Team Quarters, Arcane Citadel – Afternoon
The newly assembled team sat together in the main common room of the Arcane Citadel's residential wing. It had been two days since their return from Arkwatch, and for the first time, they had a moment to breathe.
Faith was leaning against the edge of the long table, flipping through a mission log. Elias was seated nearby, rolling a small orb of condensed aura between his fingers absentmindedly. Logan sharpened his blade on the side, and Dante munched loudly on some kind of enchanted chips.
Vance — tall, confident, and clearly aware of it — entered with a smirk, his Supreme-tier insignia barely hidden beneath his cloak. His eyes immediately found Faith.
Vance (smirking): "You're the famous Faith, huh? No wonder the team survived. Beauty and brains in one package — I might need saving sometime too."
Faith gave a half-smile, eyes flicking to Elias for a second before casually replying.
Faith: "Save yourself first. We're kind of full on egos around here."
The room chuckled. Elias didn't. His expression didn't change, but the aura orb in his hand condensed a little tighter. Dante, catching it, elbowed him lightly.
Dante (grinning): "Don't worry, Romeo. Supreme-tier or not, I bet he still uses hair gel that costs more than his spellbooks."
Elias let out a small breath of amusement.
Elias: "Yeah, and probably needs a mirror to cast."
Just then, Alice walked over, brushing past Vance with zero interest. She smiled warmly at Elias and sat beside him.
Alice: "I heard you were really something back there in Arkwatch. ."
Elias (a little surprised): "Thanks. I guess."
Alice (softly): "Just don't forget who you are in the middle of it, okay?"
She gave him a light nudge with her shoulder. Across the room, Faith watched the exchange, her gaze lingering a bit longer than she meant it to.
Faith (casual, but a bit sharp): "Hey Alice, you sure you're not confusing appreciation with admiration?"
Alice smiled sweetly. Alice: "I don't confuse things. I just say them out loud."
Everyone felt the tension, but Logan broke it by tossing a practice blade at the wall.
Logan (dryly): "Well... this is getting spicy. Maybe we should train before someone throws a fireball out of jealousy."
Dorian (walking in, serious): "You'll get your chance, but before that time is changing and eclipse order is on move, we have to train harder now."
The team straightened up.
IN THE ECLIPSE ORDER BASE
A wide circular chamber, lit only by the eerie blue glow of enchanted runes, hummed with quiet energy. Arkan stood at the center, his back turned, watching through a floating orb that shimmered like liquid glass.
On the surface of the orb, Elias and his team could be seen laughing and talking. The image came from the eyes of a tiny, nondescript parrot perched high up in the rafters of the Arcane Citadel's hallway — invisible to most detection spells. Its eyes glowed faintly red.
A dark voice echoed into the chamber — it was MALDRATH, distant yet ever-present.
Maldrath: "You're watching him too closely, Arkan. You sound almost... curious."
Arkan (calm, calculated): "Curiosity breeds advantage Especially this one who killed Varik The Flayer. "
Maldrath: "Then keep watching. The more he glows, the easier it is to cast a shadow over him."
Arkan raised a hand, and the parrot's perspective shifted, zooming in on Elias as he walked away from the others.
Arkan (whispering): "Let's see what your little team does when someone starts plucking its feathers... one by one."
The spy parrot flapped its wings and fluttered deeper into the Citadel's rafters, its presence unnoticed — for now.
ONE MONTH LATER
ARCANE COUNCIL
The time had changed . So had team .
Missions , training, and near-death moments
had polished off their rough edges.
The Arcane Council's planning chamber hummed with quiet magic, its circular stone table glowing faintly with sigils. Everyone stood around as Dorian entered, his expression unreadable but urgent.
Dorian: "Team, listen up. We've got a new mission. This one... is different."
Everyone went still. Elias exchanged a glance with Faith. Even Vance dropped his smug grin.
Dorian: "We've detected magical anomalies deep within the ruins of Cael'Morhan — an abandoned elven fortress buried other side of the the Whispering Woods. According to recent intel from Council scouts, there's a strong possibility an Echo is located there."
Logan: "Another one? That soon?"
Dorian: nods "They're not going to wait for us. Whatever's stirring in Cael'Morhan... it's old, violent, and watching. We must reach there before the Eclipse Order does. Your mission is simple — secure the Echo, survive the fortress, and return."
