Raven squeezed my hand, pulling me closer as we stepped forward, deeper into the forest. The air felt heavy, weighed down by the presence of the entity that lurked somewhere ahead, hiding in the heart of the shadows. Despite the victory of shattering the crystal, the dark presence still clung to me, as if the entity had carved a space inside me that nothing could fully expel.
"I'll never leave you," Raven whispered, her lips brushing my ear as we walked. The words were meant to comfort, to reassure, but they filled me with dread. What if the thing inside me took control? What if I became the entity's puppet and was forced to hurt her, or worse? The thought had haunted me since the crystal broke, a constant whisper at the back of my mind. I squeezed her hand back, but said nothing.
