Whispers of the Moonflower

Chapter 2:Into The Cursed Woods

---The forest was a cathedral of shadows.

Tall, ancient trees arched over Liora like silent sentinels, their leaves whispering secrets in the night wind. Her lantern cast a soft golden circle around her feet, flickering as she stepped cautiously along the narrow trail. The scent of damp moss and earth filled her nose, but beneath it, something colder lingered — something that didn’t belong.

Liora clutched her satchel tighter.

“Just moonshade petals,” she whispered to herself. “Pick a few and go home. Easy.”

But Elderwood wasn’t like other forests. People said it was cursed — that shadows moved when you weren’t looking, that the forest watched you. Liora had always rolled her eyes at the stories. But now, alone under the canopy, she wasn’t so sure.

She spotted a patch of moonshade nestled near a gnarled root, its pale blue petals glowing faintly. She knelt to pick them—

A growl.

Low. Deep. And too close.

Liora froze.

From the shadows ahead, two glowing red eyes blinked open.

A shadowbeast.

It stepped into the lanternlight — sleek black fur, long claws, a serpent’s tail, and the snarl of something not quite natural. Her breath caught in her throat.

The beast lunged.

Liora screamed and threw herself sideways, hitting the ground hard. Her lantern rolled and shattered, plunging her into darkness. The creature roared again. She scrambled backward, heart pounding, knowing she couldn’t outrun it.

Then —

A flash of silver.

A blade slicing through the night.

The beast howled.

A figure stood between her and the creature — tall, cloaked in black, eyes glowing silver in the moonlight. With swift, graceful movements, he fought the shadowbeast, dodging and striking with practiced precision. Liora could only stare, frozen in awe and fear.

One final strike — the beast collapsed, dissolving into mist.

Silence fell.

The boy turned to her, breathing hard. Moonlight lit his face — pale skin, dark tousled hair, and a gaze like stormlight.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, voice low and steady.

She shook her head, unable to speak.

He reached out his hand to help her up.

And in that moment —

A warmth bloomed on her wrist.

Light poured from her skin, and a flower — a glowing moonflower — blossomed in delicate silver and white.

Liora gasped, clutching her wrist. The boy stepped back, confused.

She looked up at him, her heart racing.

“You... you’re my Soulmark.”

But the boy only frowned. “What’s a Soulmark?”

Her chest tightened.

He didn’t know. He didn’t feel it.

And as he stared at her with no recognition, no spark of connection — Liora realized:

He had already forgotten her.

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