Chapter 4 — Echoes in the Forest

Kade

Kade stood at the edge of the forest, his boots sinking slightly into the damp earth. Before him, the trees loomed like ancient sentinels, their twisted trunks clawing skyward, their interwoven branches forming an oppressive canopy. The air was cool and heavy, carrying the faint scent of moss and something sharper, almost metallic. Every instinct in his body tensed, warning him that this place was wrong in a way he couldn’t articulate. It was the kind of wrong that made his muscles coil, ready for a fight.