Echoes in the Mist

CHAPTER 3: The Forest’s Call

The forest rotates on the horizon, its shadow extends into the property like a dark omen. Emilia stood at her bedroom window, staring at the dense expansion of the whispering trees in the morning light. He had spent the last two days in search of property, highlighting the pieces of his history and feeling the strange energy that pulses through his walls. But this was the forest that called him the most.

He asked Julian about it during his walk through gardens, but his answers were unclear, even clear. He said, "There is no place to wander the forest," he said, his tone firm is still tingling with something that looked like regrets. "It has its own rules, and those who break them rarely return unchanged."

Emilia did not press her further, but her curiosity provoked her like an itching, which she could not scratch. There was something about the forest - its silence, its depth - which felt alive. She could not explain it, but she knew that she had to see it for herself.

After breakfast, Emilia decided that she would enter the forest alone. Julian had left some business in the city that morning, which gave him a rare opportunity to find out without his attentive eyes. He packed a small Sachel with necessary: ​​water, a notebook and a flashlight. As he stepped on the Estate ground, he felt a mixture of enthusiasm and quarrelsome.

The path leading to the jungle was taken, but still visible, the winding through high grass and wildflower was swept away in the air. Emilia stopped at the edge of the tree line, her heart intensified as she looked beyond the dark. The wind here was cold, it used to take it with the unconscious fragrance of the earth and moss.

Taking a deep breath, Emilia moved forward.

The forest swallowed him completely.

Sunlight barely enters the canopy overhead, puts everything in green and brown colors. The wind was thick with humidity, and every sound - at its footsteps on the falling leaves, the distant chiring of the birds - the amputation in the silence.

As soon as Emilia went deep into the forest, she started notice of strange things. The trees were contrary to any person seen earlier - condemnable and twisted, their bark with symbols that looked almost like writing. She stopped to check one of them more closely, to run her fingers on the groove. The scars were complex, almost deliberately, such as someone or something - carved them there.

He took out his notebook and sketched what he saw, down the notes about his pattern and placement. But as he worked, he felt a stinging sensation behind his neck - the specific feeling of seeing.

Emilia changed rapidly, scanned the shadow for any signal of movement. There was nothing - just tree and silence - but his restlessness became stronger with each passing moment.

The hours passed after arriving deep into the forest of Emilia, filled with notebook sketches and comments. He found flowers that he had never seen before - the blooming blooming that fainted in the dim light - and the mushrooms that looked almost crystalline. It was beautiful but unstable, such as stepping into another world.

Then he heard it: A less rustle sound is coming from somewhere. Emilia Froze, her breath holds her throat because she was stressed to hear. The sound increased vigorously - a rhythmic crunching of leaves - and soon he saw the movement among trees.

A figure emerged from the shadow - a man dressed with black eyes with hollow eyes that felt to pierce through his soul. He was also standing for a moment before going close to a step.

"Who are you?" Emilia demanded, despite the brave sound attempt, her voice was trembling.

The man tilted his head a little but did not say anything. His presence was unnecessary - he looked both real and untrue at once, such as shadow given forms.

"Are you from estate?" Emilia tried again.

still no answer.

She easily took one step back, but slipped from the ground over a root. As he scrambled to regain his leg, the man disappeared in a thin air - suddenly as he appeared.

Emilia's heart raced to scan its surroundings fantically. Did he imagine him? Or was he something else - a ghost? a warning?

As soon as the evening started settling in the forest, Emilia realized how far she wandered from the property. The path he had happened before was nowhere; Every direction looked similar in the endless expansion of trees and shadows.

Started settling in panic as he tried to withdraw his steps, but now nothing seemed to be familiar. The forest was now feeling alive - not only alive but aware - as it was waiting for the moment to implicate it in its depth.

Then he heard another voice - this time footstaps - and relief was washed over him as Julian emerged from the two trees.

"Emilia!" He called immediately as soon as he contacted. "What are you doing here?"

"I ... I wanted to find," Emilia stuttered, both felt foolish and relieved their appearance. "I thought I could get my way back."

Julian's expression became dark as he scanned quickly before he returned his surroundings. He said, "You should not come here alone," he said fast, but not unnecessarily. "This forest is dangerous."

"I saw someone," Emilia suddenly got out. "A man ... he just disappeared."

Julian's face increased even more in this revelation. "you see her?" He asked quietly.

"You know what I am talking about?" Emilia pressed eagerly.

Julian hesitated before answering carefully: "He is not a person you need to worry about right now."

"But-"

"No," Julian this time interrupted but slowly. "We need to leave before falling completely at night."

Julian led Emilia, which looked like an impossible labyrinth of trees until they returned to the property ground under the orange painted by sunset.

As they went to the house together in silence (save for the exchange of timely sight), Emilia cannot shake what he has seen - or Julian was not telling him all this ...

Despite the warnings of Julian, Emilia enter the forest and face supernatural events - including a mysterious figure that seems to be bound by its secrets. Julian saves him before the night, but refuses to explain what he has seen or why it is important - leave Emilia with more questions from the answer because they safely (but uncomfortable) return home ...