Chapter 4 — The Gathering Storm

Riley

A sharp wind whipped through Riley’s hair as she stepped out of the Hollow Den, the forest around her darker than it should have been at midday. The sky was a bruised palette of storm clouds, casting shadows that writhed and crawled unnervingly across the forest floor. The air held an unnatural chill, a sense of something unseen pressing against her skin. Somewhere in the distance, leaves rustled faintly like whispered voices, though the wind had stilled. Riley’s crescent moon pendant felt heavier against her chest—not just a cold weight, but a reminder of her role in breaking the pact and the shadows that choice had unleashed. The pendant was her constant tether to the past and the choices she couldn’t undo.