The forest was silver and still.
Moonlight filtered through a mist that glowed like breath, and every sound—the creak of branches, the sigh of leaves—felt alive. Crystal stood barefoot in the dew, her white gown whispering against her legs as she turned in slow circles. Her heart beat too loud in her chest, echoing back from the trees like a warning.
“Hello?” she called.
Her voice didn’t sound like her own. It carried, soft and clear, and the mist rippled as if the air itself had heard her and wished to answer.
Then came the hum.
Low, deep, pulsing like a heartbeat from the earth itself. The ground beneath her feet trembled. It was not fear she felt—but recognition. The hum twisted into something melodic, a thread of song that reminded her too much of Katherine’s manipulative melody,
