Karl didn't turn around.
He'd heard the voice — low, almost like the wind — but something told him moving too quickly wouldn't help.
"So the Soulbind begins…"
The fog curled thicker, and when he finally looked back, no one was there.
Only the distant lanterns of Asterwall and the echo of that howl still ringing in his chest.
Then came—
"You know, you're terrible at sneaking out."
Karl flinched.
"Mira?"
She stepped out from behind a crooked tree, arms folded and a stick in her hand like a sword.
"You didn't even cover your tracks. Amateur."
He opened his mouth to explain—
But she raised the stick like she was knighting him.
"Karl Valen, Soulbound to Suspicious Glowy Marks and Bad Decisions."
He blinked. Then laughed. The sound felt weird coming out of him after the tension.
"Thanks for the ceremony."
"Anytime," she said, lowering the stick. Then her tone softened.
"But… seriously. What did you see out here?"
Karl looked toward the treeline.
"A beast. I think. But not like any I've seen before."
"You think it was a Soulbound creature?"
He nodded slowly.
"I didn't form a bond, but… it looked at me. Like it was waiting."
Mira was quiet for a second.
"Creepy. But cool."
Then after a beat: "Mostly creepy."
They started walking back toward the village.
The lanterns of Asterwall flickered between branches, casting long shadows.
"You ever wonder why this place is so quiet?" Karl asked suddenly.
Mira raised a brow. "You mean besides the eerie forests, the sealed shrines, and the Elders who give you riddles instead of answers?"
"Yeah," Karl said. "Besides all that."
Far behind them, near the old well that no one used anymore, the wind shifted again.
Dust blew off a stone that hadn't been touched in years — revealing a faded engraving:
"Here they sealed the first bond."
But no one was there to read it.
Not yet.