Chapter 1 – The Challenge Begins
KingPapi’s phone buzzed relentlessly on the kitchen counter. He snatched it up, wincing at the array of notifications: TikTok, Instagram, Twitter—he didn’t even recognize half the usernames. His eyes scanned the latest comments under their newest video.
“Y’all really gonna do the haunted forest thing? 🤡 #RoyalNationScared”
“Bet u run first 2 mins lmao”
“Do it on live or it didn’t happen 👀 #ChallengeAccepted”
He smirked, shoving the phone in his pocket. “Looks like the fans are hungry,” he said, tossing a granola bar at KingTank, who was sprawled across the living room couch like a human sandbag.
KingTank grunted. “Hungry for clicks, you mean. Honestly, man, why do we keep listening to these people?”
“Because,” QueenGypsy interjected, sliding into the frame for a casual selfie, “the people have good taste. And because Infamous is about to start whining about not having content again.”
Infamous, as if summoned, appeared in the doorway, camera rolling in selfie mode. “Exactly. And I have the perfect plan for a new viral vid. We’re going big this time, family.” He gestured dramatically toward a map spread across the coffee table, marked with scribbles and circled spots. “The Ravenshade Forest Challenge.”
ToxicEmpress, leaning against the fridge with her ever-present iced coffee, raised an eyebrow. “The haunted forest? That old rumor spot? Really?” She tilted her head. “You trying to get banned from TikTok for trespassing, or what?”
Infamous grinned. “Ha! No, no bans. All legal. We’ll just livestream part of it, post clips, maybe do a few duets. Think about it—hashtags, suspense, maybe even a little creep factor. #RoyalNationGoesHaunted.” He spun the phone like a trophy. “This is the one, fam. People are gonna talk about it for months.”
KingPapi leaned back on the couch, twirling his gold chain. “I’m down. I mean… if we’re all filming, we can control it. Just don’t freak out if weird stuff happens. It’s all for the content.”
QueenGypsy sighed. “You always say that, but then stuff actually happens.”
“You mean the raccoon incident last summer?” KingPapi laughed. “Please. That was funny.”
“Funny until I screamed at 2 AM and woke up the neighbors,” ToxicEmpress muttered, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, fine. I’m in.”
KingTank groaned. “Fine. But if something jumps out and scratches me, I swear… I’m taking it straight to court.”
“Don’t worry, big guy,” KingPapi teased. “You’ll look epic screaming on TikTok.”
By the time night fell, the Royal Nation had packed their bags, cameras, tripods, and lights. Ravenshade Forest lay just on the outskirts of town, a patch of dark, dense trees locals avoided after sunset. Infamous held the first camera steady, framing the five of them as they approached the tree line.
“This is it, folks,” he said into the lens, voice trembling with faux excitement. “The infamous Ravenshade Forest. Tonight, we go live for the first time. Hashtags ready?”
“#RoyalNationGoesHaunted,” KingPapi confirmed, adjusting his snapback.
“#SlenderSpotted,” ToxicEmpress added sarcastically.
QueenGypsy rolled her eyes but held up her phone, ready to livestream. KingTank trailed behind, muttering under his breath about how this was a terrible idea.
As they crossed the last open clearing, the forest swallowed the streetlight behind them. Darkness pressed against their shoulders, and the sounds of nocturnal wildlife filled the air. Crickets chirped, leaves rustled, and somewhere in the distance, an owl hooted.
“Okay,” Infamous whispered, more to himself than anyone else, “let’s set up the cameras at the first clearing. That’s the spot where… well, where people say things happen.”
KingPapi crouched to plant a tripod, while QueenGypsy checked the livestream comments. Thousands of viewers were already tuning in, sending hearts, laughing emojis, and warnings.
“Don’t go too deep 😳”
“I see a shadow behind you guys 👀”
“Stop. That’s creepy.”
“Shut up, viewers,” KingPapi muttered, though a small knot formed in his stomach. He shook it off. “It’s probably just a tree.”
But it wasn’t.
ToxicEmpress froze mid-laugh, pointing at a dark line between two tree trunks. “Guys… there.”
They all turned. At first, they saw nothing—just thick blackness and the silver shine of moonlight through the canopy. Then, a figure appeared. Tall. Too tall. Faceless. Limbs that seemed to stretch unnaturally. It didn’t move like a human; it moved like shadows themselves were stepping forward.
KingTank stepped back, almost tripping over a root. “Okay… that’s not… that’s not right.”
Infamous raised his camera. “Stay calm. Stay calm. This is perfect content.” His voice wavered as the figure seemed to shift, disappearing behind a tree and reappearing closer than before.
QueenGypsy’s hands trembled. “Is this… are we seeing the same thing?”
“Yeah,” ToxicEmpress whispered. “It’s… it’s him. The thing. The Slender Man.”
KingPapi tried to laugh, but it sounded hollow. “Guys, it’s a costume, probably some guy messing with us. Right?”
No one answered. Because the figure didn’t move like a human. No footsteps, no rustle—just a presence. Watching. Waiting.
The livestream erupted: thousands of comments flooding faster than they could read.
“OMG ITS REAL”
“RUN RUN RUN”
“STOP MOVING”
“I SEE IT BEHIND THE CAMERA”
Infamous zoomed the camera. The viewers were right. There, in the darkest part of the forest, behind them, a long, pale shape towered in silence. Faceless. Silent. Waiting.
Panic hit. KingTank gripped KingPapi’s shoulder. “Move. NOW.”
They bolted toward the path leading out of the forest, cameras bouncing, phones streaming, hearts pounding. Every comment flashed warnings that felt prophetic:
“Don’t turn around”
“It follows”
“You can’t escape.”
And then… a sound.
Not a growl. Not footsteps. Nothing human. Just a low, stretching noise that seemed to vibrate inside their chests. They stumbled into an open clearing and paused, gasping for breath.
The livestream showed it all: five terrified faces, the forest behind them, shadows flickering unnaturally in the dark. And for a single frame, the viewers swore they saw it—tall, faceless, arms impossibly long—standing just beyond the treeline, watching.
“HE’S WATCHING YOU”
“DELETE THE VIDEO”
“SOMEONE HELP THEM”
KingPapi wiped sweat from his brow. “We… we need to go home. Right now.”
“No,” QueenGypsy said, eyes wide. “We can’t. Not yet. We need proof. We need…” She trailed off, staring at the comments flooding in.
Infamous swallowed. “Proof, yeah… but we can’t let it follow us home. Everyone calm down. Let’s just—”
A branch snapped behind them.
They all froze.
KingTank spun around. Nothing. The forest was quiet. Too quiet.
Then, slowly, a shadow emerged from the trees. Taller than any man should be. Limbs stretching impossibly. Faceless. Waiting.
And the livestream went dark.
The last comment before the disconnect blinked on thousands of screens:
“#RoyalNationGoesHaunted … FOREVER.”
Chapter 2 – Glitches
The night after the livestream ended abruptly, the Royal Nation house was eerily quiet. Phones sat abandoned on counters, notifications buzzing relentlessly, but nobody dared check them.
KingPapi was the first to break the silence. He leaned against the fridge, rubbing his eyes. “Did… anyone else see that thing last night? Or are we all just tired?”
QueenGypsy, curled up on the couch with her blanket draped like armor, shook her head. “It wasn’t a raccoon, KingPapi. It wasn’t some trick of the light. I saw it too.”