Dante: half-jokingly "Survive, huh? That's always the 'simple' part."
Dorian: "You'll leave at dawn. Gear up, prepare for everything. The place hasn't been touched in centuries. Traps, cursed remnants, even nature itself — it's all trying to keep people out."
Elias stayed quiet, eyes narrowing. Another Echo meant another piece of power. Another reminder of what he carried inside.
The pale glow of dawn stretched across the sky as the team assembled at the outer gates of the Arcane Sanctum. Mist clung to the ground, curling around their boots like reluctant fingers trying to hold them back. Horses stood ready. Supplies were loaded. The air was brisk — calm, yet heavy with tension.
Dorian: handing Elias a sealed scroll "This map holds the safest known path to Cael'Morhan, but the forest tends to shift. If it does, trust your instincts."
Faith: tightening her cloak "Sounds like we're heading into a place that doesn't want to be found."
Logan: "I call dibs on punching the first ancient curse in the face."
Vance: grinning as he mounts "Only if it's not beautiful and mysterious, then it's mine."
Elias doesn't respond. His gaze lingers on the road ahead, lost in the weight of what's coming.
He runs a hand along the hilt of his blade — not for reassurance, but control.
Alice: gently "We'll be fine. You've already beaten worse things than ghosts."
Elias offers her a nod, faint but real. Faith's eyes narrow as she watches them, but says nothing.
The gates creak open. The road into the Whispering Woods yawns before them, half-shadowed, half-sunlit. Trees like ancient sentinels line their path.
Dorian: calling out from behind "Stay alert. Stay together."
Dorian: stepping back, voice firm yet calm "I'll join you after some time... once I finish my work here."
The team gives a final look back before moving forward — into fog, into memory, into Cael'Morhan
The sun dipped beyond the horizon, leaving streaks of crimson across the sky. As dusk faded into night, the air grew colder. Leaves rustled — not from wind, but from something else... something unseen.
The group's pace slowed as they crossed a crooked wooden bridge and entered the dense shadow of towering trees.
Logan: peering up "We've crossed into it..."
Faith: shivers lightly "The Whispering Forest..."
Vance: tries to lighten the mood, failing "Charming name. Probably earned it for all the happy memories made here."
Alice: flatly "No. It's because of the voices."
The trees around them twisted unnaturally, some gnarled like knotted hands reaching from the earth. Thick vines hung like nooses. Mist hugged the ground, glowing faintly blue in places — and through it all, a soft sound lingered.
Whispers.
Not loud. Not clear. Just... persistent. Just enough to make one doubt their own thoughts.
Faith: tense "Why do they sound like they're right behind us?"
Elias: quietly, almost to himself "They're not behind us. They're inside."
Logan: half-joking, half-concerned "Inside what?"
Elias: without turning "Our heads."
Vance: "Okay, that's it. Next vacation spot, not haunted."
Alice: "There's a reason no caravan dares cross this path after dark. The forest tests you. It whispers truths, lies, regrets — anything to unravel your mind."
They pressed on. Every footstep crunched over dead leaves and brittle bones of fallen wildlife. The forest seemed to move with them — trees subtly shifting position, shadows creeping in ways they shouldn't.
The group moved deeper.
The whispers grew clearer.
They no longer felt random. They carried names. Regrets. Memories.
Faith stumbled slightly, her eyes wide, fixated on something in the mist.
Faith: softly "Mom...?"
She stepped forward, away from the group. A figure shaped like her mother stood beneath a twisted tree, arms wide open. Her voice — warm, sweet, impossible.
Dante: "Faith? Faith, wait!"
But it wasn't just Faith.
Logan heard his brother, screaming in pain — the one he couldn't save.
Vance heard applause. Adoring cheers. He stood frozen, smiling like he was on stage again, basking in love he hadn't felt in years.
Alice stared into the fog. "No... she's gone," she whispered. But her dead sister stood there, bleeding, reaching out with trembling hands.
The forest split them. Turned their minds into cages.
And Elias...
He saw Dorian, bloodied and lifeless. He saw Faith in chains, begging him to run. He saw himself — eyes blackened, Nyxoth's shadow whispering, "This is your truth."
Suddenly, the forest twisted. Shadows wrapped around them. Out of the ground, dark specters formed — not monsters, but figments of their worst fears.
