The trees swallowed Tavari from sight. The forest closed behind him.

  Footsteps came. Thirty of them. Human-shaped—but wrong. Black eyes gleamed, long curved canines glinted, nails like talons scraped the bark as they moved.

  The Devil’s Foot did not resist. It parted for them.

  Roots tore from the ground and twisted into a throne. Nuru sat upon it, eyes closed. The air thickened around him. The forest seemed alive.

  The leader raised a hand, halting the others.

  “Wait,” he said. “Young one… what are you doing? Why the chair? Why close your eyes?”

  Nuru remained still.

  “Congratulations,” he said softly. “You have seen the Watcher’s face.”

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  The men laughed. Harsh, animal-like.

  “Do you think we fear your so-called Watcher?” one sneered. “That dog sitting on a throne, pretending to be divine?”

  “Just a piece of rot,” another spat. “Lying to people too weak to see it.”

  The leader stepped forward. His mouth moved against his will.

  “We… were sent to test you,” he said.

  The others stiffened. Their movements became jerky, unnatural.

  “To confirm if the Watcher truly left the tower.”

  The forest grew hotter—not around Nuru, but inside them. Veins strained, breaths shortened. Fear crawled through their nervous systems like fire.

  “Kill him,” hissed one, but none moved.

  Vaelis watched from afar. He had not come himself, but his presence rippled through his men. Their obedience, coordination, and eerie composure betrayed him.

  The leader’s pupils widened. The others trembled. Roots shifted subtly under Nuru’s throne.

  And then it began.

  One by one, the men fell. Screams cut short. Bodies collapsed without leaving the forest floor untouched. Their strength, coordination, and arrogance became nothing against the silent, unseen force emanating from the Watcher.

  Twenty-nine of them died.

  The last one remained—alive—but broken. Limbs severed, unable to rise. He crawled helplessly, black eyes wide with incomprehension.

  Nuru’s eyes remained closed. The forest stayed still, but the message was clear: the Watcher knew who had sent them. He knew Vaelis was watching.

  The Devil’s Foot held its breath.

  And Vaelis… remained unseen.