Chapter Five – Shadows in the Forest
1012 Words
The growl rippled through the air, low and resonant, like the earth itself had spoken.
I froze, every muscle in my body tensing. Adrian’s grip on my arm tightened, his knuckles white.
“Don’t move,” he whispered.
The glowing forest loomed ahead of us, its trees vast and alien. Their trunks were as wide as houses, their bark blackened like obsidian, their leaves shimmering with blue fire that didn’t burn. The ground beneath us pulsed faintly, as though it were alive.
But my eyes weren’t on the trees.
They were on the shadows that moved between them.
Something large. Something fast. Something watching.
The growl came again. Closer.
“Adrian…” I breathed, my voice trembling.
He didn’t look at me. His eyes were fixed on the tree line. “Stay behind me.”
I almost laughed — bitter, nervous. “You think you can fight that?”
“No,” he admitted, “but I can buy you time.”
Before I could answer, the forest exploded.
A creature burst from the shadows, landing on the black stone ground with enough force to shake the earth. It was massive — easily the size of a horse, its body a grotesque mix of muscle and shadow. Its skin was slick, rippling like liquid darkness, and where its eyes should have been burned two rings of silver fire.
It lowered its head, growling, the sound rattling my bones.
Adrian pulled me behind him, his stance wide, as if he could shield me from something so monstrous.
The creature snarled.
And then it lunged.
⸻
Time slowed.
I didn’t think — I reacted. My hands shot up instinctively, and to my horror, the runes carved into the chapel floor blazed across my skin, glowing faintly in the same silver-blue light that shimmered through the forest.
The creature slammed into an invisible wall between us, howling in fury. The impact sent me stumbling backward, the glow around my hands flickering like fire.
Adrian spun toward me, eyes wide. “What did you—”
“I don’t know!” I cried. My pulse was a storm in my chest. The glow faded, leaving only the echo of power thrumming beneath my skin.
The creature roared, recovering quickly. Its claws scraped the stone, leaving trails of smoke as it stalked closer.
This time, it didn’t hesitate.
⸻
It lunged again.
Adrian grabbed a jagged piece of broken stone from the ground, swinging it like a blade. The shard scraped across the creature’s side, tearing through its shadow-flesh. It shrieked, the sound high and unnatural, echoing through the forest like a chorus of screams.
But Adrian’s strike had barely slowed it.
“Run!” he shouted.
I wanted to. God, I wanted to. But something inside me refused to move. The whispers — or what was left of them — surged again, guiding me. My hands burned, the runes glowing brighter this time.
I raised them, and the ground answered.
Light exploded from the stone beneath the creature’s feet, runes searing across the ground in a perfect circle. The beast howled, thrashing, as the glowing symbols wrapped around its limbs like chains.
Adrian stumbled back, staring in shock. “Evelyn…”
“I… I don’t know how I’m doing this,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
The creature fought against the chains, snapping and clawing. The light flickered, weakening under its fury. My strength faltered, the glow dimming.
“Evelyn, you have to end it!” Adrian yelled.
“How?!”
“Will it!”
The words made no sense. But somehow, I understood.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the fire burning through my veins, on the runes etched into my skin, on the power that wasn’t mine but had chosen me anyway.
And I willed it.
The runes blazed brighter than the stars.
The circle erupted in light.
The creature screamed — a sound of rage and despair — before dissolving into shadow and fire. The light swallowed it whole, until nothing was left but smoke curling into the silver-streaked sky.
⸻
Silence fell.
I collapsed to my knees, gasping for breath, my body trembling as the glow faded. The world spun, my chest aching as though I’d burned through something I didn’t have to give.
Adrian was beside me in an instant, his arms steadying me. His face was pale, his eyes wide with both fear and awe.
“You…” His voice cracked. “You’re not supposed to be able to do that.”
“I didn’t mean to,” I whispered. “I just… I couldn’t let it kill us.”
Adrian’s hand cupped my cheek, his touch desperate, grounding. “Evelyn, listen to me. The gate didn’t just call you. It marked you. You’re not just chosen.” His throat worked as he swallowed hard. “You belong to it now.”
His words chilled me more than the beast ever had.
⸻
We didn’t speak as we stumbled deeper into the forest, away from the scorched circle. My legs shook, but I forced myself to move. The air here was different — heavy with the scent of ozone and something sweeter, almost like flowers but sharper.
Strange lights floated through the trees, drifting like lanterns. At first, I thought they were fireflies. But then one drifted closer, and I realized it had a face.
A face.
Tiny, delicate, with eyes like molten gold and wings made of flame.
I gasped, stumbling back. Adrian caught me, holding me steady.
“They’re watching us,” he murmured.
The little creature tilted its head, curious, before darting away into the forest. More followed, weaving through the trees, their light illuminating a path.
As if guiding us.
“Adrian…” I whispered. “Where are they taking us?”
He tightened his grip on my hand. His expression was grim.
“To the heart of the gate’s world,” he said. “To whatever’s waiting for you.”
And though the forest glowed around us, all I could feel was darkness closing in.
- Writer
