Chapter 7: The Shadows That Follow

The forest was silent, save for the rustling of leaves in the cold night wind. Elias and the girl sat against the massive oak, their breath still ragged from the desperate escape. The tension had not yet left their bodies, and the weight of the encounter pressed heavily on their minds.

Elias eyed the girl warily. She had freed herself from that mist, something that the cloaked man had clearly not expected. But how?

She sat with her knees drawn up, hugging herself. The soft glow from her chest had faded, leaving only the faint traces of fear in her golden eyes.

"You're not just cursed, are you?" Elias finally asked.

She hesitated before answering. "No. I don't think so."

Elias frowned. "Then what are you?"

The girl was quiet for a moment, staring at the dirt between her fingers. "I... I don't know," she admitted. "I don't remember much. Just fragments. I know my name is Lirien. And I know that something was hunting me long before I even woke up in that cave."

"Lirien," Elias repeated, testing the name on his tongue. It felt strangely familiar, as if he had heard it before.

He thought back to the man in the cave. She is the key.

"That man knew you," Elias said. "Or at least he knew what you were."

Lirien shivered. "He called me bound to the curse. I think... I think whatever is inside me, it's connected to the same thing that's corrupting this land."

Elias exhaled sharply. He didn't like where this was going.

"That means he'll come after you again," he said.

Lirien nodded. "Probably."

Silence stretched between them. Elias knew he had a choice. He could leave her here and hope she found her own way, or he could take her with him—dragging himself deeper into whatever dark scheme was unfolding around her.

It wasn't really a choice at all.

Elias sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We need to keep moving. If he finds us while we're sitting here, we're done for."

Lirien looked at him, surprise flickering across her face. "You're still helping me?"

"Of course," Elias said, standing up and offering her a hand. "I didn't drag you out of that cave just to let you get caught again."

For the first time, she smiled. It was small, hesitant, but real. She took his hand and pulled herself up.

They had barely taken two steps when Elias felt it.

The air shifted.

The hairs on the back of his neck rose, and a deep chill crept down his spine. The forest around them darkened, though there was no cloud in the sky. The very air felt wrong.

Lirien stiffened. "Something's coming."

Elias drew his dagger, scanning the trees. The light of the moon filtered through the branches, casting long shadows—shadows that moved.

A whispering sound filled the air, like voices carried on the wind. The darkness between the trees thickened, taking shape.

And then, from the shadows, eyes opened.

Dozens of them. Hollow, glowing with sickly light.

Elias swore under his breath.

Lirien clutched his arm. "They're hunting us."

"Yeah," Elias muttered. "I got that part."

The first creature stepped forward. It was a thing of twisted darkness, its body shifting like smoke, its fingers elongated into razor-sharp claws. Its eyes locked onto Elias, and a grin stretched across its too-wide mouth.

Then it lunged.

Elias barely had time to react. He threw himself to the side as the creature's claws slashed through the air where he had stood moments before. The thing moved unnaturally fast, twisting its body mid-motion, already preparing to strike again.

Lirien raised a hand, instinctively, and the same glow from before erupted from her palm. The light struck the creature, sending it skidding backward with a shriek.

The other shadows recoiled, hissing like wild beasts.

Elias didn't waste the opening. He surged forward, slashing at the stunned creature's neck. His blade met resistance—not flesh, but something unnatural. It let out a shrill, distorted cry as black mist seeped from the wound.

Not enough. It wasn't dead.

"Lirien!" Elias shouted. "Do whatever you did before!"

"I don't know how!" she cried, panic lacing her voice.

The other creatures recovered, surrounding them in a tightening circle. Their whispers grew louder, merging into something almost comprehensible.

"Return her. She belongs to the dark."

Elias gritted his teeth. "Like hell she does."

Lirien clenched her fists. "We need to run!"

Elias cursed but knew she was right. They were outnumbered, and he had no idea how to kill these things.

He grabbed her wrist and bolted. The creatures shrieked and gave chase, gliding through the forest with unnatural speed. The shadows stretched toward them, fingers of darkness grasping at their heels.

Branches whipped past them as they ran. The whispers turned to screams, echoing in their ears.

Elias pushed forward, his legs burning. He had no idea where they were going—only that they had to keep moving.

Then, suddenly, the ground vanished beneath them.

Elias barely had time to shout before they were tumbling down a steep ravine, crashing through underbrush and loose soil.

The world spun, the air knocked from his lungs. When he finally hit solid ground, pain exploded across his body.

He groaned, forcing his eyes open.

Lirien lay a few feet away, dazed but alive. Above them, the shadows gathered at the edge of the ravine, their glowing eyes peering down.

But they did not descend.

They hovered there, watching.

Waiting.

Elias's heart pounded as realization settled in.

Something down here was worse than them.

And they had just fallen right into its domain.