The forest had grown eerily silent after the shadow beast's defeat, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and fading magic. My senses were on high alert, but the oppressive silence around us was almost more unsettling than the danger itself. Lyria walked beside me, her pace slightly slower than before, and I could tell that the encounter had shaken her more than she let on.
She had been quiet since the battle, lost in thought, and I didn't press her for answers. The forest seemed to have a way of pulling at the edges of the mind, making the simplest of thoughts feel distant, like echoes. We both needed time to process what had just happened.
The sun was high now, though its light was filtered through the dense canopy above. The path ahead was dim, the trees and underbrush so thick that only patches of sunlight broke through. Each step we took seemed to echo, swallowed by the heavy air of the Duskwood.
"You've been quiet," I said, glancing at Lyria as we continued walking.
She didn't respond immediately, but after a moment, she spoke, her voice soft but steady. "I've never seen anything like that before. The way you... you fought it. The light—"
"It was instinct," I said, cutting her off gently. "I didn't really think about it. It just happened."
"Instinct…" She trailed off, the word lingering between us. "It's not like anything I've ever heard of. You're not from this world, are you?"
I stopped, my hand instinctively going to the hilt of the sword I had acquired from the fallen soldiers. I wasn't sure what prompted her to ask the question, but something in the way she spoke it—almost as if she had known the answer already—made my skin prickle.
"I don't know," I admitted, staring ahead into the gloom of the forest. "I don't remember my past life. Not clearly. But... something inside me knows this isn't where I was meant to be."
Lyria was silent for a long time, and I could feel her eyes on me. "You're different," she said softly. "Not just because of the magic. It's... there's something about you. Something in the way you carry yourself."
I frowned, unsure what she meant. "What do you mean?"
She shook her head, almost as though she didn't want to say the words. "You're... not like anyone I've met. You're not like the soldiers who attacked me, and you're not like the people I grew up with. There's something... ancient about you. Powerful, but not in the way that I've seen before."
I didn't know how to respond to that. I couldn't explain it myself. All I knew was that there was a power inside me—one that had awakened after my death, but I didn't know why or how. I didn't even know if I could trust it fully yet.
"What I do know," I said, breaking the silence, "is that you're not safe here."
She looked up at me, startled by my sudden change in tone. "What do you mean?"
"I've been feeling it since we first entered this forest," I continued, scanning the trees around us. "We're being watched. Something is waiting for us."
She stiffened, her hand instinctively clutching the worn dagger at her belt. "What kind of thing?"
"I don't know," I said, my voice low. "But it's not human. And it's not friendly."
We pushed forward, the sense of being hunted growing with every step we took. The deeper we ventured into the Duskwood, the thicker the air became, as if the very forest was pressing in on us. The rustling of leaves became more frequent, and the occasional snap of twigs echoed through the trees. It was as if something was always just out of sight, following us, waiting for the right moment.
Lyria walked beside me, her face pale with fear. She had pulled her hood up, but I could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her eyes flicked nervously to the shadows around us.
"Stay close," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
She nodded, her breath quickening. We kept moving, but it felt as though the forest itself was closing in around us. The path was barely a trace, overgrown with vines and tangled roots that threatened to trip us at every step. The further we went, the less it seemed like a natural forest and more like something... else.
And then, as if the very air around us had shifted, a strange sound echoed through the trees. A soft, melodic hum, almost like a whispering voice.
Lyria froze, her body stiffening. "What is that?"
"I don't know," I muttered, my hand instinctively going to the glowing crystal on my chest. The light inside it pulsed faintly, almost as if it was reacting to the sound.
The hum grew louder, and then, a figure stepped from the shadows, appearing out of thin air.
She was tall, impossibly so, her figure slender and elegant, with long silver hair that flowed like moonlight. Her eyes were a piercing shade of green, glowing faintly in the dim light of the forest.
Lyria gasped, taking an instinctive step back, but I held my ground.
The woman's presence was otherworldly, her beauty ethereal in a way that seemed almost unnatural. And yet, there was something about her gaze—sharp, calculating—that sent a shiver down my spine.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my hand still on the hilt of my sword.
The woman smiled, though it was a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I could ask you the same question, stranger. But perhaps that's a story for another time."
Lyria stiffened beside me, her breath catching. "You're an elf," she whispered, her voice trembling.
The woman's eyes flickered to Lyria, then back to me. "So, she recognizes me. A curious thing, isn't it?" She tilted her head slightly, as if considering something. "But I am not here to explain myself. I've been waiting for you."
I frowned, trying to make sense of her words. "Waiting for me?"
"Yes," she said, stepping closer with an unsettling grace. "You are not what you appear to be, are you? You're not from this world, just as I am not from this forest. We have... much to discuss, you and I. But first, you must prove your worth."
Her gaze turned sharper, colder, and I could feel the air around us shift as if the forest itself was holding its breath.
"What do you want from us?" Lyria demanded, stepping in front of me protectively.
The elf smiled again, though this time there was no warmth in it. "I don't want anything, dear. Not yet. But I suggest you come with me if you wish to survive the dangers that lie ahead. This forest is not kind to those who don't belong."
I glanced at Lyria, who looked back at me, uncertainty in her eyes. I didn't know who this elf was, or what her intentions were, but it seemed we had no choice but to follow her for now.
I nodded, signaling for Lyria to stay close. "Lead the way."
As we followed the elf deeper into the Duskwood, the sense of dread that had been lingering in the air only grew stronger. I didn't know where we were headed or what awaited us, but I knew one thing: our journey had just taken a turn for the worse.
And the shadows that had been following us were only the beginning.