The Forest of Veils did not sleep.
All through the night, Elena lay awake in the hollowed tree, listening to the whispers. Some were faint, almost tender, as if calling her name with a mother's voice. Others hissed sharp and hungry, slipping into her ears like knives. The shadows within her stirred, restless and agitated, as though the trees themselves threatened their dominion.
Damian's firelight flickered dimly in the cramped space. He sat with his back against the rough bark, eyes half-closed, but Elena knew he wasn't sleeping. Fire could warm, fire could shield, but it could not protect him from a forest that thrived on deception.
When the mist outside grew thin and the pale dawn filtered through the cracks, Damian finally stirred. He doused the flame in his palm and stood. "It's time."
Elena pushed herself up, her body heavy with fatigue. "Time for what?"
He paused, studying her with that unnerving gaze that always seemed to strip her bare. "The Forest doesn't let intruders pass freely. It will demand a trial."
Her stomach dropped. "A trial?"
Damian nodded. "Of roots and memory. It reaches into what you fear most and makes you face it. If you falter, the forest claims you. If you endure, it lets you leave."
Elena's throat tightened. "And if we fail?"
His voice was a whisper. "We don't walk out."
They left the safety of the tree and stepped deeper into the heart of the forest. The mist thickened again, clinging to their skin. Every tree seemed to twist inward, their roots like claws pushing up through the soil. It felt like walking into the ribs of some ancient beast, the whole forest a skeleton of something that had never died.
The air grew heavy. Shadows pooled at Elena's feet, writhing like snakes. Her wrist pulsed with the fire oath, faint warmth sparking where Damian's life tethered to hers.
And then, without warning, the forest shifted.
The trees groaned, roots breaking the soil and curling upward like chains. The mist split apart, and a clearing formed ahead, circular and vast. The ground shimmered faintly, glowing veins of silver cutting through the dirt like blood beneath skin.
Damian exhaled slowly. "This is it."
Before Elena could answer, the roots rose higher, weaving into a barrier around the clearing. The air grew so thick she could hardly breathe. Then, from the shadows, a voice rang out deep, ancient, echoing from everywhere at once.
"Daughter of shadow. Bearer of fire. You walk the Forest of Veils. To leave, you must endure the Trial of Roots. To falter is to feed us."
Elena's blood froze. The voice wasn't just in her ears; it was in her chest, her bones, her very pulse. She staggered, clutching at her temples.
Damian's hand gripped hers tightly, grounding her. His fire flared brighter, slicing through the suffocating darkness. "Stay with me."
The ground beneath Elena's feet cracked. The roots lunged, coiling around her ankles, dragging her down. She screamed, shadows bursting from her body in a violent wave, lashing at the roots. The clearing shuddered as if the forest itself growled in response.
Images surged before her eyes... her village burning, her mother's face swallowed by shadow, her own hands drenched in darkness she couldn't control. She fell to her knees, gasping as the visions assaulted her.
"Damian" Her voice broke. "I can't"
"Yes, you can." His voice cut through the storm. His fire surged, wrapping around them both like a shield. "The forest is feeding you lies. Fight it. Look at me."
She tried. Gods, she tried. But the visions were too strong. She saw herself standing over Damian's body, fire gone cold, his lifeless eyes staring at her as if she had been the one to kill him.
Tears blurred her vision. "It's showing me you dead because of me. "Damian knelt in front of her, gripping her face in his burning hands, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Then prove it wrong. I'm here. Alive. Bound to you. If you want me to live, you cannot surrender to this."
Her shadows writhed, violent and desperate, clashing against his fire. Pain seared through her wrist where the oath burned brightest. For a heartbeat, she thought the bond would snap.
But then something inside her shifted.
The shadows weren't only destruction but also were a part of her, a piece she had always tried to reject. They were memory, they were grief, they were survival. If she fought them, she would lose. But if she claimed them…
Elena took a deep breath, pressed her palm to the earth, and whispered, "You are mine. Not the forest's."
The shadows stilled. Then, like water obeying a tide, they drew back into her body, calm, obedient.
The roots loosened around her ankles. The glowing veins in the ground dimmed. And the ancient voice echoed again, softer this time.
"You have faced yourself. You may pass."
The barrier of roots sank back into the earth, the mist dispersing in a single breath. The clearing dissolved into the quiet hush of forest once more.
Elena collapsed forward, trembling, sweat slicking her skin. Damian caught her before she hit the ground, his fire seeping warmth into her shaking frame.
"You did it," he murmured against her hair. "You survived the Trial."
Her chest heaved. "Barely."
He pulled back, his gaze burning. "Barely is enough. You're stronger than you know."
For a moment, neither spoke. The forest had gone silent, almost reverent, as though acknowledging what she had done.
And in that silence, Elena realized something terrifying.
The shadows had obeyed her. Not out of fear. Not out of hunger. But because they recognized her as theirs.
She wasn't just cursed by darkness. She commanded it. When they finally left the clearing, the forest seemed to part before them, the mist lifting slightly. The trees no longer leaned as close. The air was lighter, breathable.
Damian walked at her side, his hand brushing hers, not quite touching. The bond at their wrists pulsed with quiet fire.
"You changed something back there," he said finally.
Elena glanced at him. "So did you. You didn't let me fall."
His mouth curved in the faintest, most haunted smile. "Not this time."
Her heart skipped. She wanted to ask him what he meant and what past failure haunted him so deeply but the forest around them reminded her that survival was still fragile. Questions would have to wait.
For now, she walked on, carrying not just the weight of her shadows, but the terrifying knowledge that they were hers to wield.
And for the first time, the thought didn't terrify her.
It thrilled her.