The air grew colder.
Not the natural chill of morning, but a cold that rose from the ground—as if the earth were exhaling something ancient, forgotten… and dead.
Ren felt it before anyone else.
A shiver ran down his spine—not from fear, but from recognition.
"She passed through here," he murmured.
Lyra immediately stepped closer.
"Ren… what are you seeing now?"
He didn't answer right away.
It was as if his soul had noticed something his body was struggling to keep up with.
"The air changed," he finally said."She left… a breath."
Draven's eyes widened in horror.
"A WHAT?!"
Borin sighed heavily.
"I don't even know if I want to know what that means."
Ren walked ahead.
And then he saw it.
Among the green trees, drenched in moss and mist, there was a tree that should not exist.
A huge tree.Dry.Twisted.Its trunk split from top to bottom, as if something inside had forced its way out.
There were no leaves.The branches were skeletal hands grasping at the sky.And its shadow stretched unnaturally across the ground toward the group—too long, too dark, too alive.
Lyra inhaled sharply.
"…Ren."
"I know."
Borin raised his axe.
"That thing… is it alive?"
Ren shook his head.
"No."A small pause."But it's not dead either."
Draven collapsed onto his knees.
"THEN WHAT IS IT?!"
Ren approached slowly, each step echoing in the frozen silence surrounding them.
"It's where she sat."He lifted his gaze."The Shadow."
Lyra's eyes widened.
"She sat… on the tree?"
Ren nodded.
"And left… a breath."
A cold wind slid through the branches—but there was no wind.No movement.Not enough life here for anything natural to stir.
Yet everyone felt it.
A thin icy exhale brushing across their faces.Like invisible fingers.
Lyra pressed a hand to her chest.
"Is this… spiritual?"
Ren walked closer.
The echo inside him—the cracked pulse—vibrated anxiously, recognizing the place.
"It's not just spiritual," he whispered."It's a memory."
Borin approached carefully, shoulders tense.
"A memory of what?"
Ren stood before the trunk.
And placed his hand against the dry wood.
His entire body shuddered.
He saw.
For less than a heartbeat—but clear.
The Shadow sitting on that trunk.
Legs crossed.Head lowered.Hands resting calmly on her knees.
Like someone resting…before standing and continuing down a path no one else could walk.
Ren stumbled backward.
Lyra rushed to catch him.
"Ren! What happened?!"
He caught his breath.
The trunk seemed to pulse faintly, though it was dead.
"She stayed here."He pressed a hand over his heart."And she left a piece of her presence behind."
Draven hugged his legs and rocked back and forth.
"This is bad. This is SO bad. This is the worst place I've ever been. I want to leave. PLEASE."
Borin nodded instantly.
"For the first time in my life… I agree with Draven."
But Ren didn't move.
He stared at the tree like it was more than wood.
Like it was… a mark.
"This," he whispered,"is her trace."
Lyra touched his arm gently.
"Ren… does it hurt you?"
He hesitated.
And that hesitation made Lyra's heart pound.
Finally:
"It reminds me… of what I could become."
Lyra grabbed his face and forced him to look at her.
"Then you won't become that.""Lyra—""NO."She pressed her forehead to his."You heard me. You won't. I won't let you. We won't let you."
Ren inhaled deeply.
And for a moment, the cracked echo inside him recoiled—as if Lyra's voice was the only sound strong enough to soften the Shadow's pull.
Borin pointed to the tree.
"Great. Now what do we do with that?"
Ren approached again.
The cold breath returned—thin, sharp.
And then came a sound.
Not wind.Not spirit.
Something in between.
A whisper.
Too faint for Draven.Too faint for Borin.Lyra barely felt the vibration.
But Ren heard it clearly.
He heard it inside his soul.
"You are late."
Ren froze.
Lyra saw panic flicker in his eyes.
"Ren! What did she say?!"
He didn't answer at first.
It took a long time.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low, heavy—not with fear.
With certainty.
"She said…"Ren swallowed."She said I'm late."
Borin went pale.
Draven started crying again.
Lyra held Ren firmly by the shoulders.
"Late for what?"
Ren stared at the dead tree.
And felt the weight of fate fall over him like a stone.
"To follow her path."