CHAPTER 5 & FINALÈ : THE CHOICE

Back at the cottage, Maren was waiting, her weathered face pale and drawn, her eyes glimmering with a mix of relief and unease. The moment Nadia stepped inside, clutching the glowing orb to her chest, the old woman let out a breath she seemed to have been holding for decades. 

 "You've done it," Maren said, her voice trembling as much from fear as from hope. "The forest let you take it. But now, you must choose." 

 Nadia placed the orb carefully on the table, its light casting strange, shifting patterns on the walls of the dimly lit room. Her hands trembled as she pulled back, as though even touching the object carried a weight too great to bear. "What do you mean, choose?" she asked, her voice raw from exhaustion. 

 Maren moved closer, her gait slow and deliberate. She didn't look at Nadia, her focus fixed entirely on the orb. "This…" she gestured toward the glowing sphere, her hand hovering above it without daring to make contact. "This is the heart of the forest—its essence. Everything the woods are, everything they were, and everything they could be is contained within this." 

 "Then why was it cursed?" Nadia asked, desperation creeping into her tone. She glanced down at her wrist, where the crescent-shaped scar seemed to pulse faintly, mirroring the orb's glow. 

 Maren sighed deeply, her shoulders sagging as though the weight of the years was finally catching up with her. "Long ago, the forest was bound by a spell…one meant to protect this essence from those who would use it for evil. But that protection came at a cost. The Keepers were born of the curse, guardians who were meant to shield the heart of the forest. Yet they became something darker, something twisted. Over time, they began to punish indiscriminately, trapping all who entered." 

 Nadia's chest tightened. She thought of the Keepers, their glowing eyes and jagged forms, the way the forest itself had seemed to turn against her. "Why me?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Why did the forest bring me here?" 

 "You are marked," Maren said simply, her gaze softening as she gestured to Nadia's scar. "The bloodline of those who first created the curse flows in you. Only someone with the mark could take the orb, and only someone with the mark can decide its fate." 

 Nadia swallowed hard, the weight of Maren's words settling over her like a heavy cloak. "What are my choices?" 

 Maren straightened, her expression grim. "You can return the orb to its place in the temple. Doing so will restore balance to the forest. The Keepers will retreat, and the woods will live on, but the curse will remain. Others will stumble into the forest, as you did, and the cycle will continue. Or…" she hesitated, her voice faltering. "You can destroy it." 

 Nadia's eyes widened. "Destroy it? What happens then?" 

 "The curse will be broken," Maren explained, her voice tinged with sorrow. "The forest will be freed, and so will you. But the cost is steep. The woods will wither, their magic lost forever. The Keepers will vanish, but so will the life of the forest. It will become a shadow of what it once was." 

 Silence filled the room, broken only by the faint hum of the orb. Tears welled in Nadia's eyes, and she turned away, unable to look at the glowing sphere any longer. 

 "I don't know if I can do this," she whispered, her voice cracking. "The forest saved me, protected me. But it's also caused so much pain. My parents…" Her voice trailed off as fresh memories surfaced, of their blurred faces, their fear, and the night she had been separated from them. 

 Maren placed a hand on Nadia's shoulder, her touch surprisingly steady. "The forest brought you here to make this decision. Whatever you choose, it will be the right one." 

 Nadia closed her eyes, the weight of generations pressing down on her. Finally, she turned back to the orb, her resolve hardening. "It has to end," she said softly, her voice filled with both sorrow and determination. 

 With trembling hands, she placed the orb on the floor. Maren handed her the journal, its pages open to the final instructions for destroying the heart of the forest. Nadia read them aloud, her voice steady even as her heart ached. 

 The moment she finished, the orb flared brightly, its light blinding. The room shook, and a deafening wail filled the air…the cries of the Keepers as they dissolved into nothingness. Nadia shielded her eyes, feeling the power of the forest unravel around her. 

 When the light subsided, everything was still. The cottage walls were crumbling, ivy falling away like ash. Maren stood before Nadia, her form fading like mist. 

 "Thank you," the old woman said, her voice barely audible as she disappeared. 

 Nadia stepped outside and gasped. The forest, once alive with whispers and magic, was now silent and lifeless. The trees stood still, their leaves dull and brittle. Yet, despite the loss, a strange peace filled her. 

 The crescent-shaped scar on her wrist faded, leaving her skin smooth and unmarked. For the first time in her life, Nadia felt truly free. 

 Though the forest was gone, its whispers would stay with her forever, a reminder of the courage it took to let go.