The woods swallowed Eleanor whole. Shadows draped over the twisted branches, their elongated shapes dancing in the faint, pale light that struggled to pierce the canopy above. Each step was a battle against the cold earth that seemed to grip her boots, the damp soil sucking at her soles as if the land itself wished to hold her back. A brittle wind hissed through the trees, carrying whispers that twisted around her, curling into her ears before fading into the ghostly silence.
She kept her gaze forward, refusing to glance back at the village that was now a distant memory behind the curtain of darkness. The leather journal was tucked close to her chest, its familiar weight grounding her, the pages pressing against her heart with the echo of her mother's words.
"The woods guard their secrets fiercely. To see the truth, you must become part of the darkness, but do not let it consume you."
The path narrowed, winding between trees that stood gnarled and crooked, their roots tangled above the earth like skeletal fingers. There was no undergrowth, only the thick, blackened soil and a carpet of decaying leaves that rustled beneath her feet. The air was heavy, tinged with the scent of rot and something ancient, something wild and untamed.
A chill slithered down her spine as she moved deeper, her breath clouding the air before her. It felt as though the forest were breathing with her, its heartbeat slow and steady beneath her feet. Her skin prickled with the sensation of being watched, of eyes tracking her every movement from the shadows. She heard the faintest crack of a branch, the whisper of leaves brushing together, but when she turned, there was nothing—only darkness and silence.
Eleanor pressed on, the journal a reassuring weight in her hands, her fingers brushing the spine where her mother's initials were etched. "M.L." The letters were worn, faded with time, but they felt warm beneath her touch, a lingering echo of the woman who had sacrificed everything to keep her safe.
The trees grew closer together, their branches twisting into a canopy that blotted out the light. Darkness pooled around her, the air thick and cold, heavy with the weight of the curse that bound the land. Eleanor's pulse quickened, her heart thudding in her chest, but she kept moving, her feet navigating the uneven ground, dodging the roots that reached up to trip her.
Then she heard it.
A faint melody, drifting through the air, delicate and haunting. It curled around her, soft and whispery, wrapping her in its mournful embrace. The notes were sweet, achingly beautiful, but laced with a sorrow that made her chest tighten, her eyes burn.
It was the same melody that had haunted her since she first stepped foot in the village. The same song that had called to her from the shadows, that had echoed through her dreams. It was closer now, clearer, the notes trembling on the cold wind.
Her feet moved of their own accord, drawn forward by the music, her mind hazy, her vision blurring at the edges. The world felt distant, muffled, the shadows around her stretching and bending, their shapes shifting with the rhythm of the melody. She stumbled over a root, her body lurching forward, her shoulder slamming against a tree.
Pain shot through her arm, sharp and biting, and the world snapped back into focus. She gasped, her breath ragged, the cold air burning her lungs. Her fingers curled around the journal, its weight grounding her, the rough leather biting into her palms.
The melody wavered, faltering, and Eleanor straightened, her body trembling. She shook her head, clearing the fog from her mind, her chest heaving as she steadied herself. She had almost lost herself, almost fallen under its spell. "It seeks to bind you…" Her mother's warning echoed in her mind, the words a cold reminder of the power The Echo held.
She took a deep breath, steeling herself, her resolve hardening. "I am not afraid," she whispered, her voice firm, cutting through the darkness. "I will not be bound."
The melody twisted, the notes rising in a mournful wail before fading into a whisper. The air grew colder, the shadows thickening, the trees pressing closer, their branches curling downward as if to block her path. But she moved forward, shoulders squared, chin lifted, her heart steady.
The path wound deeper, the trees growing taller, their trunks wider, their bark blackened and rough, etched with twisted runes that pulsed with a faint, sickly light. She ran her fingers over one of the carvings, the grooves cold and sharp, the wood splintering beneath her touch. It felt alive, vibrating with an energy that made her skin crawl.
The runes seemed to move, shifting beneath her fingertips, the symbols twisting into shapes she couldn't understand. She pulled her hand back, a shiver racing down her spine. The air felt colder here, the shadows darker, the melody a distant hum.
A hollow whisper brushed against her ear, faint and broken, the words echoing through the trees. "This way… this way… come to us…"
Eleanor's heart skipped, her blood running cold. She took a step back, her shoulders brushing the rough bark behind her. Her eyes darted through the shadows, searching, straining to see through the darkness. But there was nothing, only the twisted trees and the writhing shadows.
Then she saw it.
A shape moving between the trees, tall and thin, its body unnaturally long, limbs bent at sharp angles. Its face was a pale oval, featureless, the surface smooth and blank, like a mask. It moved slowly, its limbs creaking, the shadows bending around it, the air growing colder as it approached.
Eleanor's chest tightened, her breath catching in her throat, her body freezing as the creature glided closer, its head tilting, the blank face staring at her, hollow and empty.
The whispers grew louder, echoing from all directions, weaving through the branches, curling around her, sinking into her skin. "Join us… join us… it's so cold… so dark… we are lost… you were meant to join us…"
Her legs moved before she could think, her body twisting, boots pounding against the cold earth as she ran. The trees blurred around her, the shadows twisting, the whispers howling, the melody a frantic, discordant wail. The air grew colder, the darkness thickening, pressing against her, clawing at her skin.
She ran faster, her breath ragged, her heart hammering, the shadows closing in. The creature followed, gliding between the trees, its limbs bending, its face twisting, stretching, the blank surface cracking, a hollow mouth opening wide, wide, wide—
Eleanor burst through the trees, the shadows shattering around her, the whispers fading into the wind. She stumbled, her knees buckling, her body collapsing onto the cold, hard ground. She gasped, her chest heaving, her fingers clutching the journal, her heart racing.
She looked up, her eyes wide, her body trembling. Before her stood a clearing, the air deathly still, the ground barren and blackened. At its center stood a stone altar, ancient and weathered, etched with runes that pulsed with a faint, sickly light.
The Echo awaited her.