The Forgotten Path

Evelyn's body tumbled through the abyss, her screams swallowed by the endless void. Just as she felt herself losing grip on reality, she landed with a heavy thud. The impact knocked the wind out of her, but the sensation of solid ground was a relief.

Blinking rapidly, she found herself in an unfamiliar landscape. The sky above was a muted violet, streaked with thin wisps of silver clouds. The air carried an eerie stillness, as though time itself held its breath. Around her, ancient ruins sprawled in every direction, their stones whispering secrets of a forgotten past.

Lucien groaned beside her, pushing himself up. "Well, that was a pleasant trip. Where the hell are we?"

Elias surveyed their surroundings, his jaw tightening. "This... isn't anywhere we've been before."

Dorian smirked, brushing dust off his coat. "I'd say welcome to the Forgotten Path, but you won't find much hospitality here."

Evelyn shot him a glare. "What is this place?"

Dorian exhaled slowly, his gaze dark and knowing. "A remnant of time lost. A place that exists between moments, where the past and future bleed together. Only those who have broken time can step here."

Evelyn's stomach twisted. "Then why are we here?"

Before Dorian could answer, a rustling sound echoed from the ruins. The group tensed, hands inching toward weapons. A shadow moved between the crumbling archways, its form fluid and unnatural. It had no face, just a swirling mass of darkness where features should have been.

Lucien drew his blade. "I don't like the look of that."

The shadowed figure moved closer, its steps soundless. Then, it spoke, its voice layered with countless whispers.

"You have come to the threshold of what was forgotten. Do you seek to remember?"

Evelyn's heart pounded. "Remember what?"

The figure extended a hand, and in its palm, a fragment of light pulsed. Within it, images flickered—memories that didn't belong to her, yet felt strangely familiar. A woman's face, a broken hourglass, and the unmistakable crest of the Everhart family.

Elias stiffened. "That's… my family's crest."

Dorian's expression darkened. "Then whatever has been forgotten, it's tied to you. And if we want to leave this place, we're going to have to face it."

The shadow figure's whispers grew louder, and the world around them began to shift. The past was awakening, and it demanded to be seen.