The Echoes

lders. The sky above was gray, threatening rain, but the air was still. An unnatural stillness hung over Hollow Creek, as if the whole worl

gh her mind was elsewhere, fixated on the events of last night. The forest, the wolves, and Kael-everything seemed to weave together in a strange,

d around her with a kind of distant urgency, heads down, eyes avoiding hers. Araya was used to the way people treated her, the

he quiet air. It wasn't long before she reached the edge of the marketplace, where the

something-someone-was calling to her from within. A familiar compulsion

the sky. The deeper she ventured, the more the air seemed to change. It grew heavier, saturated with the ea

t tell if it was fear or anticipation that twisted in her stomach, but something was undeniably different ab

es. The whispers from the night before echoed in her mind-The Binding is near. B

ce of the sound. She took a step back, ready to flee, but her body remained rooted to the spot. She could feel the air thickening, the wo

she s

. Tall, cloaked in darkness, with golden eyes

a moment, Araya couldn't breathe. The forest seemed to close in around th

e low, as though the words themselves were dan

a whisper. "Why? What's happening her

bound to it, Araya. And the forest knows it. It's waking up, and you-" He

oat. The pendant? What did i

e pull of the forest. It's not just a coincidence. You're part of it, Araya. Whethe

his words. "What do you mean? How am I tied to

g. "Because it's time. The Binding is near, a

may not know it yet, but you've been marked, Araya.

in her chest. The wolv

to the dark underbrush. "You don't have much time," he called over his shoulder. "Get to the heart of

ling with the weight of his words. The forest seemed to hum

e could feel it in her bones. The Binding was r

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urnin

as though the world had shifted under her feet. She didn't know what Kael meant by being marked or how the wolves fit

ability. She didn't know what lay ahead, but she knew it was only a matter of time bef

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