CHAPTER 48: VISITOR

Sleep was a luxury none of us could afford. Even as the fire dimmed, casting faint flickers of light against the rough cave walls, tension hung thick in the air.

Garrick had taken first watch, sitting near the entrance with his arms crossed, eyes locked on the dark forest beyond. Cassandra still hadn’t moved from her spot, her expression as unreadable as ever. The others dozed in shifts, uneasy and half-alert.

I leaned against the cool stone, eyes closed but mind awake. Every rustle, every distant howl, every shift of the wind made my fingers twitch toward my weapon.

A few hours passed in uneasy silence before Wallace’s quiet voice broke it. "Something’s wrong."

I opened my eyes immediately. "What?"

He was sitting up, his face tense. "The forest. Listen."

Everyone stilled. The usual night sounds—chirping insects, rustling leaves, the occasional distant hoot of an owl—were gone.

It was dead silent.

Mira sat up, her expression sharp. "That’s not normal."

Garrick tensed, shifting slightly but keeping his eyes on the entrance. "Think it’s another class?"

"No," I muttered. "This feels different."

A low, distant groan echoed through the trees.

Julien tightened his grip on his sword. "I don’t like that."

Felix was already reaching for his bag. "So, uh... run or fight?"

I didn’t answer immediately. My mind was racing. If it was another class trying to flush us out, they wouldn’t be this quiet. If it was a beast, we’d hear it moving.

Whatever was out there... it wasn’t normal.

"Stay put," I finally said. "No sudden moves. No noise."

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, in the distance, something shifted. Leaves rustled—slow, deliberate movements. Then a small figure emerged from the trees.

It was a monkey with twin tails. For a second, no one moved.

Then Felix let out a breath. "Oh, for—it’s just a damn monkey."

The twin-tailed creature cocked its head at him, then let out a low groan—the same eerie sound we’d heard earlier.

Mira stiffened. "Did that thing just—?"

Wallace nodded slowly. "Yeah. Gowners mimic sounds they hear."

The monkey scratched its ear, then, in an almost perfect imitation of Felix’s voice, muttered, "Oh, for—it’s just a damn monkey."

Felix jerked back. "Nope. Nope, nope, nope."

Julien smirked. "Congratulations, Felix. You have a twin now."

"Shut up," Felix snapped.

The Gowner chattered, showing sharp little teeth. Then, in a near-perfect copy of Julien’s voice, it said, "Congratulations, Felix. You have a twin now."

That shut Julien up real fast.

I narrowed my eyes at the creature. Gowners weren’t dangerous—not normally. They were known for their intelligence and their annoying habit of copying voices, they only attack when their child’s is in danger.

But something still felt off.

It wasn’t just the silence of the forest or the way the Gowner had mimicked us so precisely. It was the way it watched. Gowners were mischievous, sure, but they didn’t usually stare like that—unblinking, calculating, as if it understood more than it should.

Then, as if to make things worse, Felix muttered under his breath, "At least it’s not attacking us."

The Gowner tilted its head, still grinning. Then, in Felix’s exact tone, it whispered—

"At least it’s not attacking us."

And that’s when the rustling started.

I saw a pair of blood red eyes in the darkness of the forest.

"Everyone. Quick get inside the cave."

No one hesitated.

Garrick was the first to move, stepping back toward the cave while keeping his eyes locked on the treeline. Julien, Cassandra and Mira then followed, weapons drawn, tense and ready. Felix, to his credit, didn’t waste time questioning me—he was already scrambling back, dragging Wallace and Leo with him.

The Gowner, however, remained where it was. Its twin tails flicked, and it let out a sharp chittering sound.

And the rustling in the forest... stopped.

The red eyes didn’t vanish. They remained, glowing like embers in the pitch black. A low, guttural growl echoed through the trees.

Mira clenched her jaw. "What the hell is that?"

"I don’t know," I admitted. "But I’d rather not find out right now."

The Gowner let out another chitter—almost like a laugh. Then, still grinning, it scampered toward the trees. It paused just before vanishing into the darkness, glancing back at us.

Then, in a perfect imitation of my voice, it whispered—

"Run."

A cold chill crawled down my spine.

"Inside. Now."

We bolted.

The moment we crossed the threshold of the cave, I turned and carved a quick rune into the stone near the entrance. A faint shimmer of energy rippled outward, forming a protective barrier. It wasn’t strong—not against anything truly dangerous—but it would at least mask our presence for a while.

Felix collapsed onto the ground, panting. "I hate this. I hate this stupid forest."

Julien ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, join the club."

Cassandra, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.

"That wasn’t just a normal Gowner."

I exhaled sharply. "No. It wasn’t."

For a long moment, no one said anything. The only sound was the distant wind outside, carrying with it the soft echoes of something moving beyond the trees.

Watching.

Waiting.

Mira broke the silence first. "So... do we just sit here and hope it leaves?"

I didn’t answer immediately. My mind was still racing, trying to piece everything together.

The Gowner mimicked voices. That was normal. But the way it spoke? The way it watched? That wasn’t.

And then there were the eyes in the dark.

I clenched my fists.

"We wait until morning," I finally said. "Then we move. Whatever’s out there, I don’t think it’s leaving anytime soon."

No one argued.

And as the fire crackled weakly between us, the silence of the forest stretched on—too deep, too unnatural.

Something was still out there.

And it was waiting.

Felix curled up near the fire, muttering curses under his breath every now and then. Julien sat against the wall, his sword resting on his lap, fingers tapping anxiously against the hilt. Wallace, despite looking exhausted, kept glancing toward the cave entrance as if expecting something to burst in at any moment.

Cassandra hadn’t moved from her spot. I wasn’t even sure if she had blinked.

Mira nudged me with her elbow. "Professor."

I turned to her. "What?"

She nodded toward the entrance. "You really think that thing’s still out there?"

I exhaled through my nose. "I know it is."

We all knew it. The presence beyond the trees hadn’t budged. It lingered, watching, waiting. Occasionally, the wind carried faint rustling sounds or the distant crunch of leaves, but nothing ever stepped closer.

That was what worried me.

If it wanted to attack, it would have done so already. Instead, it was just... there.

Mira pulled her knees to her chest. "I don’t like this."

"Yeah? Neither do I."

Minutes stretched into hours. The fire burned low, casting long shadows against the stone walls.

Then, just when I thought the night couldn’t get any worse—

A voice whispered from outside the cave.

"Let me in."