Chapter 3 (continued)

The path through the forest grew darker as the light from the setting sun faded, and the air around us became thicker with an ominous energy. Hazel led the way, her pace quickening, while Jordan and I kept our distance. The tension between us was palpable, the silent weight of unsaid words hanging heavy in the air. Despite the urgency of our mission, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with Jordan. The way he moved, how he kept his gaze fixed on the ground ahead—it was as though he was avoiding looking at me entirely.

The map Hazel had shown us pointed to a ridge up ahead. It was the site of several ley lines converging, a place that should have been brimming with power. The disturbance was strongest here, and we needed to investigate before whatever was pulling at the magic twisted the balance even further.

Hazel spoke in low tones, her voice urgent. "Stay focused. Whatever's causing the disturbances will be near, and we need to be prepared."

We reached the clearing, and the energy in the air hit me like a physical force. The ground beneath our feet hummed with power, and I could see the faint traces of glowing lines in the earth, snaking through the trees. The ley lines were stronger than I expected, swirling and pulsing in strange patterns that I couldn't fully comprehend.

I turned to Hazel. "What exactly are we looking for?"

She gestured to the ground, her eyes scanning the area with precision. "There's something here—something that doesn't belong. We need to find the source of the disruption and neutralize it before it spreads further."

Jordan, who had been silent up until this point, spoke up, his voice colder than I'd ever heard it. "This place... it feels wrong."

I looked over at him, but his face remained unreadable. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head. "I don't know, but I feel it. Like... like something's pulling at me. It's not just the magic—there's something else here."

Hazel's eyes narrowed. "Stay alert," she said sharply. "The disturbances we're sensing are more than just magic. There's something else at play here, and we need to find it before it finds us."

We moved deeper into the clearing, the shadows of the trees stretching longer with each passing moment. As we approached the center, I saw it—a massive stone altar, the surface of which was covered in strange symbols. They glowed faintly, as if they were drawing in the energy from the ley lines.

The air grew colder, and I instinctively stepped back. "Is that the source?" I asked, my voice low, uncertain.

Hazel nodded. "Yes. But it's more than just an altar. It's an anchor. Whoever is manipulating these ley lines is using it to channel energy, to disrupt the balance we've been feeling."

Suddenly, Jordan stepped forward, his expression grim. "I know this place."

I froze, staring at him. "What do you mean?"

Jordan's eyes flicked toward me, but for a moment, they seemed distant. Almost as if he wasn't entirely present. "This is where everything started. The night I took Cecilia. The magic here... it's the same."

Hazel's gaze hardened. "You knew about this place?"

Jordan's jaw clenched, but he didn't answer immediately. His eyes darted around, as if searching for something hidden in the shadows. I could feel the weight of his silence pressing down on me, and for the first time, I wondered just how deep his involvement in this mess really went.

"What the hell, Jordan?" I snapped, stepping toward him. "What aren't you telling us?"

Hazel stepped in, her tone sharp. "We don't have time for this. We need to focus on stopping the disturbance."

But Jordan didn't back down. "You need to understand, Jake," he said, his voice colder than I'd ever heard it. "This isn't just about Cecilia. This place... it's tied to everything. To what we're facing now."

A chill ran down my spine. I didn't want to hear it, but I had no choice. The way he was acting—like he knew something we didn't—was unnerving.

Hazel's expression softened, just for a moment. "This altar is tied to the ley lines," she said, voice low. "It's been here for centuries, but someone's awakened it. And I have a feeling whoever did is going to be connected to the disturbances we've been sensing."

I could feel the unease building between us, the air crackling with a tension I couldn't shake. The altar seemed to pulse with energy, as if it were alive, feeding off the ley lines that connected it to the surrounding forest.

Jordan's gaze flickered over the altar, his eyes distant. "There's more to this than we're seeing. But I can't explain it—not yet."

Before I could respond, the ground beneath us began to tremble, the ley lines glowing brighter, their power surging. A deep hum filled the air, followed by a sharp crack that split the night. Something was coming.

