Translated Chapter
350. The Watcher: Waiyee
350. The Watcher: Waiyee
The forest’s silence was almost complete, save for a few scattered souls besides Waiyee, and the rest of the area remained utterly still. In the canopy above, the moonlight bathed the trees in silver, revealing the faint silhouette of a figure—barely visible, yet unmistakable. Below, a small, steady stream of people flowed between the trees, their voices quiet, their steps cautious.
The moonlight fell upon the forest floor, casting a wide, luminous glow. Waiyee stood beneath a large, white-golden tree, its bark smooth and ancient, its branches stretching like arms across the sky. The air around her was thick with the scent of pine and moss, and the wind carried a whispering murmur through the leaves, like the breath of something ancient and watchful.
She didn’t know what she was searching for, but the silence itself felt charged—like a tension about to snap. The moment Waiyee noticed movement in the shadows, her breath caught. The others nearby immediately fell silent, their eyes scanning the darkness. A single, low voice murmured—“Shh…”—and the forest seemed to freeze.
The moonlight shifted, and Waiyee’s gaze fell upon the figure again. She blinked. It was just a man, ordinary, nothing out of place—yet something in her chest tightened. It was as if the forest itself held its breath, waiting.
Waiyee stared, her mind racing. The figure didn’t move. It just stood there, as still as the trees around it. Then, slowly, the man turned his head. His eyes—wide, unblinking—locked onto hers.
She froze.
The others behind her didn’t move. The silence pressed in. The moment stretched.
Then—
A faint rustling.
A single leaf detached from a branch above, drifting down like a feather.
Waiyee exhaled.
She wasn’t sure what had just happened. But something had.
She turned her head slightly, catching a glimpse of the forest’s edge—where the trees thinned into the distance. The path leading out looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember walking it.
The wind picked up.
A low, distant sound—like a whisper—slipped through the trees.
Waiyee stepped forward, her foot brushing against the damp earth. The sound stopped.
She turned back toward the figure.
It was gone.
The space where it had stood was empty.
She looked around. No one else seemed to have noticed.
Waiyee’s heart pounded.
She glanced at the others. They were still, their eyes fixed ahead.
She took a breath, then slowly stepped forward—toward the edge of the clearing.
The forest seemed to hold its breath again.
A single, faint voice echoed in the distance—
“…Got you.”
The words were barely audible, but they cut through the silence like a knife.
Waiyee stiffened.
She turned.
There was no one there.
Only the trees.
Only the moon.
Only the silence.
And then—
A soft laugh.
Low. Cold.
It came from behind her.
She spun around.
Nothing.
Just the wind.
Just the trees.
She swallowed hard.
Her hands trembled.
She looked down.
Her fingers brushed against something cold and smooth—
A small, silver locket.
It had fallen from her pocket.
She picked it up.
The moonlight glinted off its surface.
And in the center—
A tiny, faded photograph.
Two children, smiling.
Her.
And him.
Her breath caught.
She didn’t remember this.
She didn’t remember him.
But the image was real.
The locket was real.
And the voice—
It wasn’t a voice.
It was a memory.
A whisper from the past.
She looked up.
The forest was still.
But she knew—
She wasn’t alone.
Not anymore.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
