Eddy didn't think.
The moment the sound behind him became real, his body moved on instinct. He turned and ran, boots striking hard against cracked stone as he rushed through the ruins. His grip tightened around the wooden sword, but he didn't dare look back.
Fighting was not an option.
Not against something he couldn't even see clearly.
"Not happening… I'm not fighting that."
The ruins that had once felt silent now echoed with every step he took. The sound of his movement bounced off broken pillars and shattered walls, making it feel like the entire place was aware of him. The emptiness didn't feel empty anymore.
It felt like something was watching.
Eddy's breathing grew heavier as he ran. The fog thickened, curling low across the ground and blurring his vision. The statues he had passed earlier now appeared at the edge of his sight, their faceless forms almost seeming to shift as he moved past them.
He ignored it.
Behind him, something moved.
Fast.
A low, unnatural sound followed, like a breath dragged through something broken. It wasn't loud, but it was close enough to make his chest tighten.
It was getting closer.
"Too close…"
Eddy pushed harder, forcing his legs to move faster despite the burning pain building in them. His lungs felt tight, his body already worn down, but he didn't slow.
He couldn't.
The ruins stretched endlessly around him. Every direction looked the same—collapsed walls, broken stone, scattered debris. There was no clear path, no exit in sight.
Just the feeling of being chased.
Then, through the fog, something appeared ahead.
Eddy focused on it immediately.
A structure stood in the distance, rising above the ruins. Unlike everything else, it hadn't collapsed. It stood firm, untouched, as if time had ignored it.
As he got closer, its shape became clearer.
A gate.
Massive and unmoving.
Two tall stone pillars stood on either side, connected by a heavy arch above. The surface was covered in worn carvings, old and faded but still present. It didn't look like something built for people.
It looked like something meant to separate one place from another.
Eddy didn't slow down.
"Better than dying here."
If there was any way out, it had to be through that.
The sound behind him grew louder.
Closer.
Now he could hear it clearly—heavy impacts against stone, uneven but fast. Whatever was chasing him wasn't hiding anymore.
It didn't need to.
A sudden force slammed into his back.
Pain tore through him as sharp claws cut across his skin, ripping through his clothes and dragging across his back. The impact pushed him forward, almost knocking him off his feet.
Eddy stumbled, his vision shaking for a moment.
But he didn't fall.
He couldn't afford to.
"Move… don't stop…!"
His teeth clenched as he forced his legs to keep moving. The pain burned across his back, sharp and constant, but it only made one thing clear in his mind.
Stop, and you die.
The gate was close now.
Closer with every step.
The air around it felt strange. Heavy, almost like it was pressing down on him. Even the fog behaved differently here, slowly gathering near the entrance as if it was being pulled inward.
Eddy didn't question it.
There was no time.
He ran straight toward it.
Behind him, the creature moved again.
Faster than before.
Eddy could feel it now—right behind him. Close enough that the air shifted with its movement.
Close enough that if he slowed even slightly—
He wouldn't make it.
"…fuck it."
One step.
Two.
Eddy crossed the gate.
[Aspirant… The trial has begun. Survive…]
"…yeah, of course it has."
Everything went silent.
The sound of his footsteps disappeared. The pressure in the air vanished. Even the pain in his back faded slightly, as if it had been pushed away.
For a brief moment, nothing existed.
Then—
The ground beneath him disappeared.
There was no warning.
No crack.
No shift.
The stone simply vanished, and Eddy dropped instantly. His body fell forward as his balance disappeared, his hand reaching out for something to grab onto.
There was nothing.
No ground.
No edge.
No support.
Only empty space.
He fell into darkness.
The ruins were gone.
The gate was gone.
And whatever had been chasing him…
Was left behind.
Cold air rushed past him as he fell deeper, his body turning slightly in the empty void. There was no sense of direction, no way to tell how far he was falling or what waited below.
"Yeah… this isn't an exit."
His mind raced.
That wasn't escape.
That wasn't safety.
He had stepped into something else.
Something intentional.
The darkness stretched endlessly around him, silent and deep.
And as Eddy continued to fall, one thought became clear.
"…this is fucked."
This wasn't the end of the danger.
It was the beginning.