeing hunters' blades.
"I'm ready to face everything."
She turned to the orb. "Plot a course for the Shimmer Vale—fastest route."
The orb glowed bright gold. "Course set."
Violet gripped her wand, feeling all seven shards humming like one great heartbeat.
"Next dawn," she said, "we stop running—and the world starts healing."
The campfire crackled. Far beyond the trees, dungeons flickered like nervous stars, waiting to see what the girl who remembered would do next.