"We don't have much time," Hazel said, urgency in her voice. "Get ready. This is just the beginning."

The ground shook beneath us as the energy around the altar intensified, swirling in chaotic patterns. It was like something was awakening, a force that had been dormant for far too long. The hum of the ley lines reverberated in my chest, a constant reminder that whatever was about to happen, we weren't ready for it.

Hazel's eyes scanned the surrounding trees, her posture tense. "Brace yourselves," she warned, her voice barely audible over the growing rumble of the earth.

I barely had time to react before the first flash of light erupted from the center of the altar. A blinding burst of energy shot into the sky, lighting up the entire clearing. For a split second, I felt a strange pull, an almost magnetic force tugging at me, but it was too strong—too overwhelming.

"Get back!" Hazel shouted, throwing her hand up in front of us as though she could shield us from whatever was coming.

But it was too late. The air around us crackled, charged with so much energy it felt like the very air itself was alive. My instincts screamed at me to run, but my feet felt like they were stuck in place, unable to move. It was as if the magic had trapped us here.

Then came the voice.

It wasn't human. It wasn't anything I recognized. It was low, guttural, and echoing, like it was coming from deep within the earth itself.

"You are too late."

The words reverberated through the clearing, shaking the trees and the ground beneath our feet. My heart pounded in my chest, and I turned to Hazel, who looked like she was trying to decipher something she had been expecting.

"What the hell is that?" I managed to choke out, my voice strained.

Hazel's face was pale, and she gritted her teeth as if trying to force herself to stay calm. "The altar—it's not just a conduit. It's a summoning point. Whoever activated it—whoever is behind all of this—has a plan. And we're at the center of it."

I couldn't tear my gaze from the altar, where the pulsing light was now surrounded by a swirling vortex of shadows. I didn't understand it, but I could feel it in my bones: something was coming. Something… dangerous.

A flash of movement caught my eye.

Jordan.

He was moving toward the altar, his footsteps slow and deliberate, as if drawn by some unseen force. His eyes were wide, glazed over, like he wasn't fully there. He didn't even seem to hear Hazel or me calling after him.

"Jordan!" I yelled, rushing after him. "What are you doing?"

He stopped for a moment, his body stiffening, and slowly turned his head to look at me. His eyes were dark—darker than they should have been—and there was a hollow look in them, like the person I knew was fading away, replaced by something else.

"You don't understand, Jake," he said, his voice distant. "It's too late for you to stop it. We've all been drawn here. We were always meant to be here."

His words were a punch to the gut, and I felt something heavy settle in my chest. I didn't want to believe it, but deep down, I couldn't ignore the truth: Jordan wasn't the same anymore. Whatever had happened at that lake, whatever had happened after he met with Cecilia, it had changed him. And now, he was walking right into the heart of it.

Hazel reached my side, her expression a mixture of concern and frustration. "He's under the influence," she muttered under her breath. "Whoever is behind this... they've been manipulating him. We need to stop him before he gets any closer."

I glanced at her, panic rising. "How do we stop him?"

"I don't know," Hazel admitted, her voice tight with urgency. "But we have to try."

Before I could say anything else, the ground beneath us trembled again, and the shadows around the altar began to form into shapes—figures, dark and twisted, rising up from the depths of the vortex. They were not human, but they had human-like features. Their eyes were glowing, an unnatural light pulsing from deep within their sockets, and their mouths stretched open in silent screams.

The air turned icy cold as the first of the creatures stepped out of the shadows, its form shifting and twisting in ways that defied logic. The others followed, moving toward us with slow, deliberate steps.

I took a step back, my heart racing. "What the hell are they?"

"They're not real," Hazel said quickly, her voice firm despite the fear in her eyes. "These are just projections, remnants of the magic that was used to summon them. But they're powerful. And if we don't stop them, they'll tear us apart."

The creatures paused for a moment, their glowing eyes fixed on us. Then, without warning, they surged forward, their movements faster than I could react.

"Get ready!" Hazel shouted.