Whisper in Dark
The horn's mournful cry echoed through Blackroot Forest, its sound twisting the mist into serpentine coils. Alex clutched the orb tighter, its surface now icy against their palm. The crow with violet eyes watched from a skeletal tree branch, its gaze unblinking.
"We need to move," Jordan said, sword already drawn. "That horn wasn't a greeting."
Lila traced the map's faded ink with trembling fingers. "The Shrine of Thal'esha lies northwest, beyond the Veilwater River. But the forest… the legends say it *changes*."
Alex's veins prickled where the orb's energy had seeped into their skin. *"The forest guards the path,"* the artifact whispered. *"Only the worthy may pass."*
"Worthy?" Alex muttered. "We're literally being hunted."
---
**The Harbinger's Hunters**
They hadn't gone half a mile when the first arrow struck. It grazed Jordan's shoulder, its tip dripping with iridescent poison. Shadows detached from the trees—figures clad in armor forged from jagged obsidian, their faces hidden behind masks shaped like screaming souls.
"Harbinger's zealots," Lila hissed, ducking behind a moss-covered boulder. "Their blades carve curses into flesh. Don't let them touch you!"
Jordan lunged, their sword clashing against a zealot's serrated dagger. Sparks flew, illuminating the forest in bursts of eerie blue. Alex stumbled back, the orb's whispers rising to a scream.
*"Use me,"* it demanded.
"How?!" Alex shouted.
*"Let go."*
Alex's hand moved on its own, the orb flaring with molten light. A beam of gold-white energy erupted, incinerating a zealot mid-leap. The forest floor trembled, roots erupting to ensnare the remaining attackers.
Jordan stared, panting. "What the hells was *that*?"
Alex's arm smoked, the orb's patterns glowing like embers beneath their skin. "I… don't know."
---
**The Forest's Trial**
The deeper they went, the stranger the forest became. Trees shifted, their bark crawling with glowing runes. The air thickened with the scent of iron and rot. Lila paused, pressing her palm to a trunk.
"These runes—they're warnings. *'Beware the guardian. Blood opens the path.'*"
Jordan scowled. "Cryptic nonsense."
Alex's orb hummed. *"She speaks truth. The guardian tests those who seek the shrine."*
A low growl reverberated ahead. The underbrush parted, revealing a creature of writhing vines and antlers, its eyes twin pools of liquid shadow. It exhaled, and the ground beneath them turned to sludge.
Lila paled. "A *witherroot stag*. They're extinct!"
"Not extinct enough," Jordan said, raising their sword.
The stag charged. Alex's orb flared again, but this time, the energy sputtered—a flicker of gold drowned by creeping black tendrils in their veins.
*"The corruption!"* Lila yelled. "The orb's power is *changing* you!"
The stag's antlers grazed Alex's side, and pain exploded—not physical, but a flood of visions.
*Ashkar, bound in chains of starlight. The priestess, her hands raw from carving seals. And the Harbinger, a faceless silhouette, reaching for the orb.*
"Focus!" Jordan yanked Alex aside as the stag's hooves shattered stone where they'd stood.
Alex gripped the orb, their voice raw. "What do you want from me?!"
*"Blood,"* it replied. *"The guardian demands blood."*
---
**The Pact**
Jordan slashed at the stag, their blade chipping its antlers. "Any day now, Alex!"
Lila pulled a vial from her pack, hurling it at the creature. The glass shattered, releasing a cloud of silver dust. The stag recoiled, shrieking.
"It's weak to iron!" Lila cried. "Jordan, your dagger!"
Alex staggered forward, the orb's energy writhing. *"Blood opens the path."* They sliced their palm, letting crimson droplets splash the forest floor.
The stag froze. The ground trembled, roots retracting to form a narrow passage. The creature bowed its head, shadows dissolving until only a skeletal husk remained.
The orb's voice softened. *"The way is open. But the price is paid."*
Alex's wound closed, the skin beneath stained faintly black.
---
**The Shrine's Secret**
The Shrine of Thal'esha loomed ahead—a crumbling ziggurat draped in bioluminescent moss. At its summit stood a stone altar, etched with the same runes as the orb.
Lila's breath hitched. "This isn't a shrine. It's a *seal*. The final lock on Ashkar's prison."
Jordan eyed the altar. "And the orb's the key."
Alex approached, the orb pulsing in sync with the runes. *"Place me. Free him,"* it whispered.
"No," Alex hissed. "You said answers were here!"
*"Answers,"* the orb agreed. *"And power. The priestess's power. Take it, and the Harbinger cannot claim you."*
Jordan grabbed Alex's wrist. "Don't. This thing's been manipulating us from the start."
Lila traced the altar's symbols. "Wait. These runes… they're a binding ritual. The priestess didn't just seal Ashkar—she *split* her essence. Part of her is in the orb. The rest is *here*."
The crow landed on the altar, its violet eyes gleaming. With a harsh caw, it pecked at the stone. A hidden compartment slid open, revealing a dagger of pure starlight.
*"Her blade,"* the orb said. *"To wield it is to inherit her vow."*
---
**The Harbinger's Arrival**
A cold laugh echoed through the trees. The zealots reappeared, parting like a tide as a hooded figure strode forward—the Harbinger. His face remained obscured, but his voice slithered into their minds, oily and cruel.
"You've saved me the trouble, little moths. Now hand over the orb."
Alex gripped the starlit dagger. "Come take it."
The Harbinger raised a hand, shadows coalescing into a blade of liquid night. "Gladly."
---
**End of Chapter 13**
**Next**: The battle for the orb and the dagger begins. Alex must choose between wielding the priestess's power or succumbing to the orb's corruption—while the forest itself becomes a weapon in the Harbinger's grasp.