The necklace lay heavy against my chest, though it hadn’t bothered me before. Serene had slipped it over my neck like it was a badge of her love, murmuring assurances of my safe return. It was her usual performance—sweet, doting, everything I knew wasn’t truly her.
Still, I hadn’t taken it off. Perhaps out of guilt or some subconscious hold she had over me. Either way, now it felt different—colder, intrusive, like eyes following my every step.
I shook the thought away as I followed Chloe deeper into the cursed ravine. The pressure in my chest wasn’t just from this strange mission or the proximity of danger—it was something else entirely. Darkness gnawed at my mind, stirred my instincts, and made me more on edge than usual.
Chloe was ahead of me, moving cautiously through the uneven terr