Dorian's voice echoed in Elias' head: "Focus, Elias! The forest's magic is illusion-based. It uses your fears as weapons. Fight them — or they'll consume you!"
One by one, the team started to break free. Faith, clutching her dagger, stepped through the fake vision of her mother. Logan screamed and punched through his brother's image. Alice cried but drew her blade, cutting down the illusion of her sister. They were already warned by dorian about these circumstances.
Elias faced his own twisted reflection. It spoke in Nyxoth's voice.
Fake Elias: "You'll lose them all. And then... you'll be mine."
Elias: glaring, voice calm "No. You don't own me."
He drove his blade through the illusion, and the mist screeched, pulling back violently like a curtain.
The forest went silent.
The team collapsed to their knees, gasping, exhausted.
Vance: voice shaking "That was not... a normal forest."
Logan: "Is anything normal anymore?"
Faith: quietly, to Elias "You okay?"
Elias: nods, but his voice is low "Yeah... just tired of losing."
As the mist thinned and silence settled in, Faith suddenly froze.
Elias : turning quickly "Wait. Where's Dante?"
The group turned. No sound. No footsteps. Just the low groan of the trees and faint whispers trailing in the air like fading breath.
Alice: "He was right behind us... right?"
Logan: "He—he never made it through."
Panic struck.
They turned back, running through the fading fog. Then—there he was.
Dante, frozen in place, eyes wide and glassy. Tears ran down his face. His body trembled as he whispered one word, over and over:
Dante: "Elias... Elias... no..."
In front of him was a horrifying illusion — Varik the Flayer, standing with a bloodied dagger, having just impaled Elias, who lay motionless.
The forest was feeding on Dante's worst memory — twisting it, amplifying it.
Thick, black roots began curling around Dante's feet, snaking upward like serpents, preparing to drag him into the forest floor.
Faith: "DANTE!!"
Elias: gasping "No—!"
He ran.
Branches slashed at him like claws. One struck his side. Another wrapped around his leg mid-sprint.
He tripped.
His face hit the dirt hard.
He looked up, pain surging—but the roots were only inches from Dante now.
Suddenly—
A gust of air.
A blur.
Vance, faster than anyone expected, had zipped past Elias. He slid to a stop in front of Dante and kicked through the shadow roots with a snap of lightning around his legs.
Vance: gritting his teeth "Not today, nightmare."
Elias looked up, breathing heavy. Their eyes met for a second — Vance gave him a slight nod. Just enough.
Faith reached Dante next, wrapping her arms around him. "It's not real! You're okay, we're all okay!"
Dante blinked. Then gasped — like waking from drowning.
Dante: choking "I... I thought... I lost you again..."
Elias knelt beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm here, Dante."
Logan looked around warily as the fog finally started to dissipate.
Logan: murmurs "This forest... it doesn't kill you with teeth. It breaks you with truth."
Alice: quietly "Or lies that feel like truth..."
After the encounter with Dante, the group took a moment to catch their breath.
But Elias... he stood still. His vision blurred, the whispering around him growing louder — no longer vague, but almost... familiar.
Suddenly—
The forest darkened around him.
He was no longer standing among the others.
He looked down.
He was tiny.
Barely able to walk.
His arms, small and chubby. His feet, dangling.
He was sitting... on a cold stone floor, wrapped in a soft blue cloth. The world around him was hazy, flickering like candlelight.
In front of him — two figures.
A woman, tall and cloaked, her voice gentle like warm wind.
A man, broad-shouldered, in armor. His presence strong... protective.
He couldn't see their faces. Just silhouettes.
The woman knelt, brushing his hair aside.
Unknown Woman: softly "You're going to be alright, Elias."
The man leaned in, his voice calm but hurried.
Unknown Man: "We'll be back, son. Until then... you be quiet. You stay strong. You stay good."
The woman kissed his forehead. A warmth surged through him.
Then—
Darkness.
Like the forest shut the memory away again, locking it behind some door.
Elias gasped, stumbling back into reality. He looked around—his team was still here, watching him closely.
Faith: concerned "Elias? You okay?"
Elias didn't respond at first.
He placed a hand to his chest, where the warmth from the memory lingered.
Elias: softly, almost to himself "...They called me son."
END OF CHAPTER 7 : WHISPERING WOODS.
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