Volume 43
Writer: Sabbir Ahmed
Chapter 3: Into the Silent Woods
Lina ran.
Branches whipped at her arms as she pushed deeper into the forest, the lantern light long gone behind her. Her mother's last words echoed in her mind, heavy and painful, but Lina didn't stop. She couldn't. Every instinct screamed that staying meant danger—not just for her, but for everyone she loved.
The pendant burned warm against her chest, pulsing softly, like a second heartbeat. Each time it glowed, the pressure inside her shifted, guiding her steps without her fully understanding how.
The woods were wrong.
Greyfen's forest had always been familiar—rustling leaves, distant owls, the comfort of known paths. Now the silence was complete. No insects. No wind. Even her footsteps felt muted, as if the ground itself was listening.
Lina slowed near a clearing she didn't recognize. Pale fog curled low over the earth, and at the center stood a ring of ancient stones, cracked and covered in moss. Symbols carved into them faintly matched the ones on her pendant.
She stepped closer.
The moment she crossed the ring, the air snapped tight. Light flared beneath her feet, silver lines racing across the ground. Lina gasped as energy surged upward, lifting her slightly off the earth before settling again.
"What did I just do?" she whispered.
A sound answered her.
Footsteps—slow, deliberate—came from the trees.
Lina spun around, heart pounding. A tall figure emerged from the fog, cloaked in dark fabric that seemed to absorb the light. Its face was hidden, but its presence was heavy, crushing.
"So the Rift was true," the figure said, voice calm and cold. "A bearer has awakened."
Lina backed toward the stones. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The figure raised a gloved hand. The fog thickened instantly, wrapping around Lina's legs like chains. "You will," it replied. "You all do."
The pendant blazed white-hot.
Power exploded outward. The fog tore apart, and the stones around Lina hummed loudly, their symbols glowing in defiance. The figure stumbled back, clearly surprised.
Lina stood frozen, shaking, light swirling around her hands.
She wasn't just running anymore.
She was fighting.
And somewhere deep beyond the trees, more footsteps began to move.