You had wandered further than usual today, chasing a patch of wild berries you'd spotted yesterday. The basket on your arm was half-full, the morning sun filtering through the canopy in golden streaks.

That's when you saw him.

A body, crumpled against the base of an ancient oak. Clothes dark and singed, torn in places. A smear of crimson staining the leaves beneath him. He wasn't moving.

You froze, heart hammering. No one ever came this deep into the woods. No one.

The stranger let out a low, rattling breath—shallow, but alive.