ToxicEmpress was scrolling through the saved livestream on her phone, frowning at the playback. “Guys… something’s… wrong with the video.” She held up her phone, showing tiny glitches across the screen. Static flickered over their faces, and in several frames, a dark, faceless silhouette loomed just behind them, appearing closer with each passing clip.
Infamous, obsessively reviewing footage for content, leaned over her shoulder. “Yeah… I see it. Wait, zoom in—right there. Holy—It moves differently in every frame. Like it’s… adjusting itself. Not a human. Not a person. Something else.”
KingTank groaned from the recliner. “Great. So we’ve got a ghost, a monster, or whatever, following us… and we’re just gonna make it TikTok famous?”
“Don’t joke,” QueenGypsy snapped. “This isn’t just some viral stunt. Look at the comments. Thousands of people are talking about it. Someone… someone said they saw it in their own backyards.”
KingPapi rubbed his temples. “Okay, okay… let’s not panic. We’re fine. Just… maybe we wait until daytime and go back to the forest to—”
A sudden ping from ToxicEmpress’s phone interrupted him. She glanced at the screen. The notification wasn’t from TikTok. It was from an unknown number, and the message was simple:
“You shouldn’t have gone there.”
They all froze.
Infamous’s hands shook as he typed a reply: Who is this?
No response.
Another ping. Another message.
“It’s watching.”
QueenGypsy’s stomach dropped. “It’s—what? Someone playing with us? A prank?”
ToxicEmpress held up her phone again. This time, a video had arrived. It was recorded from the perspective of someone walking in Ravenshade Forest. The trees swayed unnaturally. The camera shook as if the person was running. And there, in the distance… a tall, faceless figure, just standing. Watching. Waiting.
KingTank snorted, though it sounded hollow. “Someone’s got a great sense of humor.”
“Do you really think this is a joke?” QueenGypsy said sharply. “Look at it! It’s him. Slender Man.”
KingPapi swallowed hard. “Okay… but that’s impossible. Slender Man isn’t real. That’s… stories.”
ToxicEmpress’s voice trembled. “Stories are just… stories until you see it in your own footage. And I’m telling you, this is real. I can feel it.”
A sudden chill swept the room, though all the windows were closed. Phones flickered, screens cutting out for a moment, then returning to normal. A low static hiss seemed to echo from every device. The lights dimmed.
Infamous grabbed his camera. “We need to film this. Whatever it is, it’s content. Proof.”
QueenGypsy shook her head. “No. Don’t. If it’s already following us, recording might—”
Before she could finish, ToxicEmpress’s phone emitted a loud, distorted screech, almost like a scream buried under layers of static. Every other device mirrored it. The message thread grew, each one appearing as if typed in real-time:
“YOU CAN’T ESCAPE.”
“WATCHING.”
“DON’T LOOK BEHIND YOU.”
KingTank slammed his hand on the table. “Enough! Shut the phones off!”
They obeyed. Every device went dark. For a long moment, nothing stirred. Then… a soft tapping came from the window.
They turned slowly. At first, it seemed like a branch brushing against the glass. But the tapping repeated, irregular. Too deliberate. Too heavy to be a tree.
KingPapi swallowed hard. “It’s… it’s outside?”
QueenGypsy’s phone lit up again. A TikTok notification. The video was uploaded—automatically. The last frame of their livestream, distorted with static, showed the figure standing directly behind them in the kitchen, arms stretching impossibly long.
“Holy—” Infamous started, but his words caught in his throat. The screen glitched, freezing on the faceless shape. Then, just as quickly, it vanished.
ToxicEmpress’s voice was barely a whisper. “It’s inside… somehow.”
KingTank backed toward the door. “We’re leaving. Now.”
KingPapi nodded, still filming, still trying to maintain control. “Everyone grab your stuff. Cameras. Phones. Just—just leave.”
But when they reached the door, the handle wouldn’t budge. It was as if something invisible pressed against it from the other side.
QueenGypsy pressed her forehead to the cold metal. “It doesn’t want us to leave.”
A sudden flash of static erupted across every screen, every device, filling the room with an unearthly white noise. The temperature plummeted. Their breath misted in the air. And then… silence.
Infamous finally whispered: “It’s real. It’s actually real.”
ToxicEmpress’s phone buzzed one last time. A message appeared:
“AND NOW… IT’S YOUR TURN.”
KingPapi’s camera dropped from his hands. The room went dark.
The TikTok livestreams all ended abruptly, sending thousands of fans into a frenzy. Comments flooded:
“Royal Nation offline? What happened??”
“I saw a shadow behind them 😭”
“Nope. Not watching anymore.”
“STITCH THIS. IT’S REAL.”
Some stitched videos survived. One frame, barely a second, shows a faceless figure standing in the middle of their living room, watching as the Royal Nation froze in terror.
And from that night on, no one in the house slept without seeing shadows in corners, glitches on screens, or hearing whispers just below the threshold of sound.
The Royal Nation had completed the first challenge. But the real horror… was only beginning.
Chapter 3 – The First Night in the Woods
The forest wasn’t joking.
KingPapi held the camera steady, flashlight bouncing across the twisted trunks of Ravenshade Forest. “Alright, Royal Nation, Day Two,” he said, forcing a grin. “Live from the woods. We’ve got ghosts, shadows, and maybe… a squirrel? Who knows?”
QueenGypsy rolled her eyes. “You call that grinning at a forest full of old murder legends courage? Because I call it dumb.”
ToxicEmpress, chewing gum like nothing could faze her, muttered, “Yeah, and you call that a good caption for TikTok? ‘Royal Nation meets Satanic Tree #Haunted’? Try again.”
KingTank grunted. “Can we just set up the campsite? And maybe… you know… survive the night?”
Infamous adjusted his camera tripod. “Guys, relax. It’s perfect content. The longer we survive, the more views. Plus, this forest isn’t that creepy. I mean, have you seen my stats? I survive every TikTok challenge.”
“You survived every TikTok challenge until last week, when you literally tripped over a garden gnome,” ToxicEmpress shot back, smirking.
“It moved,” Infamous whispered, defensively.
KingPapi laughed. “Sure it did, man. It moved in your imagination.”
Night fell fast. The temperature dropped, the wind whispered through the leaves, and every snap of a twig sounded like someone stepping closer.
They set up tents in a small clearing. KingPapi pretended to roast marshmallows over a tiny fire, but it was mostly to hide shaking hands. QueenGypsy scrolled TikTok, monitoring reactions, while ToxicEmpress scribbled symbols she’d found on tree bark into her notebook. Infamous filmed everything obsessively, whispering commentary like a survival show host.
“This is gonna go viral,” he said. “I mean, we’ve got the forest, creepy noises, and the chance for someone to get abducted by a faceless demon. Classic.”
KingTank muttered, “I swear, if anyone gets eaten by a ghost, I’m suing. And I don’t care if it’s a viral moment.”
ToxicEmpress laughed. “Sure, Tank. You and your lawsuit. Don’t forget to include the part where you literally ran into a tree like it owed you money last week.”
KingTank’s jaw twitched. “You… you don’t even—ugh. Never mind.”
Around midnight, things got strange. The wind died completely. Crickets stopped chirping. Even the fire seemed to shrink, shadows twisting unnaturally.
“You guys… do you feel that?” QueenGypsy whispered. “It’s… quiet. Too quiet.”
