Episode 35
718 Words
The Eyes in the Darkness
The moment they entered the Forbidden Forest, the silence became overwhelming.
Not a single bird called from the trees.
Not a single insect buzzed through the air.
Even the sound of their footsteps seemed to disappear beneath the thick carpet of moss covering the forest floor.
Kael instinctively moved to the front of the group.
His hand never left the hilt of his sword.
Lyria walked beside him, her eyes scanning the towering trees that stretched endlessly toward the dark sky.
Behind them, Ronan and Eryx remained alert, while the Shadow Dragon flew low above the forest, its silver wings barely clearing the ancient branches.
Something about this place felt wrong.
It was as if the forest itself were watching them.
After several hours of walking, Eryx stopped.
"We've passed this tree before."
Everyone turned.
A massive oak stood beside the trail, its trunk split down the middle by an old lightning strike.
Kael frowned.
"That's impossible."
Ronan pointed toward the bark.
"There."
Deep claw marks were carved into the trunk.
Marks he had made nearly an hour earlier.
"We're walking in circles," he said quietly.
The High Elder had warned them.
The forest changed its paths.
Lyria closed her eyes for a moment.
The silver pendant around her neck felt warm against her skin.
A faint glow escaped the crescent mark on her wrist.
"This way."
She pointed toward a narrow path hidden beneath thick vines.
Kael trusted her without hesitation.
The group followed.
This time, the forest began to change.
The mist slowly thinned.
Ancient stone pillars appeared between the trees, half buried beneath roots that had grown around them over countless centuries.
Broken statues lined the forgotten road.
Most had lost their faces, but each wore the same ancient crown carved from white stone.
"The First Moon Kingdom," Eryx whispered.
"It must have stood here before the forest swallowed it."
As they continued forward, an icy wind swept through the ruins.
Lyria suddenly heard laughter.
Children's laughter.
She stopped.
The sound was familiar.
Too familiar.
Ahead, through the mist, three small figures appeared.
Aiden.
Alaric.
Lyra.
Her children.
They were smiling as they reached out to her.
"Mother..."
Lyria's heart nearly stopped.
Without thinking, she took a step forward.
Kael caught her wrist.
"Wait."
She looked at him in confusion.
"They're our children."
Kael stared at the three figures.
"No."
"Our children are safe."
The smiling faces slowly changed.
Their eyes turned completely black.
Their skin cracked like dry stone.
The illusion dissolved into black smoke.
Ronan cursed under his breath.
"The Elder was right."
"The forest feeds on our hearts."
Lyria shivered.
"If you hadn't stopped me..."
Kael gently squeezed her hand.
"We'll face whatever this forest shows us."
"Together."
They continued deeper into the ruins until they reached an enormous clearing.
At its center stood a towering stone altar covered in glowing silver symbols.
Suspended above it floated a crystal unlike anything they had ever seen.
It shone with the pure light of the moon.
The Moon Crystal.
Even from a distance, they could feel its immense power.
Lyria smiled.
"We found it."
Before anyone could move, the Shadow Dragon landed heavily in front of them.
It spread its wings wide, blocking its path.
The ancient guardian lowered its head and released a deep warning growl.
Kael immediately drew his sword.
"What is it?"
The dragon did not look at the crystal.
It looked beyond it.
Toward the trees.
The ground began to tremble.
Once.
Then again.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the forest.
Each one was powerful enough to shake the ancient ruins.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The trees on the far side of the clearing slowly bent apart.
Something unimaginably large was moving between them.
Ronan tightened his grip on his axe.
"I can't see it."
Eryx swallowed hard.
"But it's coming."
The footsteps stopped.
Silence returned.
No one dared to breathe.
Then a pair of enormous golden eyes slowly opened within the darkness beyond the trees.
They were larger than shields.
Ancient.
Intelligent.
Watching every movement.
A deep growl rolled through the forest, so powerful that the stone altar trembled beneath it.
The Moon Crystal pulsed with silver light.
The unseen creature had awakened.
And it was not about to surrender the First Relic without a fight.
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