Chapter 85: Tethered shadows
Night fell gently over the forest, cloaking the trees in silvery moonlight. A quiet hum pulsed in the air—magic, old and lingering. But beneath its calm lull, something stirred.
Cain stood outside the cabin, his arms crossed over his chest, eyes scanning the tree line. Selene was asleep inside, her breathing soft and even. He didn't want to leave her, but something gnawed at him—a restlessness in his bones.
Behind him, the door creaked open. Eren stepped out, barefoot, hair tousled.
"You feel it too?" he asked.
Cain nodded. "Like the shadows are watching."
Eren exhaled. "They are."
Just then, Leo emerged, dragging on his jacket, the glow of faint electricity tracing his fingers. "Amara said she felt something too. Like something's about to happen."
They didn't know it yet, but their instincts were right.
Deeper in the woods, Eira stood beneath a crooked, ancient tree. Her eyes glowed an eerie green, a sigil burned across her wrist. She looked like herself—but she wasn't.
The sorcery that had twisted her was deep, powerful. Her body obeyed, but her soul screamed within.
A voice echoed in her mind, the one that had taken root in her head ever since she'd been resurrected. "You were cast aside. Forgotten. They chose her."