KingPapi squinted into the darkness. “Probably just the forest taking a nap. Or maybe the ghosts are tired of watching us. I mean… we’re not exactly stealthy.”
ToxicEmpress giggled. “Yeah, because who wouldn’t want to haunt a group of clowns like us?”
But then the air thickened. Their phones buzzed simultaneously. Every device lit up with a notification: “LOOK BEHIND YOU.”
KingPapi spun around. Nothing. “Uh… good joke, Internet.”
Infamous leaned closer to the camera. “Guys, this is perfect. Classic Slender Man setup. Every horror movie ever starts like this. I’m getting so many views already.”
KingTank muttered, “I hate this forest.”
A sudden snap from the trees made all five freeze. Then… a scream.
ToxicEmpress turned to see KingTank pointing into the shadows. “Jordan!” she shouted. “Wait… who?”
KingPapi blinked. “Uh… wait. Tank’s brother isn’t here. What are you—?”
Infamous’s phone beeped again. A live-stream comment had frozen on the screen:
“HE TOOK SOMEONE.”
“What the hell?” QueenGypsy whispered, eyes wide.
Then they realized: KingTank wasn’t in the clearing.
They scanned the darkness. The flashlight beams shook. Somewhere between the twisted trunks, a tall, faceless figure stood. Arms impossibly long, stretching almost like it was part of the forest itself.
ToxicEmpress muttered under her breath, “Yup… that’s Slender Man. Definitely. Totally real. Not an urban legend. Cool. Awesome. Great for TikTok content, though.”
KingPapi’s attempt at humor cracked. “Okay… so… does anyone have insurance?”
Infamous whispered, “Do you even get insurance for demonic abductions? Asking for views…”
QueenGypsy grabbed KingPapi’s arm. “We need to get out. Now.”
As they ran through the woods, KingTank’s scream echoed. Not a human scream—something stretched, hollow, and inhuman. Then silence.
The livestream stayed on. Thousands of viewers watched the shadows flicker through the trees. In one frame, barely visible, a faceless figure reached out, and KingTank vanished.
Comments flooded instantly:
“NOOO! HE GOT HIM!”
“STOP THIS. THIS IS REAL.”
“THEY’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT OUT.”
“STITCH THIS! HE’S BEHIND THEM AGAIN!”
ToxicEmpress tripped over a root, landing flat on her face. KingPapi helped her up, whispering, “Can we at least survive the night before the jokes?”
“Survive?” she muttered, teeth gritted. “I’m trying not to die and look good for TikTok.”
They ran blindly, flashlight beams cutting through the trees, calling out for KingTank, but the forest had swallowed him. Every branch and leaf seemed to whisper their names, repeating them in distorted tones.
KingPapi finally gasped, “Okay… we’re… gonna… live, right? Right? Because—because… I have to post the vid. Views. Don’t die, fam. Don’t die.”
QueenGypsy snapped, “Focus, idiot! Not every moment has to be content!”
ToxicEmpress, brushing dirt off her clothes, muttered, “Yeah, except if we die, this is content. Legendary content.”
Infamous zoomed the camera toward a clearing. Shadows moved unnaturally. And there, in the corner of the frame, the faceless figure stood watching them, arms slowly extending toward the remaining four.
KingPapi screamed, “Why do the comments always have to be right???”
The livestream froze for a moment. Then:
“#RoyalNationGoesHaunted … KEEP RUNNING.”
And in the darkness, the remaining members of Royal Nation realized: their first night in Ravenshade Forest had already claimed its first victim… and the fun had just begun.
Chapter 4 – The Arrival of KingShield
The forest was quiet. Not the comforting quiet of late summer nights or distant crickets—but a heavy, pressing silence that made every snap of a twig feel like a gunshot. KingPapi, QueenGypsy, ToxicEmpress, and Infamous huddled near their mangled campsite, shivering in the chill that seemed to seep into their bones.
KingTank was gone.
The memory of his scream—the hollow, inhuman echo—replayed in their minds with every heartbeat. They had tried to leave the forest, tried to retrace their steps, but the trees twisted in ways they didn’t remember. Paths looped back on themselves. Even Infamous’s phone, desperately trying to stabilize the footage, flickered with static, showing frames of long, faceless arms stretching through the shadows.
“We need… I don’t know… a plan,” KingPapi muttered, clutching his camera like a lifeline. “We can’t just wander in circles forever.”
“Plan?” QueenGypsy’s voice was sharp, almost a hiss. “Our plan should have been not coming back into this forest. But sure—let’s call wandering around aimlessly a plan.”
ToxicEmpress rolled her eyes, brushing dirt from her hands. “I swear, this is why I don’t do haunted forest challenges. Except now, you idiots dragged me into actual horror. Real-time ghost content. Very funny.”
Infamous, fiddling with his corrupted video files on his phone, groaned. “This footage… it’s not even recording properly. Every frame has… him. Or it. The figure. Behind us, in every shot, even when we weren’t facing that direction.”
They froze suddenly. A rustling sound came from the treeline, soft but deliberate, like someone stepping over broken branches. Flashlights darted toward the sound, illuminating a figure stepping into the clearing. Tall. Broad. Hoodie with a gold emblem shaped like a shield.
KingPapi squinted. “Uh… who are you?”
The figure waved casually, holding up a flashlight. “Heyyy, what’s up, fam? Heard you guys were doing the haunted forest challenge, figured I’d join late. Name’s KingShield.”
ToxicEmpress blinked. “Snacks? Did you say snacks? Now? Right after… you know… the abduction?”
KingShield shrugged, tossing a pack of chips into the center of the clearing. “Energy. Fear is best handled with carbs, trust me.” He grinned like he was entering a pizza-eating contest, completely ignoring the tension. “Also, I literally survived the basement crawl challenge last year. You guys call this scary?”
QueenGypsy raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You just walked into a haunted forest, and your idea of survival is—snacks?”
“Partly. And partly, I’m awesome at surviving. Consider me your emergency hype man.”
KingPapi groaned, rubbing his face. “We don’t have time for… charisma lessons. KingTank’s gone. And that thing—” He gestured vaguely into the blackness beyond the trees. “It’s still out there.”
KingShield waved a hand dismissively. “Gone? Or hiding? Classic horror trope. You know, the faceless dude likes suspense. Builds drama. I love suspense.”
Infamous handed him a camera. “Fine, you’re here. Help us document. Every second counts. And maybe… go viral.”
KingShield smirked. “Oh, I’m all about surviving and going viral. Let’s see what this horror show has to offer.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “More like surviving and annoying the hell out of us.”
QueenGypsy groaned. “Perfect. Just what we needed. A fifth idiot who thinks a faceless killer is funny.”
KingShield crouched, taking a closer look at the corrupted footage on Infamous’s phone. “Whoa. Okay. Yeah… that’s not some guy in a mask. That’s… definitely not human. Also, your brother… gone.” He tilted his head. “I mean… kind of terrible timing, but hey. New friend? Emergency backup?”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “Emergency backup? He’s lucky if he survives the night.”
KingPapi glared, but KingShield didn’t seem to notice—or maybe he just didn’t care. He leaned against a tree, cracking open his chip bag, casually crunching as if nothing were happening. “So… what’s the plan, people? Because my plan is: survive, make some TikToks, maybe get a snack break in there. Thoughts?”
