The sky had turned a deep indigo when Aria and Kael finally reached the edge of the Whispering Forest. The air was damp and still, heavy with a strange pressure that made even Kael walk more cautiously.
The bracelet on Aria's wrist pulsed softly with every step — not in warning, but in rhythm. It was almost as if it could feel what she felt.
"There's something wrong," Aria said quietly. "I can't explain it, but… something is calling me."
They entered a clearing where a shallow pool reflected the moonlight perfectly, undisturbed by the wind. In its center stood a tall stone monolith carved with ancient symbols — none of which Kael could read.
But Aria could.
The bracelet glowed brighter, and in her mind, the symbols shifted into meaning:
"Memory buried. Truth sealed. Soul forgotten."
She stepped forward, but Kael grabbed her arm. "Wait. This place… it's not safe. There's no life here. Not even bugs."
As if on cue, the silence broke. A low murmur filled the air, not a voice, but hundreds. Thousands. Whispers, like a wave of thoughts brushing against her mind.
Then she saw them.
Faint shadows — silhouettes of figures walking in slow circles around the monolith. They didn't touch the ground. They didn't notice Aria or Kael. But they were trapped… repeating the same motions endlessly.
"They're echoes," Kael whispered. "People who died here… their spirits frozen in time."
Suddenly, the bracelet tightened.
A new presence emerged — not a ghost, not a monster, but something older.
A woman in a black veil stepped out from behind the monolith. Her eyes were pale, like glass, and her voice echoed from somewhere far away.
"You carry three souls within you… but you do not yet understand what that means."
Aria stood tall. "Who are you?"
"I am the Keeper of Forgotten Paths. I guard the truths buried beneath silence."
She pointed to the pool. "If you wish to know what binds you to the past — you must remember."
Aria looked at Kael. He nodded. "Whatever happens, I'm here."
She stepped into the pool. The moment her foot touched the water, the world shifted.
Memories surged back.
— A hand reaching for hers as fire rained from the sky.
— A promise whispered beneath a tree.
— The voice of a third brother — not gentle like Adrian, or wild like Kael… but quiet, burdened.
Ethan.
Suddenly, she was no longer in the forest.
She was in a room made of stars. In the center, a boy stood alone, clutching a glowing chain around his neck. His eyes met hers.
"Aria," he said. "It wasn't your fault."
She broke down.
All the guilt. All the pain. For years she had believed Ethan's death was her doing — because she hadn't stopped him from going into the fire that day.
But here he was, smiling.
"Your heart held us. That's why we're still here."
She reached for him — but he faded like light in fog.
Then she woke up.
She was still in the pool, Kael kneeling beside her.
The monolith was gone. The whispers had faded.
And in her palm… was a second artifact — a glowing silver chain. Ethan's.
The Keeper's voice echoed one last time:
"Now you carry more than memory. You carry the bond."