Prologue: Whispers in the dark
Liana's heart raced as she hurried through the darkened path, the weight of the night pressing down on her. She had to get home to Aila. Her daughter had been waiting all day, and Liana could only imagine how lonely the little girl must have felt in their small, unfamiliar home. They had only moved to the town two moons ago, just the two of them. It had been a fresh start—at least, that was the hope. But tonight, something felt wrong. Her instincts screamed that she was being followed. She quickened her steps, the soft crunch of leaves beneath her feet now sounding like a warning.
Before she could reach the safety of her house, the shadowed figures of three men appeared before her. She froze, her pulse spiking as one of them stepped forward, a cruel smile twisting on his face. "You shouldn't be out here alone," he sneered, the other two men flanking him. Liana's breath caught in her throat when she recognized them—the older man had once asked her to marry him, but not out of love. It was desire, nothing more. He had wanted her, but she had refused. Now, he stood before her with a look of dark intent. The air around her grew heavier as they closed in, and panic surged through her. She had to get away. But with no one to help, she feared the worst.
The men advanced, and Liana's breath came in quick, shallow gasps. She tried to back away, but her legs felt like they were made of stone, frozen in place by the overwhelming fear coursing through her veins. The older man spoke again, his voice low and menacing. "You should have known better than to come out here alone." He took a step closer, his hand reaching out to grab her arm, but Liana wrenched herself free, her pulse pounding in her ears.
Desperation flooded her, and in that moment, every instinct screamed at her to survive. She turned and ran, her feet barely touching the ground as she fled through the trees. The sound of the men's voices grew fainter behind her, but she knew they wouldn't give up so easily. Her mind raced—she had to get to Aila. She couldn't let anything happen to her little girl.
As she ran, a shadow flickered at the corner of her vision. For a moment, she thought it was just the darkness playing tricks on her, but then it moved again. Her heart skipped a beat. Something was out there, something other than the men chasing her. She couldn't afford to stop and find out what it was, but the feeling of being watched grew stronger with every step.
Liana's legs burned as she sprinted, her breath ragged in the cool night air. She could see her house just ahead, a faint outline through the trees, and the thought of Aila waiting inside drove her forward. But then, the atmosphere around her shifted—an oppressive weight filled the air, thick and heavy, as though the very forest was holding its breath. A chill ran down her spine, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
It wasn't the men behind her that she feared anymore. The ground beneath her seemed to tremble as a dark presence stirred, creeping through the trees with a slow, sinister grace. It was as if the shadows themselves were alive, swirling and twisting in the corners of her vision. Liana stopped dead in her tracks, her heart hammering in her chest. A thick mist, darker than night itself, began to roll toward her. It moved like a living thing, wrapping around her in an embrace both terrifying and strangely soothing. Her body froze, and for a brief moment, the panic that had consumed her seemed to fade away, replaced by an eerie calm.
The three men, still following her, suddenly faltered. They stopped, their faces paling as the mist coiled and twisted around them, each man shaking with fear. They knew what this was. They had heard the stories, whispered in the dark corners of the village, tales of the Shadow Beast—an entity that haunted the forest, a creature that had no shape but could bring terror to the bravest of souls. The men had witnessed its power once before, and the memory of it had scarred them.
One of the men, his voice trembling, muttered, "It's him... we're dead." His words sent a ripple of panic through the others, their bravado faltering as the mist thickened. The air grew colder, and with it came a suffocating sense of impending doom.
Liana knew she had no choice. As the mist wrapped itself tighter around her, she felt her body being lifted, as though the darkness itself was pulling her away. A brief moment of terror gripped her heart, but then something shifted. The fear of the men, the fear of the forest, seemed to dissolve as she was drawn into the shadow. She wasn't alone anymore. She was being taken.
The men tried to move, but their legs wouldn't obey them. The Shadow Beast was real, and it had come to claim her.
As the Shadow Beast engulfed her, the mist tightening around her like a vice, Liana's breath became shallow and erratic. She felt weightless, as if she were floating, suspended in the thick darkness. The world around her began to blur—her vision distorted, her senses overwhelmed by the cold, suffocating darkness. The oppressive pressure, the sensation of being pulled by an unseen force, drained the last of her strength.
Aila, her daughter, was the only thought that remained in her mind—her little girl, alone in their small house. The fear of what might happen to her was enough to make Liana's heart ache, but it was quickly overshadowed by the overwhelming pull of unconsciousness. Her body felt like lead, her limbs unresponsive. The terror of the Shadow Beast faded, replaced by an unsettling calm that filled every corner of her mind. She wanted to fight it, to scream, but no sound came.
And then, just as quickly as it had started, the world went black. The last thing Liana felt was the chilling embrace of the mist as she lost consciousness, carried away by the very thing she had once thought to be nothing more than a myth.