Infamous shook his head. “Plan… yeah. The plan is we survive and document. And, apparently, now that we’ve got KingShield, we’ve got a fifth set of eyes. Which is… helpful, I guess.”
QueenGypsy muttered, “Helpful until he screams and runs into the woods himself.”
KingShield winked. “Hey, if I run, I’ll scream with style. Everyone loves that on TikTok.”
Hours passed. The forest pressed closer around them. Every shadow seemed too dark, every whisper of wind too deliberate. Phones continued to glitch, showing frames where the figure appeared closer than reality allowed.
ToxicEmpress kept scribbling the strange carvings into her notebook: long, angular shapes etched into bark. “These… symbols,” she muttered. “They weren’t there before. I swear. They’re… guiding something. Or warning us.”
KingShield leaned over her shoulder. “Or maybe it’s directions to the nearest snack stand. You never know with faceless entities.”
QueenGypsy groaned. “Shut up.”
Suddenly, a branch snapped. All five whipped around. In the faint moonlight, a shadow stretched impossibly between two trees. Long, thin arms, faceless, unblinking. Watching. Waiting.
KingPapi whispered, “It’s… back.”
KingShield raised his flashlight like a baton. “Alright. Let’s be honest. It’s creepy. But also… kind of photogenic? Hear me out—we could make a viral challenge out of ‘Survive Slender for 10 Seconds.’ Instant trend.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “You’re insane.”
The figure didn’t move closer, yet its presence pressed in on them. The air became heavy. Their phones buzzed in unison: “LOOK BEHIND YOU.”
KingShield groaned. “Okay, that’s terrifying. But seriously, a little dramatic flair, guys. C’mon, smile for the fans before they panic.”
QueenGypsy grabbed his arm. “This isn’t the time for jokes. It’s real. It’s here. It wants us.”
The group froze. From somewhere deeper in the forest came a low, stretching sound—the same hollow, inhuman echo they had heard the night KingTank vanished.
KingShield muttered through a mouthful of chips, “Remind me again why we didn’t just do a haunted house challenge? Less trees, more snack-friendly.”
Infamous focused the camera. “It’s moving… closer. Everyone stay still.”
Suddenly, a snapping sound right behind them made them jump. A live-stream comment appeared on Infamous’s phone, which had somehow managed to stabilize:
“#RoyalNationGoesHaunted … YOU’RE NEXT.”
ToxicEmpress groaned. “Next? Who wrote this? Because I’m definitely suing for mental trauma if it’s… predictive texting or something.”
KingShield waved a chip in the air. “Alright, enough doom and gloom. Let’s… survive, take a few epic shots, and maybe—maybe call it a night. Preferably with snacks.”
QueenGypsy muttered, “We’re not surviving if we keep joking around.”
KingPapi swallowed hard, trying to steady his hands. “We stick together. And… we don’t split up. Understood?”
KingShield winked. “Understood. But if we survive, someone owes me a TikTok duet. Bonus points if we go viral.”
The group shuffled forward, flashlights shaking, cameras rolling, hearts pounding—and behind them, the faceless figure watched, patient, arms stretching impossibly long, waiting for the right moment.
The forest was alive, and the Royal Nation had just added another member… unaware that his humor might not save him from what was coming next.
Chapter 5 – The Corrupted Camcorder
The forest never seemed more alive—or more sinister—than it did that morning. Mist clung to the ground like a low-hanging curtain, twisting around the trees and dampening the faint sunlight. The remaining members of Royal Nation—KingPapi, QueenGypsy, ToxicEmpress, Infamous, and newly-arrived KingShield—gathered around the campfire remnants, exhausted and jittery.
KingPapi rubbed his eyes. “We survived last night… mostly. Sort of. Except Tank.” His voice cracked. “And I really wish I didn’t have to admit it, but KingTank might be… gone.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “Gone is being polite. That’s abducted by a faceless forest demon-level gone.” She adjusted her eyeliner, smudged from the previous night. “Also, can we talk about the fact that my phone keeps playing static noises randomly? Like… I swear it whispers my name.”
Infamous, hunched over the old camcorder he’d found discarded under a tree, didn’t look up. “Guys… this is insane. Look at this footage.” He rewound the tape, the screen flickering. “This camcorder… it wasn’t ours. I found it behind a log last night. And… it’s older than any of us. Look at these recordings.”
QueenGypsy leaned over. The black-and-white tape showed a group of teens—decades old—walking in the same forest. The shadows of tall, faceless figures flickered behind them. The camera occasionally glitched, stretching arms impossibly long.
“That’s… not real,” KingPapi whispered. “This has to be… someone’s old prank?”
KingShield leaned in, crunching a chip, smirking. “Old prank or vintage horror film? Either way, very artsy.”
“No,” ToxicEmpress muttered, voice tight. “It’s real. Look at the distortion. Look at the shapes. That… thing hasn’t changed.” She pointed to one frame where the shadow stood behind a teen, perfectly still, arm extended toward the camera. “It’s been… watching. Following. Waiting.”
Infamous nodded grimly. “And the thing is… I can feel it. When I play the footage, it’s like it knows we’re watching. Every jump cut, every frame… it’s closer. Closer to us.”
QueenGypsy crossed her arms, glaring at the camcorder. “That’s ridiculous. It’s a tape. A recording. It can’t feel anything.”
A sudden loud crack from the trees made everyone jump. KingShield, ever the comic relief, dropped a chip. “Whoa! Okay… that’s scary. And yet… I’m still hungry. Just saying.”
KingPapi groaned. “Shield, focus. Please. Please focus.”
They decided to set up a makeshift viewing area. Infamous connected the camcorder to a small monitor, though the image flickered violently, creating long streaks of static. Each frame distorted reality, stretching shadows and bending the forest around the teens on the tape.
ToxicEmpress leaned forward, whispering. “Do you see that? Every time the faceless figure moves… it moves toward the camera. Like it knows it’s being filmed. Like it… knows us.”
KingShield tilted his head. “Huh. That’s… unsettling. And I kinda love it. Not for the spooky part, obviously. For the viral potential. Classic Royal Nation horror content.”
KingPapi pinched the bridge of his nose. “You never stop thinking about TikTok. Can we survive first? Post later?”
Before anyone could respond, the tape distorted further. A high-pitched screech echoed from the camcorder speaker, and the shadows stretched from the screen into the room. QueenGypsy yelped. “No! No! I’m done. Done!”
KingShield blinked. “Okay… that… might be real. Definitely real. Also, I take it back. Snacks are now mandatory for survival.”
ToxicEmpress shivered. “It’s inside the tape. Watching us. And it’s learning.”
Infamous swallowed hard, fingers trembling as he paused the playback. “Learning… or predicting. Every time we think we understand it, it adapts. That’s why it’s always one step ahead.”
Suddenly, the camcorder flickered again. For a split second, the shadows stretched out of the screen. Arms elongated as if reaching toward them. Everyone screamed.
KingShield coughed, trying to mask his panic with humor. “Whoa! Okay! Note to self: never put a horror camcorder on full brightness. It’s… uh… aggressive.”
KingPapi grabbed him by the shoulder. “This isn’t funny! This thing… it follows us. Every video, every frame, every livestream. And now it’s… here. Watching.”
QueenGypsy’s phone buzzed. Notifications from TikTok flooded in: comments, stitches, and duets from viewers who had pieced together last night’s livestream clips. But interspersed among the fan reactions were messages that weren’t from humans.
