The Forgotten City, Before Dawn
The Forgotten City was silent, trapped in the moment between darkness and light. The ruins stretched like jagged bones against the horizon, half-swallowed by the creeping vines of the forest. A heavy mist curled through the broken stone pathways, the only movement in an otherwise still world.
Lyla stood at the edge of the temple steps, watching the sunrise paint the sky in bruised shades of violet and gold. She had barely slept. The night had been too full of whispers of the forest, the Marked Ones, and her own doubts twisting inside her mind.
She had made her choice.
Now, she had to face the consequences.
Behind her, the Marked Ones moved like shadows, their silver eyes gleaming in the dim light. They were waiting, watching, expecting. She was one of t
