The forest waited like a shadow that refused to move, thick with the smell of damp earth and the faint, metallic tang of something older than the village itself. Mara paused at the edge, her breath visible in the cold night air. Behind her, the village lights were swallowed by darkness, the cobblestones glinting faintly under the sliver of moon. Every instinct told her to turn back, but the pendant against her chest pulsed in quiet insistence, guiding her forward. She had made a promise. She would not falter.
She stepped onto the path between the gnarled roots, each footfall soft but deliberate. The forest seemed alive, the trees bending as if to watch her, leaves whispering secrets only she could almost hear. A branch snapped underfoot, and she froze, heart hammering. Shadows moved between the trunks, but when she blinked, there was nothing—only the pulse of her own fear and the faint glow of the pendant.
Deeper into the woods, the air grew colder, carrying with it a weight that pressed on Mara's chest. She shivered, but pressed on, following the pull of the light and the quiet guidance of her own resolve. Every step made the clearing feel closer, and every rustle of unseen movement reminded her she was no longer in the safety