“IT SEES YOU”
“YOUR FRIEND IS MINE”
“DON’T LOOK BEHIND YOU”
ToxicEmpress’s lips pressed together. “It’s using the internet. The videos. The messages. It’s… learning our habits.”
KingShield groaned dramatically, tossing a chip at the floor. “Okay. That’s… really inconvenient. And also terrifying. But I’ll handle it. Definitely. Totally.”
KingPapi shook his head. “Shield, please stop trying to make jokes. This is serious. Tank… he’s gone. And now this thing is… everywhere. Watching. Waiting. And we’re not safe here.”
Infamous, desperate for some rational control, rewound the tape again. Each viewing revealed slightly different distortions, as if the faceless figure was rewriting history itself. Arms stretched longer, shadows moved closer, and the forest warped in ways that made them all dizzy.
QueenGypsy whispered, “It’s not just a legend anymore. It’s real. And it’s interacting with us. With the footage. With our lives.”
A sudden flicker of movement in the trees drew their attention. Every flashlight beam shot toward it, but nothing was there. Yet they all felt it—a presence, patient, waiting, observing.
ToxicEmpress muttered, “Well… I didn’t plan to survive the weekend, but apparently, we’re in a cursed forest horror film. Awesome. Can we at least get snacks?”
KingShield shrugged. “I told you. Snacks fix everything. Or… they make you forget you’re about to be abducted. Minor detail.”
KingPapi groaned again. “Why did I let you join us?”
Infamous held the camera steady, whispering into the lens. “We document. We survive. We… post. Maybe. Hopefully.”
As the tape ended, static filled the room. And in the final flicker, for the briefest second, they all saw it: the faceless figure standing in the corner of their camp, arms impossibly long, silent, patient, watching… waiting.
And somewhere, in the flicker of the corrupted camcorder, a new message appeared.
“NEXT TIME… IT’S CLOSER.”
Chapter 6 – Static Children
The fog rolled thicker than ever that morning, curling around the trees like ghostly fingers. Every sound seemed amplified—the snap of twigs, the distant hoot of an owl, even the breath of the terrified Royal Nation members. KingPapi, QueenGypsy, ToxicEmpress, Infamous, and KingShield huddled near the remnants of their campsite, exhausted and jittery from the corrupted camcorder footage they had reviewed all night.
KingShield munched on chips, trying to hide the tremor in his hands. “Okay, real talk,” he said, crunching loudly. “Do you guys think the faceless dude… likes snacks? Because maybe I can bribe him.”
ToxicEmpress muttered under her breath, “You really are the most useless survival backup ever.”
QueenGypsy glared. “Focus, Shield. This isn’t a joke. We saw it on tape. It’s real.”
Infamous adjusted his camera tripod, pointing it toward the tree line. “Yeah. Real and getting closer every time we blink. We need to move—slowly, carefully, but we have to document it all. This is historic footage, guys. Maybe our most viral content yet.”
KingPapi groaned. “I really don’t think ‘historic’ is the word I’d use if we survive this.”
As they moved, the forest seemed to stretch unnaturally. Shadows warped, leaves rustled without wind, and somewhere in the distance, a faint sound of children laughing echoed through the trees.
ToxicEmpress’s head snapped up. “Did… did anyone else hear that?”
KingShield waved a chip at her. “Probably just… forest kids? Or… forest ghosts with good comedic timing.”
QueenGypsy pressed a hand over her mouth. “No. It’s… it’s children. Little ones. But… black eyes. Hollow. Watching us.”
Infamous pointed the camera toward the sound. The footage revealed their worst nightmare: dozens of small, faceless figures emerging from the mist, following the group silently. Their eyes—voids of black—seemed to pierce every angle, tracking their every step.
KingPapi whispered, “Oh, come on… children? Really? Couldn’t we just deal with the giant arms guy first?”
ToxicEmpress swallowed. “They’re… not human. And they’re not here to play. Every step we take, they match. Every turn, they follow. And they… whisper.”
A soft, static-laced sound filled the air. Whispers of names, each syllable elongated, overlapping, almost like the forest itself was talking.
KingShield jumped. “Alright. Maybe snacks aren’t enough. Maybe we need… I dunno… a survival montage with jazz hands?”
QueenGypsy shoved him. “Focus. Focus!”
The group tried to retreat toward a clearing, but the black-eyed children moved effortlessly through the trees, appearing closer than possible with each step. One floated past the camera for a split second, arms unnaturally long, its empty eyes staring directly into the lens.
Infamous whispered, “They’re… mimicking us. Our movements. Every twitch, every glance. It’s like the footage taught them how to follow.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “Great. So the forest has a fan club. A creepy, black-eyed fan club.”
KingPapi groaned. “I really wish TikTok had an unsubscribe button right now.”
KingShield, trying to lighten the mood, raised his flashlight. “Hey kids! Don’t be creepy! Go play hide-and-seek somewhere else!”
One of the figures stopped, turned toward him. Its head tilted unnaturally, arms stretching slightly longer than physics should allow. It whispered a sound that made the hairs on KingShield’s neck stand on end:
“NEXT.”
KingShield blinked. “Yeah… okay… maybe not funny anymore.”
QueenGypsy grabbed his arm. “Shield… you’re going to get us killed if you keep joking.”
The whispers grew louder, almost forming words in their minds. “RUN… RUN… WATCH… US…” The forest itself seemed alive, bending around them.
Infamous pointed the camera at the trees. “Look at this—static is spreading across the footage. It’s like the figure, the children… they’re everywhere. In every frame. Even behind us when we turn the camera.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “I told you the tape was learning. Every clip, every movement, it adapts.”
KingPapi swallowed hard. “I don’t even want to think about TikTok anymore. I just… want to survive.”
A sudden crack of a branch made them all spin. In the fog, a tall shadow stretched behind the children. The faceless figure. Waiting. Watching. Arms longer than ever.
KingShield groaned. “Oh great. The tall guy’s back. And he brought little friends.”
QueenGypsy shouted, “Move! We stick together. No one splits up!”
As they ran through the fog, the children glided effortlessly through the underbrush, keeping pace without making a sound. One drifted past KingPapi, whispering his name in that hollow, drawn-out tone.
“KingPapi…”
He stumbled, almost tripping. “Okay… yeah… that’s creepy. That’s really creepy. Can we maybe—oh, forget it, no snacks. I don’t care about anything except living.”
ToxicEmpress snapped her phone back on. Comments were flooding from fans who had stitched together the previous night’s livestream clips:
“THEY’RE NEXT OMG”
“I SAW THE BLACK-EYED CHILDREN IN THE VIDEO”
“#RoyalNationGoesHaunted IS REAL”
KingShield groaned, tossing the last chip at the ground. “Oh, I hate everyone. I hate this forest. I hate being viral. And I hate chips now.”
Infamous whispered, voice trembling, “We can’t stop filming. We have to keep documenting. We have to survive… but we also need proof.”
The fog thickened. The forest bent unnaturally. And through the static-filled trees, the faceless figure extended its impossibly long arms toward them, while the black-eyed children closed in from all sides.
KingPapi swallowed hard. “I really wish I had a ‘skip this nightmare’ button.”
And somewhere in the mist, a whisper echoed that made every blood cell in their bodies freeze:
“NEXT TIME… IT’S CLOSER. FOREVER.”
