The morning came quiet, but not gentle.
Mist crawled low across the ruins of the forest, settling between the charred trees like it was trying to hide what had happened. My boots sank into damp earth, each step soft, echoing. The world still smelled of smoke and silver.
I walked until the path split. One way led back toward the mountains—the place that used to mean safety. The other led deeper into the wild, where even the wind didn’t whisper anymore.
For the first time, I didn’t know which way home was.
Mira caught up beside me, her breath visible in the cold. “You’re not going back, are you?”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing left to go back to.”
She nodded, though her eyes said she wished I’d lied. “Then where?”
I looked toward the horizon. It was washed in light that didn’t look
