Fated: Web of Lies

The days following Sora's encounter with Johan and the mysterious hooded man brought no peace. The jagged symbol carved into the wood of his home had disappeared by morning, but its presence lingered in Sora's mind like a splinter. It was as though the air around him had grown colder, heavier, pressing down on him with an invisible weight.

Sora's unease grew with each passing day. The market, once a lively haven of smells and colors, now felt muted. The people he had grown up around seemed to avoid him, their conversations abruptly halting whenever he passed. Even Niko, who usually made a point of sticking close to him, had become distant, his carefree smile replaced by a guarded wariness.

"You've changed," Niko said one afternoon as they sat near the edge of the ridge overlooking the sprawl of rooftops below.

Sora frowned, absently picking at the frayed hem of his shirt. "What do you mean?"

"You're different. Since that day," Niko said, his voice low. He kicked a loose stone, watching it tumble down the slope. "I don't know if it's that boy, Johan, or that hooded guy. But it's like… something's following you now."

Sora wanted to argue, to tell Niko he was imagining things, but deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that his friend was right.

The next time Sora saw Johan, it was in a dream.

The sky was an unnatural shade of red, streaked with black clouds that twisted and writhed like living things. Sora stood in the center of an empty street, his bare feet scraping against cracked and uneven cobblestones.

"Why are you here?" Johan's voice echoed around him, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

Sora turned, his heart pounding, and saw the boy standing a few feet away. But this wasn't the frail, bloodied child he had saved. This Johan seemed older, his face sharper, his presence more commanding. His dark eyes bore into Sora's, unblinking and cold.

"I… don't know," Sora stammered.

Johan tilted his head, his lips curling into a faint, enigmatic smile. "Lies don't suit you, Sora. You're here because you can feel it too. The change. The threads tightening around you."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked, his voice trembling.

Johan didn't answer. Instead, he took a step closer, his movements fluid and deliberate. "You made a choice, Sora. And choices have consequences. You've set something in motion that cannot be stopped."

Before Sora could respond, Johan raised his hand. The red sky darkened further, and the ground beneath them cracked open. From the depths of the abyss came a sound—a low, guttural growl that made Sora's blood run cold.

"Wake up," Johan said, his voice a whisper.

Sora jolted upright in his bed, his chest heaving. His room was pitch black, save for the faint light of the moon filtering through the cracks in the wall. Sweat clung to his skin, and his hands shook as he gripped the thin blanket.

But the nightmare wasn't over.

From the corner of the room came a soft, almost imperceptible rustling sound. Sora froze, his breath catching in his throat. Slowly, he turned his head toward the noise.

There, in the shadows, stood a figure. Its outline was faint, but Sora could make out the edges of a hood and the glint of eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the dark.

"You're awake," the hooded man said, his voice calm and measured.

Sora couldn't move, couldn't speak. Fear rooted him in place as the figure stepped closer, the faint moonlight illuminating his face.

"You've taken your first step," the man continued, his gaze unwavering. "Now you must decide how far you're willing to go."

"What… what do you want from me?" Sora managed to choke out.

The hooded man smiled, a cold, calculating expression that sent shivers down Sora's spine. "Not from you, Sora. For you. The world is vast, and its truths are cruel. But you, my boy, have the potential to shape it. To bend its rules."

Sora shook his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't understand."

"You will," the man said, turning toward the window. "In time."

And then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, the hooded man was gone, leaving behind nothing but the faint rustle of the night wind and the lingering echo of his words.

The next morning, Sora found another mark etched into the dirt outside his home. It was the same jagged symbol, but this time, it was surrounded by strange, looping patterns that seemed to pulse faintly in the morning light.

"What does it mean?" Niko asked, his voice tinged with fear as he crouched beside the mark.

Sora didn't answer. His eyes remained fixed on the symbol, a sinking feeling settling in his chest.

Whatever was happening, it wasn't over.

And it was only just beginning.