The forest was quiet after Selene's declaration.
Too quiet.
The kind of quiet that comes before a storm.
Rafe sat on the small wooden step outside the cottage, knees bent, elbows resting on them, staring at his hands. The faint glow beneath his skin had faded, leaving only a strange warmth, like embers waiting to ignite.
Two days.
Two days until they left safety.Two days until they entered ruins even the Outer Circle avoided.Two days until his life was put on the line again.
A part of him wanted to scream.
Another part wanted to sleep for a week.
Instead, he sat still and breathed.
"Thinking again?" came Mara's voice from behind him.
She walked out and sat beside him, knees brushing his. She didn't look at him — just stared into the forest, arms crossed, jaw tight.
"You've been quiet since the Awakening."
"I'm trying not to break something," Rafe admitted.
"That's… fair."
A moment passed.
Then Mara exhaled.
"I thought you were going to die."
Rafe turned. Mara's face was turned away, but her eyes were shining.
"You scared me more this time than any Fate Hunter, Primordial, or Aberration," she said quietly. "Because I couldn't fight whatever was attacking you. I couldn't help. I couldn't even reach you."
She clenched her hands into fists.
"That made me angrier than anything."
Rafe stared at her for a long moment.
"…You did help," he said finally.
Mara frowned. "How?"
"You pulled me back. You being there… Lyn being there… Selene keeping the Aberrations away…"He softened."That's what anchored me."
Mara opened her mouth to answer — then closed it quickly, flustered.
"I still hate this," she muttered. "You almost being taken by fate and some ancient nightmare thing…"
Rafe bumped her shoulder lightly.
"I'm not leaving."
"You better not," Mara said, voice cracking before she forced it steady again.
Lyn opened the cottage door quietly and stepped outside, rubbing her eyes. She carried a blanket around her shoulders and looked small, even more than usual.
"Can I sit with you?"
Rafe nodded immediately. "Of course."
She sat on his other side, curling into him like a trembling kitten.
"The forest feels angry," she whispered.
Rafe blinked. "Angry?"
"Yes. Like it's waiting for something bad."
Mara sighed. "Everything is waiting for something bad."
Lyn hugged Rafe's arm tighter.
"But… even if the forest is angry, it's not angry at you."
Rafe gently placed a hand on her head. "You think so?"
"I know so."
The cottage door opened again. Selene stepped out, staff in hand, her expression softer than usual.
"You three are awake early."
Mara rolled her eyes. "We're always awake early now."
Selene smiled faintly.
"Good. Then we begin preparations today."
Rafe stood. "Training?"
"Yes. But not combat. Not magic."Selene tapped her staff lightly against the ground."Endurance."
Mara groaned. "Oh no—"
"Yes," Selene said. "Oh yes."
Lyn blinked up at her. "What's endurance?"
"Everything that keeps you alive when the world tries to break you," Selene replied.
Rafe frowned. "So… what's the plan?"
Selene pointed toward the treeline.
"We are going deeper into the forest."
Mara's entire body tensed.
"Why?! We were almost eaten alive yesterday!"
Selene shook her head.
"Not that deep. Just far enough to reach the Whispering Path."
Rafe stiffened. "Whispering Path?"
Selene nodded.
"It's a trail formed by ancient mana currents. It enhances the senses. Sharpens instincts. Strengthens mental resilience. Before attempting a Convergence Ritual, you must walk it."
Mara frowned. "Sounds easy."
Selene stared at her.
"It isn't."
Lyn tugged her blanket tighter. "Is it scary?"
"Yes."
Rafe crossed his arms. "If it helps me survive the ritual… I'll do it."
"And we're going with you," Mara added immediately.
Selene paused.
"You can," she said. "But understand this: the Whispering Path doesn't show the same thing to everyone. It adapts to the mind. To the fears within."
Mara froze.
Lyn lowered her head nervously.
Rafe inhaled.
"Then we'll face it together."
Selene nodded once, satisfied.
They spent the rest of the morning preparing.
Lyn helped pack dried fruits and bread.Mara sharpened sticks into makeshift spears — even though Selene insisted they wouldn't need weapons.Rafe tried meditating, following Selene's instructions, feeling the strange dual warmth in his spine flicker softly.
When they finally stood at the border of the Whispering Path — a narrow trail lit faintly by floating golden motes — all three children felt it.
A presence.A pull.A promise of truth.
Selene placed her staff horizontally in front of them.
"Last warning."
She looked at Rafe.
"This will show you what you fear most."
Then at Mara.
"And what you've forgotten."
Mara swallowed hard.
Then at Lyn.
"And what you cannot yet understand."
Lyn trembled.
Rafe stepped forward.
"We're ready."
Selene lifted her staff.
The Whispering Path pulsed.
And the forest… exhaled.
Together, the three stepped into the glowing trail.
And behind them, unseen, the Primordial stirred again.
As if pleased.
As if waiting to see what they would become.