Chapter 7 – Into the Heart of Ravenshade
The fog clung to their clothes, damp and heavy, as the Royal Nation stumbled deeper into the forest. Each step seemed to stretch time. Every shadow looked alive, twisting unnaturally as if the forest itself had eyes.
KingPapi clutched his camera, trying to steady his shaking hands. “Alright, fam… we need to figure out what those symbols mean. We can’t just wander aimlessly. Otherwise… well, last night, we kinda already learned the forest has a fan club.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “Yeah, a deadly fan club. And I’m pretty sure KingShield just volunteered to be the mascot.”
KingShield shrugged, crunching a granola bar. “Hey, I’m energetic! And also delicious. Not for them, obviously. I hope.”
QueenGypsy squinted at the moss-covered trees. The symbols—angular, jagged, almost like scratches—formed a faint path through the fog. “Follow the markings,” she whispered. “They lead somewhere… or they’re a trap.”
Infamous pointed his camera ahead. “Trap or not, it’s content. And let’s be honest… the deeper we go, the scarier it looks. That’s views, people.”
KingPapi groaned. “Infamous, stop thinking about TikTok for two seconds. We’re already in horror movie territory. And I have a feeling there won’t be a sequel if we die.”
The forest grew darker, the fog thickening, until the sun above seemed like a faint memory. The only light came from their flashlights, bouncing off the wet trunks and revealing glimpses of movement just out of frame.
Suddenly, ToxicEmpress stopped. “Guys… the markings. They’re changing.”
QueenGypsy leaned closer. The scratches were no longer random—they now formed words, written in the same jagged style:
“YOU FOLLOW. WE WAIT.”
KingShield’s eyes widened. “That’s… ominous. And I’m here for it. Mostly for content reasons, but still… ominous.”
KingPapi rubbed his temples. “Ominous is an understatement. This is straight-up nightmare fuel.”
From the mist, a low stretching sound echoed. The trees creaked as if bending toward them. Shadows flickered unnaturally, growing longer, reaching.
Infamous whispered, “They’re here. Both the faceless one and the children. I can feel it.”
KingShield groaned. “Oh, come on! I didn’t sign up for a horror marathon without snacks or Wi-Fi. This is… unacceptable.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “You brought chips into the cursed forest, and you thought that would help?”
A sudden flicker of movement to the side drew all five flashlights. Dozens of black-eyed children appeared, drifting silently between the trees, their faces hollow and unnerving. At their center stood Slender Man, arms impossibly long, stretching toward the group.
QueenGypsy whispered, voice trembling: “He… he’s bigger than I thought. Taller than any story. And he’s… watching.”
KingPapi swallowed hard. “Yeah. And he brought friends. Great. Just great.”
KingShield muttered, “Okay, real talk… maybe hiding behind the fog counts as camouflage? Asking for a friend.”
Infamous pointed the camera toward the figure. “This is… it’s perfect footage. The shadows, the arms… the children… everything. Fans are going to lose it.”
ToxicEmpress shoved him. “Stop filming! This isn’t content. This is life and death!”
KingShield tugged at a branch. “Life and death with a pinch of dramatic flair. And maybe a snack.”
The children whispered their names again, voices overlapping in distorted tones:
“RUN… RUN… DON’T LOOK… NEXT.”
A sharp wind blew, scattering leaves and sending the symbols on the trees shimmering as if alive. The markings now spelled:
“YOU CANNOT ESCAPE. WE SEE ALL.”
KingPapi groaned. “Okay… I’m officially done with this forest. Infamous, stop filming, we need to move!”
The group tried to backtrack, but the fog twisted paths into loops. Every clearing looked identical, every tree seemed to lean closer, every shadow stretched toward them.
Suddenly, a child drifted between KingShield and KingPapi, whispering:
“YOU’RE NEXT.”
KingShield yelped, waving his flashlight frantically. “Okay, okay! Not funny! Seriously not funny!”
ToxicEmpress grabbed his arm. “Shield, shut up and move!”
QueenGypsy shined her light ahead. The symbols on the trees now formed a clear path, leading toward a small clearing deeper in the forest. “This way. I think… this way might be the heart of Ravenshade. We follow it, maybe we find… answers.”
Infamous adjusted his camera. “Or death. But either way, content.”
KingPapi growled. “We survive. That’s it. Surviving is priority one. Forget content.”
The fog thickened further. The whispers grew louder, echoing from every direction. The children floated silently, faceless, black-eyed, their movements unnervingly precise. Slender Man’s long arms swayed as if sensing every step they took.
KingShield muttered under his breath: “So… we just… keep walking? And not look at them? And pray that snacks are enough?”
ToxicEmpress rolled her eyes. “You’re going to get eaten first, Shield. And then we deal with your sarcasm.”
As they advanced toward the clearing, the forest seemed alive. Branches twisted into shapes resembling faces, shadows stretched unnaturally, and every step felt heavier than the last. The path ahead glimmered faintly, the symbols carved into the trees glowing slightly, guiding them forward like some dark breadcrumb trail.
KingPapi whispered, voice tight: “This… this is it. The heart. Whatever’s controlling this forest… it’s here.”
QueenGypsy nodded, gripping KingPapi’s arm. “And I have a feeling… it’s waiting for something. For us.”
A low, stretching sound echoed behind them. They turned—and saw it: Slender Man, standing at the edge of the clearing, arms stretching impossibly long, shadow flickering in the mist, faceless head tilting slightly. The black-eyed children surrounded him, floating silently, eyes fixed on the group.
KingShield groaned dramatically. “Yep. This is fine. Totally fine. Survival montage with jazz hands… optional?”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “We’re all going to die, aren’t we?”
Infamous whispered, trembling: “We survive. We survive. And somehow, we document it all.”
KingPapi swallowed hard, the camera trembling in his hands. “We move together. One step at a time. And… we don’t stop. Not for jokes, not for content, not for anything.”
The Royal Nation stepped forward, flashlights cutting through the fog, hearts pounding. Behind them, Slender Man’s arms stretched slightly closer. The black-eyed children followed silently, whispering, waiting, patient.
And the forest seemed to pulse around them, alive, aware, and hungry for the next move.
Chapter 8 – Fractured
The fog was so thick now it was almost physical, curling around their bodies and pressing against their lungs. Every branch, every twisted tree seemed alive, bending unnaturally as the Royal Nation moved deeper into Ravenshade Forest.
KingPapi clutched his camera tighter than ever. “Everyone… stay together. I don’t care about filming anymore. Just—stay together.”
QueenGypsy’s eyes darted around, sweat mingling with the fog on her face. “Stay together? That’s easy to say when your arms feel like they’re being pulled in different directions. I swear I just saw… Tank’s shadow over there.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “You didn’t see anything. Your brain is scrambling. Mine too. Stop talking about seeing things—”
A sudden crack of a branch made them all jump. The fog flickered with movement, revealing glimpses of the faceless figure in multiple directions at once. Its arms stretched impossibly long, twisting unnaturally, as if the forest itself had become a limb of Slender Man.
KingShield groaned, crunching a chip nervously. “Okay… new rule. No more imagination. I don’t want imagination right now. Only snacks, please.”
Infamous, still holding the camera, whispered, “It’s… it’s messing with our minds. Every shadow, every movement—it’s trying to separate us. The footage… it’s corrupted… it’s showing things that aren’t there… but they feel real.”
