The Forest of Forgotten Echoes

The next evening, Elara could not stay inside. The thread had not faded—it hummed softly within her chest all day, like a secret heartbeat that belonged to something far away. The pendant in her pocket pulsed whenever she touched it, guiding her like a compass.

By dusk, she found herself standing at the edge of the forest. The townsfolk always warned against venturing inside; they called it the Forest of Forgotten Echoes, a place where memories twisted into shadows. But Elara felt no fear. For the first time in her life, she felt pulled.

The silver thread shimmered faintly in the dark, weaving between the skeletal trees. She stepped forward. The fog clung to her boots, the silence broken only by the crunch of leaves beneath her. Each step felt heavier, as though the air itself resisted her passage.

“Lost ones always return here,” a low voice croaked.

Elara froze. Perched on a branch above her sat a raven, its feathers glistening with an odd silver sheen. Its eyes glowed like tiny lanterns.

“Who are you?” she asked, startled at her own courage.

The raven tilted its head. “A question without a name is an answer without meaning. Keep walking, girl-who-has-no-soul. The forest has been waiting.”

Before she could reply, the bird launched itself into the air, vanishing into the fog.

Elara’s hand tightened on the pendant, her breath quickening. She pressed forward, following the faint silver thread. Soon, the trees began to whisper. At first, it was only the wind, but then… voices.

“Do you remember?”

“You left us behind…”

“A promise broken under moonlight.”

Elara shook her head, pressing her palms to her ears, but the whispers seeped in like cold water. She realized they weren’t strangers’ voices. They were hers. Her own words, spoken long ago, forgotten until now.

She stumbled into a small clearing, where a lantern stood atop an old wooden post. But there was no flame. Instead, the lantern itself glowed faintly, as if lit by a ghostly hand.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

This time, the voice was not a raven or a whisper. It was a man’s.

From the fog stepped a figure cloaked in black. His hair was dark, his eyes a pale gray that reflected the moonlight. A sword hung at his side, though it looked more like a relic than a weapon. He studied her with an expression caught between curiosity and warning.

Elara’s grip tightened on the pendant. “Who are you?”

The man smirked faintly, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Someone cursed to wander these woods. And someone who knows what you’ve lost.”

Elara’s heart thudded. “My soul?”

He nodded slowly. “Yes. But you don’t understand the price of finding it.”

For the first time, Elara felt a tremor of fear. And yet, beneath it, something else stirred—hope.

Because if he knew about her soul, it meant she wasn’t alone in her search.

---

✨

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***