Chapter 14: Whispers of the Past

The mountain trail was treacherous, narrow cliffs on one side and endless forest on the other. The higher they climbed, the more Zeryn felt a growing unease. The shadows around her seemed to pulse with a life of their own, like they were waiting for something.

A sudden gust of wind whipped through the narrow pass, carrying with it faint voices, like whispers on the edge of her hearing.

"What’s that?" Zeryn asked, her head snapping toward the leader.

"Don’t listen to it," the leader said tersely. "The winds carry the voices of the past. It’s a common occurrence around these parts. Distractions. Ignore them."

Zeryn strained to hear the whispers, but they faded as quickly as they had come. Still, the sensation of being watched lingered.

"Do you hear them?" Zeryn asked the green-eyed figure, who was walking beside her.

"No. And if you’re smart, you won’t either," the figure replied, their tone sharp. "These are the voices of those who came before us—Eclipseborn who failed, lost to the shadows."

Zeryn’s heart thudded in her chest. "What happened to them?"

"The same thing that will happen to all of us if we fail," the green-eyed figure said grimly.

Zeryn shivered, not just from the cold but from the unsettling reality of what lay ahead. Every step felt like it brought her closer to a fate she wasn’t ready to face, yet she knew she couldn’t stop now.