Isabella's legs felt heavy as she rose to her feet, the Heartstone still clutched tightly in her palm. The forest was silent again, but it was an uneasy silence, the kind that hangs heavy after something terrible has passed. Doran groaned softly from where he sat, pressing a torn scrap of cloth against his side.
"Let me help," Mara said, kneeling beside him. She pulled a small vial from her pack and carefully poured its contents over his wound. Doran winced but said nothing, gritting his teeth.
"You'll live," Mara muttered, almost as if she needed to convince herself.
"Barely," Doran replied, managing a weak grin. "That… thing hit like a bull."
Isabella turned away from them, her gaze fixed on the empty spot where the creature had been. The ashes it left behind were already vanishing into the earth. Whatever the creature was, it hadn't been natural. She looked down at the Heartstone in her hand, its surface dim and cool again.
"The stone knows you," the golden-eyed man's voice echoed in her mind. He stood a few steps away, his expression unreadable as always, watching her closely. Finally, he broke the silence.
"We need to move. That wasn't the only one."
Mara looked up sharply. "What do you mean?"
"Those creatures rarely travel alone," he said, his voice calm but firm. "They're drawn to power—and now that the Heartstone's been awakened, we might as well be carrying a beacon through this forest."
Isabella felt a chill run through her. "How do you know that?"
The golden-eyed man hesitated. "I… have encountered them before."
"You mean fought them?" Doran asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "How in the blazes did you survive that?"
The man didn't answer. Instead, he turned and began walking, his steps purposeful and quick.
"Come," he said over his shoulder. "Staying here any longer would be unwise."
Mara helped Doran to his feet, and the group fell into step behind the man, though Isabella lingered for just a moment longer. She glanced back once at the clearing—at the ashes and the twisted trees that had borne witness to the creature's end—and then hurried after them.
The forest seemed to close in tighter the farther they walked. The light filtering through the canopy was pale and strange, as if the sun itself was afraid to touch this place. Isabella kept the Heartstone close, hidden in her pouch but never far from her thoughts. The pulse she'd felt—that connection to something deeper—lingered in her fingertips. Whatever had happened back there, it wasn't just power. It was something alive.
"How much farther?" Mara asked after what felt like hours.
"Not far," the golden-eyed man replied without turning.
"Not far," Doran echoed with a grumble. "That's what you said an hour ago."
"Complaining won't make it faster," Mara said dryly, though her tone was tired as well. "You should save your breath."
Isabella frowned, glancing at the golden-eyed man. His answers were always so vague, so careful. "What are we walking toward, exactly?" she asked, matching his pace so she could walk beside him.
"A safe place," he said.
"You mean a hiding place," she countered.
The man paused, his golden eyes flicking toward her. "Sometimes survival requires both."
"But where is this safe place?" Isabella pressed. "And why would it be safe when everything else in this forest is trying to kill us?"
For the first time, he seemed to hesitate, as though choosing his words carefully. "There are places in this land that remain untouched—hidden from the dark forces that creep into the world. The path to it is known only to those who have walked it before."
Isabella stared at him, frustration bubbling beneath her exhaustion. "Why can't you ever just give me a straight answer?"
He stopped walking, and for a moment, she thought she'd pushed him too far. But when he spoke, his voice was quieter than before.
"Because there are truths you're not ready to hear."
"Try me," Isabella shot back, her heart pounding.
The man didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned and pointed ahead, down a narrow, overgrown path that disappeared into darkness.
"If you want answers," he said softly, "then follow me."
The path twisted like a serpent through the forest. The group moved in silence, the only sounds the soft crunch of leaves underfoot and the occasional drip of water from unseen branches. Isabella's thoughts raced, circling around the man's cryptic words. Truths you're not ready to hear. What did that mean? What was he hiding?
Suddenly, the path opened up, and Isabella stumbled to a halt.
Before them was a glade unlike anything she'd ever seen. The trees here were tall and ancient, their bark pale and silver as moonlight. At the center of the glade stood a massive stone archway, its surface covered in swirling runes that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.
"What is this place?" Mara whispered, her voice filled with awe.
"A sanctuary," the golden-eyed man replied. "Or at least, it was."
Doran frowned. "Doesn't look very safe to me."
"It's not safe," the man admitted. "Not yet."
Isabella turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"This archway is a seal," he said, stepping toward it. "A barrier between this world and what lies beyond."
Isabella's pulse quickened. "What lies beyond?"
The golden-eyed man met her gaze, and for the first time, Isabella saw something like fear in his expression.
"The truth," he said.
Without another word, he placed his hand on the stone. The runes flared brightly, and the air around them seemed to hum with energy. The ground trembled, and a low, resonant sound echoed through the glade.
"What are you doing?" Isabella shouted, taking a step back.
"Opening the path," he said calmly, though his voice strained with effort.
A beam of light burst from the archway, piercing the canopy above. The air rippled, and Isabella's ears rang with a sound that felt like a thousand whispers at once. The others staggered back, shielding their eyes.
"We're not alone!" Mara shouted, pointing toward the trees.
Shadows moved at the edges of the glade. Dark figures, like the creature they'd fought earlier, stepped from the forest, their black eyes fixed on the group.
"We've got company," Doran growled, raising his axe.
The golden-eyed man turned sharply. "Hold them off! The path must be opened!"
Isabella's heart raced as the shadows closed in. She pulled the Heartstone from her pouch, its surface already glowing faintly. The ground beneath her feet trembled as the archway's light intensified.
Hold them off, she thought, her fingers curling around the stone. No matter what it takes.
As the shadows lunged, Isabella raised the Heartstone high, and light erupted