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CHAPTER 35 — The Whisper That Wasn't the World
The Mistwalkers had gone silent.
Not defeated. Not retreating.
Just… silent.
Aren felt the absence like a weight pressing on his lungs. The forest usually breathed, murmured, shifted with hidden life. But now—even the roots held still.
Lirien stepped ahead of him, one hand on the seed. Its glow was faint, trembling, as if the world itself were unsure.
"Stay close," she whispered.
Aren nodded. The cold fog curled at their ankles, coiling like cautious fingers. "They stopped chasing us. That's not normal."
"It means they're listening," Lirien said, her voice barely above a breath.
"To what?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Not the world."
Aren swallowed. The fog thickened, swirling faster, almost in rhythm with something… something breathing. Not human. Not natural. Not world-born.
And then—
A voice.
Not spoken.
Not heard.
But carved directly into Aren's mind.
Aren.
He froze.
Lirien whipped around. "Don't answer it."
"I didn't—" he began, but the voice cut in again.
You're close now. Come to me.
The sound wasn't like the world's visions. It wasn't warm or ancient. It felt sharp, like shards of memory piercing through his skull. Aren fell to one knee, clutching his head.
Lirien rushed to him, pressing her glowing palm to his temple. "Focus. It's trying to break through your mind."
"What is?" he gasped.
She hesitated, which terrified him more than anything.
"The one the world forgot."
The fog parted.
Something—no, someone—stood in the clearing.
A girl.
Small. Barefoot. Wrapped in a simple white dress that hung loosely on her body. Her hair was black, cut unevenly as though hacked away with a blade. Her skin was pale, almost translucent, and her eyes…
Her eyes were wrong.
Bottomless. Hollow. Like a reflection with no source.
She smiled when she saw Aren.
"Found you."
Aren instinctively stepped back. Lirien's grip on his arm tightened hard enough to hurt.
"Don't look at her," Lirien whispered. "She isn't real."
The girl tilted her head. "Aren, why won't you say my name?"
"I don't know you," he said, forcing the words out.
Her smile widened. "Yes, you do."
The world seemed to ripple.
The ground blurred, shifting like half-remembered places—an alleyway, a hospital room, a dark stairwell—flashed beneath his feet for a split second before the forest reformed.
Aren staggered. "What… what was that?!"
The girl giggled. "Your memories. You're leaking."
Lirien pulled Aren behind her, her aura flaring. "Back away, Echo. You are not welcome."
The girl—Echo—blinked slowly, as if Lirien's voice took time to reach her.
Then she smiled again. Too wide.
"I'm not talking to you."
Her gaze sharpened on Aren. "You left me behind. You always leave me."
Aren felt something twist in his chest—a strange tug of familiarity he couldn't explain. His breath quickened. His vision flickered again—this time showing a small hand clutching his, running through darkness—
He stumbled.
The memory evaporated.
"Stop it!" he shouted.
Echo's expression softened into something heartbreakingly innocent. "I just want you to remember me."
Lirien stepped forward. "He will not remember you because you are not part of this world. You are an intrusion."
Echo blinked. "Intrusion?" She raised her hand.
And the forest screamed.
Trees bent backwards as if ripped by invisible claws. Leaves tore from branches and spiraled into a violent vortex. The air crackled with raw, frantic energy.
Lirien's eyes widened. "Aren—don't let her pull you in!"
Echo reached toward him.
"Aren," she whispered, voice suddenly trembling. "Please… don't leave me alone again."
His heart lurched.
That voice—there was something in it. Something real.
"Stop!" he shouted.
For a moment, everything froze.
Echo's hand hovered inches from his chest. The vortex halted mid-spin. The fog hung suspended.
Then Echo's smile returned—sad this time.
"See? You still hear me."
And in the next instant—
She vanished.
The forest crashed back into motion. Leaves fell like rain. The fog thinned. The air trembled and then steadied.
Aren dropped to his knees, shaking.
Lirien knelt beside him. "She's a fracture. A memory that does not belong here. And she is very dangerous."
Aren stared at the spot where the girl had stood. "She knew my name. She… sounded like she knew me."
"She shouldn't," Lirien whispered. "Unless—"
"Unless what?"
Lirien's voice went quiet.
"Unless she came from your world."
Aren's breath stopped.
Her final words chilled him to the bone.
"And if that's true… then something from your mind is starting to break through."
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