"Come with me."
His words were quiet, almost lost among the voices of others hurrying back to the hostel. But they struck me right in the heart.
"Where to?" I asked, hesitating.
A brief glance, dark and determined. "Trust me."
And I did.
We left the group behind, walked along the narrow path leading into the forest. The ground was still damp from morning dew, and with each step the silence around us grew thicker. Light filtered through the trees, and my heart beat louder than the rustling leaves.
Alaric walked ahead of me, calm, confident, as if he'd known the way for years. I followed him wordlessly, feeling the sounds of the lake slowly fading away. Only the cracking of our steps and the flutter of my breath filled the air.
After a few minutes, it appeared – a small cabin, half-hidden between trees. The wood was weathered, the windows blinded by dust, but the roof held firm, and inside, the moonlight dimly shimmered through narrow cracks.
"What is this?" I whispered.