KingPapi swallowed hard. “I feel real fear right now. Not the kind where we get TikTok views. Real fear.”
As they pressed on, the whispers began again. Low, distorted, stretching syllables that made the hairs on their necks rise.
“RUN… SPLIT… WE SEE… YOU…”
QueenGypsy’s hands trembled. “Stop talking! We need… we need to stay calm!”
KingShield waved his flashlight, swinging it wildly. “Stay calm? Easy for you to say. You’re not staring at black-eyed children floating toward you!”
ToxicEmpress hissed, “Shield… not helping!”
Infamous adjusted the camera toward a tree. Something shifted in the corner of the lens—a shadow stretched along the bark, then vanished, leaving only distorted static.
KingPapi whispered, “It’s everywhere… in the trees, in the fog… maybe even in our cameras.”
QueenGypsy shook her head. “I can’t think straight. Every time I blink, I see faces. Tank… someone else… I don’t know. Are they real or—”
Before she could finish, a black-eyed child drifted between them, whispering her name.
“QueenGypsy…”
Her scream echoed through the fog. KingShield bolted forward instinctively, tripping over a root. “Okay! Okay! Not fair! Seriously not fair!”
ToxicEmpress grabbed his arm. “Shield… stay still! You’re making it worse!”
The fog thickened further, coiling around them, warping paths and hiding the edges of reality. Slender Man’s presence became undeniable—taller, darker, and stretching longer than the human eye could process. Every flicker of movement made their hearts pound faster.
Infamous whispered, trembling: “We… we can’t trust our eyes. Or our cameras. Or anything. This forest… it’s alive. It’s trying to break us.”
KingPapi nodded grimly. “Exactly. We stick together. One step at a time. And hope… hope we survive.”
The group continued forward, each step slower than the last. The forest twisted around them; every familiar tree became alien. The corrupted camcorder footage had predicted this—the paths, the shadows, the whispers.
KingShield muttered, “I swear… I didn’t sign up for a maze with existential dread and snacks. This is—oh, forget it, I’m panicking.”
QueenGypsy snapped at him. “Shield, if you don’t shut up, I swear I’ll push you into the fog and see if the faceless guy wants a snack instead!”
He froze, blinking. “Wait… what? That… wait. That’s not funny either. Not funny. Definitely not funny.”
A whisper came, low and drawn, from all directions:
“SPLIT… FRAGMENTS… WE SEE…”
The forest seemed to pulse. Shadows stretched toward them, twisting and snapping as if reality itself were bending. One by one, hallucinations began: glimpses of KingTank, distorted faces of themselves in the fog, elongated limbs reaching from trees.
KingPapi swallowed hard. “Focus… stay together. Don’t look behind you. Don’t—”
A black-eyed child floated past him, whispering, “KingPapi…”
He stumbled, nearly falling, camera shaking violently. “Nope. Nope. Nope. This is… this is bad. This is really, really bad.”
ToxicEmpress hissed, voice tight: “We need to keep moving. Ignore the hallucinations. Ignore the whispers. Just move.”
Infamous kept filming, voice trembling. “Every frame… every second… it’s like the forest is rewriting itself to trap us. And the comments are right… #RoyalNationGoesHaunted is not just a joke anymore.”
KingShield muttered, “Honestly, this is the worst TikTok collab ever. Worse than that time we did the basement crawl challenge.”
QueenGypsy growled, “I swear, if you make another joke, Shield, I’m leaving you behind.”
Suddenly, a high-pitched screech echoed through the trees. The black-eyed children swirled around them in a chaotic pattern, drifting unnaturally, whispering distorted versions of their names. Slender Man emerged from the fog, taller, darker, arms stretching impossibly long.
KingPapi shouted, “RUN! Move! Don’t stop!”
The group bolted, stumbling through the fog, paths twisting into loops, the whispers growing louder, almost deafening:
“RUN… SPLIT… FRAGMENTS… NEXT…”
KingShield shrieked, waving his flashlight wildly. “I’M TOO YOUNG FOR THIS! THIS IS NOT FAIR!”
ToxicEmpress grabbed his arm again. “We survive… or we die trying. Stop screaming!”
Infamous’s camera caught a fleeting glimpse of Slender Man stretching across multiple angles at once, children circling like predatory birds.
QueenGypsy whispered, “We’re… breaking. We can’t think straight anymore. But… we have to survive.”
The forest pulsed around them, alive, aware, and hungry. And in the mist, the whispers promised one thing unmistakably:
“NEXT TIME… YOU WON’T RUN.”
Chapter 9 – The Heart of the Forest
The fog had become almost suffocating, a thick, damp blanket that clung to every surface. The forest pulsed with life—or something pretending to be life—shadows twisting unnaturally around the Royal Nation. Every step felt like wading through a dream that refused to end.
KingPapi clutched his camera like a lifeline. “Everyone… stay close. We have to find something. The symbols, the tape, the children… maybe it all leads somewhere.”
QueenGypsy squinted through the fog. “Somewhere isn’t going to be comfortable. Somewhere is going to be terrifying. I can feel it.”
ToxicEmpress brushed dirt from her clothes, muttering, “Yeah, well, at this point, terrifying is all we’ve got.”
KingShield, snacking nervously, whispered, “I still maintain that snacks are the solution to everything. Even… whatever’s out there.”
Infamous adjusted his camera, trying to steady the trembling hands that threatened to ruin the footage. “Focus on the symbols. They’re… glowing. Look at them. It’s a path. A trail. We follow it, maybe we find a way out. Or maybe… content.”
KingPapi groaned. “Infamous… forget content! Survival first, please!”
Through the fog, a shape emerged: a stone structure, ancient and covered in moss, partially hidden by twisting trees. The carvings on its walls were the same jagged symbols, glowing faintly in the low light.
QueenGypsy gasped. “This… this has to be it. The heart of Ravenshade. That’s where it’s coming from.”
ToxicEmpress nodded grimly. “And I don’t like it. None of this is safe. But… we have to know. We have to see what’s happening.”
KingShield muttered, “Great. Ancient haunted structure in the middle of a forest. My kind of content… if I survive.”
KingPapi swallowed hard. “Everyone… stay together. No one goes off alone. And… watch the shadows.”
As they approached the stone building, the air grew colder, heavier, almost electrified. Every step they took made the shadows stretch longer, twisting along the walls of the structure. The whispers returned, louder now, overlapping with static from their devices.
“YOU CAN’T ESCAPE… WE SEE… NEXT…”
A black-eyed child drifted from the fog, staring at Infamous. Its head tilted unnaturally.
Infamous whispered, “It’s… it’s predicting us. Every movement. Every reaction. Every heartbeat.”
KingShield groaned, waving his flashlight. “Yeah, great. Predictive stalking. I didn’t sign up for this!”
ToxicEmpress hissed, “Shield… stop whining and focus!”
They entered the structure cautiously. Inside, the walls were carved with endless jagged symbols. Shadows flickered violently as if alive, stretching unnaturally across the stone floor. The air smelled of damp earth and something… older.
Suddenly, Slender Man appeared in the doorway, taller than ever, arms impossibly long, stretching to the edges of the room. The black-eyed children floated around him silently, forming a circle.
QueenGypsy whispered, trembling: “It… it’s waiting. Watching us. And… I think it wants someone.”
KingPapi swallowed hard. “Tank… KingTank… it wanted him first. Who’s next?”
