The light exploded around us, an unnatural, blinding flare that tore through the mist and sent the shadowed figure recoiling back into the forest. The pull on my soul released, leaving me gasping for breath and collapsing to my knees in the damp earth. Karis rushed to my side, her sword raised defensively, eyes wide with shock.
Leon stood a few paces ahead of us, his hands still outstretched, the remnants of the light flickering in his palms. His face was pale, his eyes hollow, and I realized with a jolt that the light had come from him.
"Leon..." I whispered, struggling to catch my breath.
He didn't respond, his chest heaving as if the effort of conjuring the light had drained him completely. He staggered backward, nearly falling before catching himself on the trunk of a nearby tree. Karis and I exchanged a glance, both of us rattled, but there was no time to process what had just happened.
The forest was still alive with shadows, shifting and coiling in the mist. Whatever Leon had done had forced them to retreat, but I could feel their presence lingering at the edge of the clearing, waiting for the right moment to strike again.
"We need to keep moving," Karis said, her voice steady despite the fear that clung to the air like smoke. "They're not gone. They're just waiting."
I nodded, my legs trembling as I forced myself to stand. My body ached, my mind swirling with the aftershocks of the encounter. The memory of the shadow's gaze—those sickly yellow eyes—still burned in my mind, a lingering sense of dread that I couldn't shake.
Leon pushed himself off the tree, his hands trembling. He looked drained, like the life had been sucked out of him, but his eyes were sharp with determination. "We don't have much time," he said quietly. "That light won't protect us for long."
Karis sheathed her sword and took the lead, her eyes scanning the forest with sharp, calculating movements. I followed closely behind her, and Leon trailed after us, his footsteps uneven but determined. The mist hung heavy around us, curling through the trees in thick tendrils, but now it felt like a living thing—watching, waiting, and hungry.
The whispering hadn't returned, but the silence was worse. It was thick and oppressive, like the forest was holding its breath, waiting for us to falter. Every step felt like it echoed through the trees, announcing our presence to whatever dark forces lay hidden in the shadows.
We moved as quickly as we could, navigating through the thick underbrush and twisted roots that clawed at our feet. The terrain grew more treacherous the deeper we ventured, the ground uneven and slick with moss, making it difficult to find steady footing. Karis led us with unwavering focus, her eyes never lingering on one spot for too long, always scanning, always searching for the next threat.
Leon's breathing was labored, but he pushed forward with grim determination. I could see the strain on his face—the toll of whatever magic he had summoned was evident. I wanted to ask him how he had done it, where the light had come from, but the words stuck in my throat. There were more pressing concerns now.
Hours passed, though it was difficult to tell time in the suffocating gloom of the forest. The sun was hidden behind the thick canopy of trees, and the light that did filter through was weak and cold, giving the world around us an otherworldly, dreamlike quality. The trees loomed tall and twisted, their branches forming unnatural shapes, like skeletal hands reaching down to pluck us from the earth.
Finally, we reached a small stream that cut through the forest, its waters dark and sluggish, choked with leaves and debris. Karis signaled for us to stop, crouching down by the edge of the water to study the map once again. Leon collapsed onto a nearby rock, his face pale, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.
I knelt beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?" I asked softly.
He nodded weakly, though his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. "I'll be fine," he muttered. "Just... need a moment."
Karis glanced up from the map, her brow furrowed. "We're not far from the border," she said, her voice low. "If we keep moving, we might make it by nightfall."
"That's if we can avoid whatever's been chasing us," I said, glancing nervously at the shadows that still lingered at the edge of the clearing. The air was thick with tension, and I could feel the forest watching us, waiting for us to let our guard down.
Karis stood and folded the map back into her pack. "We can't afford to stop for long. They'll come back." She cast a glance at Leon, her expression softening for a brief moment. "Can you keep moving?"
Leon nodded, though his movements were sluggish as he pushed himself back to his feet. "I'll manage," he said through gritted teeth.
We crossed the stream and continued deeper into the forest. The air grew colder, the shadows longer, and the trees more twisted and grotesque. It felt like we were walking through a nightmare, the forest itself warping around us with every step we took. The path ahead seemed to twist and shift, as if the forest were alive, trying to confuse us, to turn us around and trap us in its dark embrace.
The unease that had settled in my chest earlier had grown into a full-fledged sense of dread. Something was coming. I could feel it in my bones, a cold, creeping sensation that whispered warnings into my mind. Every rustle of leaves, every creak of branches made my heart race, and I found myself gripping the hilt of my sword so tightly that my knuckles turned white.
Then, without warning, the whispering returned.
It started softly, just a faint hum in the distance, but it grew louder with every step we took, the voices weaving together in a twisted symphony of sound. They surrounded us, echoing through the trees, filling the air with their dark, incomprehensible language. My skin crawled, and I felt a deep, primal fear grip me.
"They're here," Karis muttered, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Her eyes scanned the trees, her body tense and ready to spring into action at the first sign of danger.
Leon stumbled, his face pale, his body trembling as the voices grew louder. "I can feel them," he gasped. "They're getting closer."
The shadows at the edge of the clearing began to shift and move, dark shapes flickering between the trees, watching us with glowing eyes. I could feel their gaze on me, cold and malevolent, and the pull—the same pull I had felt the night before—returned with a vengeance. It was like a dark tide rising inside me, dragging me down into the abyss.
"We need to run," Karis said, her voice sharp with urgency. "Now."
We took off through the forest, our feet pounding against the earth, the trees whipping past us in a blur. The whispering grew louder, more frenzied, as the shadows closed in around us, darting through the mist like phantoms. I could hear their footsteps behind us, the rustle of leaves, the crack of branches as they pursued us through the forest.
My lungs burned, my legs ached, but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. The pull was growing stronger, the shadows drawing closer with every step. I could feel them at my back, their cold breath on my neck, their twisted whispers filling my mind.
Then, without warning, the ground gave way beneath my feet.
I fell, tumbling down a steep embankment, my body crashing through the underbrush and rocks as I slid down into a dark ravine. The world spun around me, my vision blurred, and when I finally came to a stop at the bottom, pain exploded through my body.
I lay there, gasping for breath, the world spinning around me. My head throbbed, and I could taste blood in my mouth. The whispering had stopped, replaced by the deafening roar of my own heartbeat in my ears.
Karis and Leon appeared at the top of the ravine, their faces pale with fear. "Are you alright?" Karis shouted down, her voice barely audible over the sound of rushing water.
I tried to push myself up, but pain shot through my leg, and I collapsed back onto the ground with a groan. "I think my leg's broken," I gasped, clutching my thigh where the sharp pain radiated.
Karis cursed under her breath, glancing around nervously. "We don't have time for this," she muttered. "They're coming."
Leon slid down the embankment, landing beside me with a soft grunt. His face was still pale, his body trembling, but he didn't hesitate as he crouched down beside me, inspecting my leg. "It's not broken," he said after a moment, his voice calm but strained. "But it's sprained. You won't be able to walk on it."
Karis appeared a moment later, her sword drawn, her eyes scanning the shadows. "We need to move," she said, her voice tight with urgency. "They're getting closer."
Leon nodded and stood, offering me his hand. I grabbed it, wincing as I pulled myself to my feet. The pain in my leg was excruciating, but I forced myself to stand, leaning heavily on Leon for support.
We began moving again, slower now, the shadows still lurking at the edge