Chapter 3:"The Curse of the Pendant"

I placed the pendant near me and turned off the light. Darkness swallowed my room whole.

Silence.

Nothing but the slow, steady beating of my heart.

I lay on my bed, closing my eyes. My breathing steadied, my body relaxed—yet unease coiled deep within me, an unshakable presence lurking beneath the surface.

Still, exhaustion eventually won, and I drifted into sleep.

̴"Just A Dream That Wasn't a Dream "̴

But this time… my dreams were different.

I saw my mother.

She was young—no older than eighteen—her beauty ethereal, untouched by time. She moved slowly through the forest, gazing around in quiet wonder. The towering trees stretched endlessly above her, their thick branches obscuring the sky. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and something ancient, something forgotten.

It felt as if time itself had stopped.

And then, a man appeared before her.

But—his face was hidden.

He was tall, his figure striking yet somehow… unreal. As if he didn't belong to this world. The mist curled around him, blurring his edges, rendering him both there and not there at the same time.

He raised his hand—slowly, deliberately—and placed a green pendant into my mother's palm.

She stared at him, hesitation flickering in her eyes. But then, she smiled and accepted the pendant.

A bond existed between them—not just friendship, but something deeper.

But then—

Everything changed.

The dream darkened.

The vibrant forest melted into a void of shadows. The wind howled violently, the trees groaned and twisted unnaturally, their leaves scattering like whispers of a dying world.

And out of the suffocating blackness—

Two burning red eyes emerged.

Staring.

Unblinking.

Knowing me.

A sharp, merciless presence seeped into my very bones. I felt my insides turn to ice. My breath hitched—my heart skipped a beat.

Those eyes.

They weren't just watching me.

They recognized me.

"Wake up!"

I screamed—the sound tearing through the dream.

And suddenly—

I woke up.

My chest heaved, my breaths came ragged and uneven. A cold sweat clung to my skin as I pressed a trembling hand to my racing heart.

But then—

I felt it.

A strange tremor in the air.

Dread settled in my stomach like a lead weight. Slowly—so painfully slowly—I turned my gaze toward the window.

And my heart stopped.

He was there.

Inside my room.

Standing right in front of the window.

A tall, shadowed figure, draped in a flowing black cloak.

And in his hand—

My pendant.

The very same pendant my grandfather had given me.

How?

I gasped, my mind racing. My body refused to move. The man's head was tilted downward, as if studying the pendant in his grasp—as if remembering something long lost.

Then, panic seized me.

I jerked my gaze toward my bedside shelf—where I had placed the pendant before sleeping.

But—it was gone.

A cold shudder ran down my spine.

How could this be?

I squeezed my eyes shut, rubbed them hard, then looked again—terrified that I wasn't imagining this.

But when my gaze returned to the figure—

He was gone.

Vanished.

The room stood empty once more.

A shiver crawled over my skin. My pulse pounded against my ribs as I turned toward the shelf. And then—

My heart skipped again.

The pendant was back.

Lying exactly where I had left it.

As if it had never left at all.

My lips trembled. My breaths came out shaky and uneven. I pressed my back against the bed, trying to steady myself.

"It was just an illusion… just an illusion… wasn't it?"

But then—

A distant sound echoed through the air.

A wolf's howl.

Low. Haunting.

Coming from the depths of the forest.

Almost… as if it were waiting for an answer.

̴"The Morning After"̴

I didn't sleep at all that night.

Fear sat heavy in my chest. That man—the strange dreams—everything twisted together in my mind, refusing to let me rest.

And yet—

At dawn, exhaustion finally overtook me.

When I awoke, my room was filled with light.

A strange sight.

Arvendale rarely saw the sun. The sky here was always veiled in gray, cloaked in clouds that refused to part. Rain had always been a faithful companion to this land.

Yet now—the morning light streamed through the window.

Outside, birds chattered softly, their calls unfamiliar against the usual hush of Arvendale.

I inhaled slowly, trying to push away the unease clinging to my chest.

I tidied up my room and changed out of my nightgown. Yet, even as I moved through the motions of routine, one truth remained—

After last night, something felt different.

̴"Secrets at Breakfast"̴

Descending the stairs, I entered the kitchen, where my grandfather had already prepared breakfast.

"Good morning, my dear," he greeted me with a warm smile.

"Good morning, Grandpa," I replied, feeling a bit flustered. "I overslept."

He chuckled softly. "It's all right—you needed rest. It was a long journey yesterday."

I settled into my chair. "Thank you, Grandpa."

As he poured tea from the pot, he glanced at me. "Do you like your room?"

The memory of those piercing red eyes flashed through my mind.

But I forced a smile. "Yes, I do. It's comfortable… cozy."

He nodded. "Good. I want you to feel at home here."

As we ate, we talked about small things—the house, the garden, the town.

But I never mentioned the dream.

I never mentioned the man.

I never mentioned the pendant.

Somehow… I knew I shouldn't.

Arvendale Forest kept its secrets well.

And now, I was becoming a part of them...

̴"The Unease That Wouldn't Leave"̴

Even after breakfast, the unease refused to fade.

As I wandered through the house, a heavy weight pressed against my chest—a presence I couldn't explain.

I stepped outside. The damp scent of rain-soaked earth filled my lungs. The sun was out, yet the light felt… wrong. As if it didn't belong here. As if Arvendale rejected it.

I walked through the garden, running my fingers along the velvet petals of a rose.

But then—

A chill crawled up my spine.

I turned sharply, heart hammering.

Nothing.

Yet, I felt it.

Eyes. Watching.

The forest loomed ahead, its trees tangled together like skeletal fingers. The mist swirled between the trunks, thick and unforgiving.

A whisper of wind touched my cheek.

Or was it a breath?

I swallowed hard, my fingers tightening around my pendant.

It was warm.

Why?

Something was waiting. Calling. Lurking beneath the surface of reality.

I took a step closer to the treeline—

And in the distance, a shadow shifted.

A figure.

Still. Silent.

Waiting.

My pulse roared in my ears.

And in that moment, I knew—

Arvendale had never stopped watching me.

And neither had he.

This was only the beginning...