Chapter 81 out of his mind
I felt the fire inside me flare, reacting to the voice like it recognized something—danger, urgency, or maybe just the presence of another person tied to it. My gut twisted with the same instinct I’d felt earlier, a deep, unrelenting pull toward the source of the voice.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not a trap. It’s real.”
Logan shot me a doubtful look. “How can you be sure?”
“Because the fire knows it,” I said, voice steady, though my heart was racing. “It’s… calling me.”
Lena stepped forward, eyes scanning the trees, still wary. “It’s still a risk. We don’t know who or what’s out there. We’ve barely gotten through the last nightmare.”
I didn’t argue. She was right. But something inside me told me this person—this voice—was tied to what I had to face next. And if I didn’t follow it, I wouldn’t be able to move forward.
Another whisper, softer this time, echoed through the trees.
“Please…”
There was no time to hesitate.
I took a step forward, moving toward the source of the voice, and the others followed reluctantly, their movements tense, alert. We moved deeper into the woods, the path narrowing, the air thick with an unnatural stillness. The further we went, the heavier the weight in the air grew, like the forest itself was watching us.
The flames inside me were restless now, swirling like a storm, guiding me forward. Each step felt heavier, more purposeful.
And then, through the trees, I saw it.
A figure, slumped against a gnarled tree, barely visible beneath the overgrown vines and darkness. A woman, her clothes torn, her body marked by deep, jagged scars that spoke of something far darker than what we’d faced.
Lena drew in a sharp breath, stopping just behind me. “What in the hell happened to her?”
Logan kept his distance, but his eyes were sharp. “I don’t trust this.”
The woman’s head lifted slightly, her eyes wide but clouded with pain. She looked like she had barely the strength to stay upright.
“I… I need help,” she rasped, her voice barely a whisper now.
I stepped closer, my heart pounding in my chest. The fire inside me surged, recognizing her in a way I couldn’t explain.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice low, but firm.
She blinked, her gaze struggling to focus on me. Her lips trembled, and I saw the flicker of recognition. She knew something. She knew me.
“Elias…” she whispered, her eyes locking with mine. “You don’t understand… they are coming.”
Before I could ask anything more, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed, falling to the ground in a heap of broken limbs and twisted flesh.
I rushed to her side, kneeling down, panic rising in my chest.
“She’s unconscious. We need to get her out of here,” Lena said, her voice tight with urgency.
I hesitated, my gaze flicking to the others. There was something about the woman, something in her words that set the fire inside me ablaze once more. The fire felt like it was reacting to her, a deep connection that I couldn’t ignore.
“We need answers,” I said, my voice rough. “She knows something.”
Lena hesitated, but her eyes softened as she glanced at me. “Alright. But we get her out of here now. I don’t like the feel of this place.”
Logan reluctantly nodded, his eyes scanning the trees once more.
As I scooped the woman into my arms, the fire inside me hummed with intensity, guiding me once more, but this time, it was different. It wasn’t just the pull of power—it was the pull of knowing. The fire inside me had recognized something in this woman, and whatever it was, it wasn’t done with us yet.
I stood, feeling the weight of the moment settle heavily on me.
Lena and Logan followed closely behind, the forest seeming to grow quieter, heavier, as we moved.
And in the distance, I thought I heard it again.
The whisper.
“Help me.”
But now, the voice wasn’t just a plea. It was a warning.
We moved quickly, but the air around us thickened with every step, as if the forest itself was reluctant to let us leave. The shadows seemed to stretch unnaturally, twisting and bending like they had minds of their own. My heart raced in my chest, and the fire within me flickered restlessly, matching my anxiety. The pull toward the woman, now unconscious in my arms, was undeniable. But the closer we got to the edge of the woods, the more I felt like something—or someone—was watching us.
Lena’s sharp eyes darted from tree to tree, every rustle of leaves making her tense. “We’re not alone,” she muttered, her voice low but urgent. “I can feel it.”
I nodded, keeping my pace steady despite the unease creeping through me. Something was out there. I could feel it in my bones. The air had grown too still, too heavy. It was almost as if the forest was waiting for something.
We reached the clearing at the edge of the woods, the moonlight casting long shadows across the land. But before we could break into the open, a sound stopped us.
A low growl, deep and menacing.
Logan immediately dropped into a defensive stance, his weapon raised. “I knew it,” he muttered, his voice a mix of frustration and resignation. “I knew this was too easy.”
The growl came again, closer this time. A form slipped through the shadows, too fast to be human, but too controlled to be an animal.
Lena’s hand hovered near her dagger, her eyes flicking toward me. “What the hell is that?”
I felt the fire inside me flare, responding to the threat, but I held it in check. The last thing I needed right now was to lose control. Whatever was out there, it wasn’t just an animal.
A figure stepped into the moonlight.
Tall, muscular, with dark, shaggy hair and eyes that gleamed like molten gold. His posture was relaxed, too confident for my liking, as if he had all the time in the world.
And there was something… other about him. Something that made the fire inside me shudder with recognition.
“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” the man said, his voice low, a dangerous edge to it. “Not unless you want things to get complicated.”
Lena didn’t hesitate, stepping in front of me, her dagger drawn and ready. “Who the hell are you?”
The man chuckled, a dark, rumbling sound that sent a chill down my spine. “I’m someone who’s been keeping an eye on you. All of you. You don’t know me yet, but I think you will.”
The fire inside me flared again, reacting to his presence, but I held it back, trying to keep my cool. “What do you want?”
The man’s eyes flicked to the woman in my arms, and the smirk on his face faded into something darker. “Her. And you. I’ve been waiting for this.”
I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. Whoever this man was, he wasn’t here by chance. He was connected to whatever was happening with the fire—and he knew more than he was letting on.
Lena’s stance shifted slightly, her expression unreadable. “What does that mean? What do you want with her?”
He took a step closer, his gaze never leaving me. “She’s a key, Elias. And so are you.” He nodded toward the woman in my arms, a strange, almost reverent look in his eyes. “She’s the reason you’re being called. She’s the reason you’re all here. And you…” He paused, his gaze flicking to me again, lingering a little too long. “You’re the one who’s supposed to unlock it.”
The air felt even heavier now, like something was about to break. I didn’t understand what he meant, but my instincts screamed at me that whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
“You’re out of your mind,” Logan said, voice tight with tension. “We don’t know who you are or what you want. But if you think we’re handing anyone over to you, you’re dead wrong.”