Chapter 4 — Echoes of Power

Alana Mercer

The forest was darker than she remembered, as though the temple had leeched the moonlight from the world. Alana’s boots crunched against frost-dusted ground with a weariness that echoed through her body. Her pack hung heavy on her shoulder, the Skull nested within like a pulsing heart. Her left arm—rejuvenated, alien—flexed involuntarily at her side, its newfound strength unnerving her with every movement. It didn’t feel like hers anymore. The whispers had dulled since leaving the temple, but they lingered, faint and taunting, brushing against her thoughts like cobwebs.