The Blood Thirsty ✨

Chapter Thirteen – Lost in Shadows

The forest loomed ahead like a living nightmare, a dark labyrinth where even the moonlight seemed afraid to touch. Trees twisted unnaturally, their branches bending at impossible angles, gnarled fingers clawing at the sky as though desperate to snatch the stars themselves. Lina, Nera, Jaxon, and Dante stepped cautiously into the undergrowth, the echoes of Zoraver’s fury still reverberating from the city they had just escaped. The air was thick, suffocating, heavy with the scent of decay and the metallic tang of old magic.

“This forest… it’s alive,” Nera whispered, her voice low and tense. Her shadow wings unfurled slightly, feathers quivering with anticipation. “I can feel it watching us.”

Dante’s gaze sharpened, scanning the blackened trees. “Zoraver knows we’re coming. He’s led us here deliberately. This is a trap. Something is waiting.”

Jaxon’s jaw tightened. “Then we move carefully. Together. Don’t let the forest separate us.”

The forest, however, had other plans. The ground beneath their feet writhed like serpents, roots twisting and latching at ankles. Shadows darted between the trees, whispers curling around them, taunting them in a language older than time. Lina’s hand instinctively rose, golden flames flickering along her fingers, but the forest seemed to mock her power.

Then it struck. A massive branch snapped down with lethal speed. Lina raised her shield of light, deflecting it just in time. A low growl echoed from the darkness, unnatural and filled with hunger. Nera’s shadow feathers shot forward like black knives, slicing through a mass of writhing vines that tried to entangle them.

“We’re being hunted!” Nera shouted, fear and determination colliding in her voice.

Zoraver’s laughter rolled through the canopy, cruel and omnipresent. “Run, my little souls. Let the forest consume you. Let it rip you apart. Let me savor your fear.”

The words chilled Lina’s blood. She felt the forest pulling at her, invisible hands tugging at her sleeves, twisting familiar paths into an endless maze. She reached instinctively for Jaxon—but the forest seemed to respond, yanking him in another direction. Dante did the same for Nera. Lina stumbled. Golden flames flared wildly, catching the twisted shadows and roots around her, but the forest’s pull was relentless.

Branches snapped like whips, roots twisted tighter around her feet, and the whispers grew louder, feeding on her fears. “You are nothing… just another soul to be devoured…” Lina’s mind screamed, memories of past lives, betrayals, and deaths overlaying her present. She cried out, swinging her arms, trying to anchor herself to reality—but the forest refused to let her.

The world tilted, the ground beneath her giving way. Lina fell into a deep hollow, her golden light flaring as she landed. When she rose, the sky above had vanished, replaced by a suffocating darkness. She was alone. Truly alone.

“My little light…” Jaxon’s voice echoed faintly through the darkness, carried by a breeze that barely reached her ears. It was a lifeline, a whisper from another life, but distant, faint.

Lina closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. Golden flames burned at her fingertips, illuminating the hollow. The shadows hissed and recoiled, but they didn’t vanish completely. Every step Lina took had to be careful, deliberate. Every breath measured, every movement precise. The forest was alive, and it fed on her fear.

Meanwhile, Nera, Jaxon, and Dante fought their way through the rest of the forest. Nera’s feathers cut through the monstrous vines, slicing them before they could ensnare her. Dante’s fists and blades tore through thick roots, each strike sending shockwaves of power. Jaxon’s presence was steady and unwavering, a beacon of control amidst the chaos.

“We have to find her,” Nera said, her voice tense, vibrating with worry. “Lina’s out there… somewhere. I can feel it. The forest… it’s hiding her.”

Dante’s eyes narrowed, scanning the twisting paths. “The forest feeds on fear. If she panics, it will trap her forever. We can’t rush blindly—we have to move strategically.”

Back in the hollow, Lina stumbled into a small clearing, a pool of black water reflecting her golden flames. She stared at her reflection, but it wasn’t just her face staring back—it was her past, her deaths, the lives she had lost, and the love she had always carried for Nera, Jaxon, and Dante. Memories of centuries past collided with her present, each one striking her like a blade.

Her power surged instinctively, golden flames spilling across the clearing. “I am not afraid,” she whispered, but the forest laughed, twisting shadows to block her light. She inhaled sharply, digging deeper into herself, summoning memories of past victories, past bonds.

And then she heard it again—faint, soft, and achingly familiar. “My little light…”

The nickname sent a shock through her heart. Centuries ago, in a world lost to time, Jaxon had called her this. It was a whisper of love, of promise, of the lives they had shared across eternity. Lina’s fire flared, brighter and steadier than before, golden light spilling out in waves, cutting through the darkness.

Shadows shrieked and twisted, trying to push her back, but Lina’s resolve was stronger. She clenched her fists, summoning her courage and power. Roots untwisted at her command, shadows shrank before her light, and a narrow path emerged.

Every step she took was heavy, measured, but her power burned steadily now, guiding her. She moved through the forest like a beacon, golden light illuminating twisted trees and clawing branches. She was lost, but not defeated. She had fought before, and she would fight again.

And then she saw it—faint flickers of golden sparks in the distance. Her heart leapt. Nera, Dante, and Jaxon. They were near. The forest might be alive, it might try to tear her apart, but the bond of their souls, their love, was stronger than any darkness.

The forest growled, trees bending toward her, roots slithering like snakes, shadows weaving into horrific shapes—but Lina’s light was a pulse, a heartbeat that refused to die. She was ready. She would not be consumed. She would not lose herself.

The hunt was far from over. The forest was alive, and Zoraver’s laughter still echoed through the trees—but Lina was no longer the same girl who had entered. Her power was awakening, stronger and brighter than ever. And when she reunited with Nera, Jaxon, and Dante, nothing would stop them.

For Lina had learned one truth the forest could not erase: fear may trap the body, but it could never extinguish the light of the soul.