The
hidden village wasn't so hidden anymore.
The forest had changed since the last time I walked this path. It felt colder somehow, heavier with a different kind of weight. Each step sank deeper into soil dampened by memories and soot, and though birds still called in the trees above, their song felt off, like they were warning us to turn back.
Luca walked beside me in silence. His breath was steady, but I could feel the storm brewing beneath his skin. His eyes scanned the trees with a soldier's discipline, but I knew where his mind was. We were close.
Closer to where his family had died. Closer to where everything had burned.
The wind shifted, and the scent of ash drifted through the air, faint, but real. My heart clenched.
"We're almost there," Luca murmured. His voice was rough, a
