That night, the moon shone brighter than it had in many weeks. Its silver light spilled through the leaves, touching everything it could reach. Elarien sat beside the silver wolf near the edge of the clearing, her fingers curled around the ring tied around her neck.
The members of the Circle had gone quiet again. They did not speak much unless it mattered. Their silence was not cold. It was deep, like a river that moved beneath the surface.
Elarien's thoughts moved slowly.
She had said she was ready.
But she still did not know what waited ahead.
The silver wolf stood and looked toward a dark part of the forest. A narrow trail curved there, hidden by tall grass and thick roots.
The forest below is waking, he said. It remembers pain. Old pain.
Elarien stood beside him.
"What do I do?" she asked.
He looked at her with those golden eyes.
You follow it. And you listen.
Elarien took a breath. She walked toward the path. The trees closed in around her once more. But now they did not feel like strangers. They felt like watchers, quiet and gentle.
After a while, the ground began to slope downward. Moss grew thick on the rocks. Roots twisted like long fingers along the earth.
Then she saw it.
A low arch made of twisted branches, covered in green moss and glowing softly with pale light. Beneath it was a staircase of stone, curving into the ground.
The Hollow Gate.
Elarien paused at the top step. Her fingers touched the stone wall beside her. It was cool and smooth.
She whispered to herself.
"I am not afraid. I am listening."
Step by step, she moved down into the forest's roots.
The light faded with every turn. The air grew damp and quiet. There were no birds here. No wind. Only the soft sound of her feet and the steady beat of her heart.
Finally, the tunnel opened.
And she stepped into a hidden world.
The forest below was wide and glowing. Mushrooms gave off gentle blue light. Tiny flowers blinked like stars. Vines hung from the ceiling like ropes, and pools of still water reflected her face back at her.
But something else moved down here too.
Something quiet.
Something watching.
Elarien stepped forward.
Then she heard it.
A sound like breathing.
Long, slow, heavy.
And a whisper.
She is not supposed to be here.
The voice came from everywhere and nowhere.
Elarien did not run.
"Why not?" she asked aloud.
Because she is the daughter of silence. She should have stayed silent.
Elarien clenched her fists.
"I found my voice."
The breathing grew louder.
A shape began to form in the mist. Not a monster. Not a beast. It looked like a person made of roots and shadows. Its face was her face, but tired and afraid.
"You are the fear," she said.
The figure nodded.
I am what grows when no one listens.
Elarien stepped closer.
"Then I will listen now. I am not turning away."
The figure blinked, then slowly faded.
The air grew lighter. A warm breeze brushed her cheek.
The forest below had tested her.
And it had let her pass.