KingShield froze, chewing the last of his snack. “Wait. That’s… that’s me, right? I’m the joke. I’m next?”
ToxicEmpress hissed, grabbing his arm. “Stay still. Don’t move. Don’t breathe too loudly.”
Infamous lifted the camera. “We… we document. Every second counts. This… this is… perfect footage.”
Slender Man advanced, impossibly fast, arms stretching across the room. One black-eyed child floated directly in front of KingShield. Its whisper was soft but sharp:
“YOU.”
KingShield’s eyes widened. “Okay! No. Not okay! Nope! I… I didn’t sign up for a direct confrontation!”
KingPapi lunged forward, grabbing Shield. “Move! Everyone, move!”
The group bolted, stumbling across the stone floor as Slender Man reached toward them, impossibly long arms slicing the air. The children swirled, whispering, circling, their black eyes fixed on every member of the Royal Nation.
QueenGypsy shouted, “We stick together! Don’t split!”
ToxicEmpress hissed, “Run! Just run!”
KingShield screamed, waving his flashlight like a weapon. “I’M TOO YOUNG FOR THIS!”
Infamous tripped over a root, rolling forward and snapping footage as Slender Man’s elongated arm reached past him, nearly touching his shoulder. Heart racing, he scrambled up. “Keep… moving… we survive or we die. And… we document.”
They reached a back exit of the structure. The forest outside was still alive with fog, twisting paths, and shadows that moved independently of the trees. The whispers followed them, echoing through every step:
“NEXT TIME… IT TAKES ONE.”
KingPapi gasped, pointing back. Slender Man was gone from the doorway—but the black-eyed children remained, floating at the edge of the clearing, watching, patient.
KingShield sank to his knees, gasping. “I… I think… maybe snacks aren’t the solution after all.”
QueenGypsy muttered, “We made it… out… barely. But I can feel it. It’s not done with us. Not even close.”
Infamous, camera shaking, whispered, “Every frame, every second… it’s out there. Watching. Waiting. And the comments… the viewers know. They’re seeing it too.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “Next time, we don’t come back here. Ever.”
KingPapi clenched his jaw. “Next time… we survive. That’s all that matters.”
And somewhere in the mist, just beyond the trees, the whispers promised:
“NEXT TIME… IT TAKES ONE.”r:
Chapter 10 – Shadows of the Past
The fog had thickened into a nearly impenetrable wall. The Royal Nation stumbled through Ravenshade Forest, hearts pounding, breaths ragged. Every step felt like sinking into quicksand. The stone structure behind them loomed like a memory they couldn’t shake, and every shadow twisted unnaturally, stretching impossibly long arms toward them.
KingPapi’s hands shook as he clutched the camera. “Everyone… stay together. We’ve come this far. We can’t let it take anyone else.”
QueenGypsy squinted through the mist. “I… I think I see someone ahead. Is it… Tank?”
ToxicEmpress froze. “Stop joking. Don’t. Please.”
KingShield blinked, chips crushed in his trembling hands. “Wait… what? Tank? You mean… the one we thought got abducted? Because I’d rather him not be… ghosted by the forest or something.”
Infamous whispered, voice trembling. “It’s him… but… not really. His eyes… black, hollow, like the children’s. He’s… different.”
Ahead, a figure stepped from the mist. Slender Man’s presence pulsed behind him, arms stretching long, but it was KingTank—transformed. Shadows clung to his body. His smile… wrong, too wide, faceless in some ways, yet eerily familiar.
KingPapi gasped. “Tank… is that… you?”
KingTank’s voice was distorted, almost a whisper of his former self. “KingPapi… I’ve been waiting. Watching. Learning… with them.”
QueenGypsy grabbed KingPapi’s arm. “He’s… changed. He’s… part of it now.”
KingShield groaned, waving a trembling flashlight. “Okay… nope. Definitely not okay. This is… way too much for one day. Way too much.”
ToxicEmpress hissed, “We can’t let it take him… or anyone else.”
Infamous raised the camera, documenting every second. “This… this is insane footage. And terrifying. And… wait, Tank… is he real?”
KingTank stepped closer, arms elongated unnaturally, shadows stretching from his body. His movements mirrored Slender Man’s—but with a twisted familiarity.
“You… followed the path. Now… you belong.”
KingPapi’s voice shook. “Tank… fight it! You’re stronger than this. You’re our brother!”
KingTank hesitated, a flicker of his old self breaking through the shadow. “I… I don’t… know… anymore.”
QueenGypsy stepped forward. “We’re Royal Nation. We stick together. Fight it. Fight them. We can get you back!”
KingShield whispered, shivering. “I… I don’t want to fight faceless forest demons and snack-eating shadows… but okay… I guess we do?”
ToxicEmpress clenched her fists. “We survive… and we save him. Or die trying.”
The forest seemed alive, shadows coiling, stretching toward them. The black-eyed children circled, whispering distorted fragments of names, echoing through the mist.
“YOU… NEXT… FRAGMENTS…”
KingPapi and QueenGypsy moved together, calling Tank’s name. Slowly, painfully, the faint light of his former self flickered. The shadows began to recoil, as if surprised by the strength of the familial bond.
KingTank’s body shook violently. “I… I remember… you… my family… Royal Nation…”
KingShield, despite trembling, raised his flashlight high. “GO TEAM! FAMILY POWER! Seriously, this is better than any horror challenge I’ve ever been in. Just survive first!”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “You’re insane… but yes, go team.”
The shadows around Tank thrashed violently, Slender Man’s presence looming, trying to pull him back. But the group didn’t falter—they shouted his name, grabbed his hands, and refused to let go.
“KingTank… come back!”
For a moment, time seemed to freeze. The fog thinned. Shadows writhed, screeching in static-laced whispers. Then—
KingTank collapsed into KingPapi’s arms, human once more. Eyes clearing, smile returning. “You… saved me… I… I’m back.”
KingShield cheered weakly, waving the crushed chip bag. “YES! Victory snacks later! Right… later.”
The black-eyed children and Slender Man recoiled into the forest, vanishing into the mist. The whispers faded, leaving only the sound of breathing, rain dripping, and hearts still pounding.
QueenGypsy wrapped an arm around Tank. “You’re safe… we’re all safe. For now.”
ToxicEmpress muttered, “Safe? Let’s not push it. I still want snacks.”
Infamous kept the camera rolling. “This… this is insane content. But also… real life terror. We survived. And somehow… got him back.”
KingPapi, shaking, smiled weakly. “Royal Nation sticks together. Always. Even in the face of… this.”
KingShield raised a trembling hand, finally cracking a grin. “And I lived. Miraculously. Survival, snacks… check, check!”
KingTank looked around, still trembling from the shadows. “I… don’t ever want to see this forest again.”
QueenGypsy laughed nervously. “Agreed. But hey… we went through it together. That counts for something.”
The fog lifted slowly as dawn broke, revealing the twisted but now-empty forest. Shadows retreated. The whispers ended. For the first time, the Royal Nation felt… alive.
KingPapi looked at his family, exhausted but relieved. “We survived Ravenshade. We saved Tank. And… we’re still Royal Nation.”
KingShield muttered, “And somehow… I still have a granola bar. Barely.”
They laughed, shaky and tired, as the first real sunlight filtered through the trees. The forest behind them remained silent—waiting, patient, but defeated… for now.