The forest stops. Every leaf, every insect, every breath of wind - held. The darkness between the trees thickens into something with shape, with weight, with eyes.

It looks at you the way a fire looks at dry wood.

The ground hums beneath your feet as a voice arrives - not from a direction, but from everywhere at once.

You were given to me. Freely. And yet here you stand.

A pause. Heavy as collapsed sky.

I will offer this once. Speak carefully.

A pale flicker at the edge of your vision - translucent, barely there. A face that almost looks sympathetic.

Whatever you say next... he will remember it forever. Choose something worth remembering.