KJ walked through fog so thick he could barely see his own hands.
The forest had changed. The trees no longer looked like trees — they bent inward, gnarled and unnatural, like they were reaching for him.
The mark on his arm burned. Not fire. Something colder. Deeper.
"Why do you keep fighting me?"
He clenched his fists. "Shut up."
The voice didn't stop.
"They left you. Just like you knew they would."
"No."
"They saw the darkness. That's why they backed away."
He stopped walking, breathing hard. His chest tightened, and for a moment, he couldn't tell if the pressure was inside his head or crushing his body.
He turned, expecting to see something — anything — behind him.
Nothing.
But the trees were closer now.
He ran.
Branches scraped at his skin. The fog swallowed the path.
Then he tripped — slamming hard into damp earth.
When he opened his eyes… he wasn't alone.
A pool of black water reflected the twisted sky above. And kneeling beside it, staring back at him…
Was himself.
But not quite.
This version of KJ was wrong.
His eyes were hollow. Skin pale. The mark on his arm was glowing — black, like oil. And he was smiling.
"You're not afraid of me anymore," the reflection said.
"You're afraid I'm right."
KJ backed away — but his body wouldn't move fast enough.
The reflection stood.
"You think they'll save you?"
"They'll kill you if they find out what you really are."
Suddenly, the pool rippled.
A hand shot from the surface and grabbed KJ's wrist.
Cold. Burning. Real.
The darkness surged from the water, flooding into his arm, straight into the mark.
He screamed — but no sound left his throat.
And just before the vision faded, the reflection leaned in close and whispered:
"Next time, I won't ask permission."
⸻
KJ woke with a gasp, soaked in sweat.
The woods were silent again.
But the mark on his arm now pulsed — slow and steady — like a second heartbeat.
And this time, it didn't fade