Whispers of Everlight

Chapter 10: Whispers in the Fog

The night was thick with silence.

Even after the shadowed figure had vanished, Elara couldn't shake the feeling that something was still watching. The forest, once so alive and humming with energy, now seemed to hold its breath.

Astra paced in a tight circle, her expression unusually grim. The golden glow from her earlier magic still lingered in the air like the last embers of a dying fire.

Elara swallowed. "Are we going to talk about that?"

Astra didn't stop pacing. "I don't know what that was."

Elara hugged her arms to herself. "It felt… wrong."

Astra finally stopped, turning to look at her. "It wasn't just a feeling. That thing—whatever it was—shouldn't be here."

Elara frowned. "You mean in the forest?"

Astra shook her head. "I mean anywhere."

A chill crawled down Elara's spine.

She thought of the void where its eyes should have been, the way it had moved—like a nightmare given form.

The vines she had summoned still stood between them and the place where the figure had disappeared. Some were blackened at the edges, as if burned from the inside out.

Astra ran a hand through her hair. "Come on. We're not staying here."

Elara hesitated, glancing around the clearing. "Where are we going?"

Astra's jaw tightened. "Somewhere safer."

Elara almost laughed. Safer? After what they had just seen, she wasn't sure that place existed.

---

They walked for what felt like hours.

The forest around them was eerily quiet—no rustling leaves, no chirping insects. Even the wind seemed hesitant to move.

Elara stayed close to Astra's side, her senses on high alert. Every shifting shadow felt like a threat, every twisted tree branch like reaching fingers.

Finally, Astra slowed. "We're here."

Elara blinked. "Where—"

Then she saw it.

Nestled between two massive, ancient trees was a small, hidden cabin.

It looked like it had been swallowed by the forest itself—roots and vines intertwined with the wood, moss creeping up the stone chimney. A warm light glowed from inside, faint but steady.

Elara turned to Astra, confused. "This is… yours?"

Astra smirked. "Something like that."

Elara raised an eyebrow but didn't question it. She was too exhausted to argue.

Astra pushed the door open, and the scent of herbs and old parchment washed over her.

Inside, the cabin was smaller than it looked from the outside, but impossibly cozy. A fire crackled in the hearth, and shelves lined with jars, books, and trinkets filled the space.

A wooden table sat in the center, littered with maps and scrolls.

Elara stepped inside hesitantly. "Okay… This is nice. But I still don't get how a place like this just exists out here."

Astra shut the door behind them and shrugged. "The forest likes me."

Elara gave her a flat look. "That's not an answer."

Astra grinned. "Sure it is."

Elara sighed and dropped into a chair by the fire. Her limbs felt like lead. The adrenaline from earlier had worn off, leaving her utterly drained.

Astra moved to one of the shelves, pulling down a small glass jar filled with something that shimmered faintly. "Drink this."

Elara eyed it suspiciously. "What is it?"

Astra popped the lid off. "Tea."

Elara's suspicion deepened. "That's glowing."

Astra rolled her eyes. "It's magical tea. Just drink it."

Elara hesitated, but her exhaustion won out. She took the cup and sipped.

Warmth flooded through her, soothing and steadying. The ache in her limbs faded, and the lingering chill from their encounter with the shadowed figure eased.

She blinked. "Okay. That's… weirdly good."

Astra smirked. "Told you."

Elara set the cup down, her thoughts drifting back to the shadowed figure. "That thing back there… It felt like it recognized me."

Astra's smirk faded. "Yeah. I noticed that, too."

Elara shivered. "Why?"

Astra hesitated before finally sighing. "Because you're not just some random girl, Elara."

Elara tensed.

She had been waiting for Astra to say something like that. Ever since the Heart of the Forest, ever since the Shadow Stalker had spoken to her—she had known.

Something was different about her.

Something she didn't understand.

Astra leaned against the table, arms crossed. "You felt it today, didn't you? The connection. The way the Forest responds to you."

Elara nodded slowly.

Astra's expression was unreadable. "It's not normal."

Elara swallowed. "I figured."

Astra exhaled sharply. "We need to figure out what you are, Elara. And fast. Because that thing we saw? It's not going to be the last one."

Elara's chest tightened.

The thought of facing that thing again—of facing more of them—sent a wave of nausea through her.

She looked at Astra, searching her face for reassurance.

Astra didn't smile this time.

She only said, "Get some sleep. Tomorrow, we start finding answers."

Elara didn't argue.

But as she lay on the small cot near the fire, staring at the ceiling, she couldn't shake the feeling that answers wouldn't be enough.

Whatever was happening to her—whatever she was becoming—

It had already started.

And there was no turning back.