Chapter 5: The Call of the Stream
461 Words
The voice grew louder with every step.
“Come…”
“Your time has come…”
Azul pressed a hand against his chest.
“What is happening to me?”
Bashan glanced at him, equally unsettled. “You hear it too… don’t you?”
Azul nodded.
Neither of them spoke again.
Behind them, the frightened cries of the other trainees faded into the distance as they pushed deeper into the Forbidden Forest.
The towering trees became thicker, their branches weaving together until barely any sunlight reached the ground. A cool mist crept between the roots, and the air felt strangely alive.
After several minutes, Bashan suddenly stopped.
“Wait.”
Azul halted beside him.
“Do you feel that?”
The ground was vibrating.
Not violently, but rhythmically… almost like a heartbeat.
Boom…
Boom…
Boom…
The sound seemed to come from beneath the earth itself.
Before either of them could react, a deafening roar echoed through the forest.
The Shadow Fang had found them again.
“There!” Bashan shouted.
The massive beast burst through the trees, splintering trunks as though they were nothing more than dry sticks. Its crimson eyes burned with fury.
“It followed us!” Azul exclaimed.
“No,” Bashan replied, drawing a deep breath. “It’s chasing whatever is calling us.”
The beast charged.
“Run!”
The two boys took off at full speed.
Branches whipped across their faces as they sprinted through the dense forest. The pounding footsteps behind them grew closer with every passing second.
Azul dared not look back.
He could hear the beast’s furious snorts.
Feel the earth shaking beneath its weight.
“We’re not going to outrun it!” he shouted.
“We don’t have to,” Bashan answered. “Just keep moving!”
The strange voice returned.
“Straight ahead…”
“Hurry…”
Without realizing it, both boys adjusted their direction toward the sound.
The forest suddenly opened before them.
A breathtaking stream stretched across the clearing, its crystal-blue water glowing with an otherworldly light. Tiny particles shimmered above its surface like floating stars.
The air was calm.
Too calm.
Even the enraged Shadow Fang slowed its charge as it reached the edge of the water.
For the first time since the chase began…
The beast hesitated.
Azul stared at the glowing stream, unable to move.
“This is…”
“The Endless Stream,” Bashan whispered.
The water began to ripple.
Not because of the wind.
Something beneath the surface was awakening.
A brilliant blue light erupted from the center of the stream, illuminating the entire forest.
The ground trembled.
The water rose into the air like twisting ribbons of light.
Azul instinctively stepped forward.
At the very same moment…
The stream called his name.
- Writer
