The Shards of Fate

Aedan and Kael walked in silence, their steps slow and deliberate. The oppressive weight of the forest pressed down on them like a living thing. The deeper they went, the stranger the air became—thick, cloying, almost like breathing in mist that wasn't entirely there.

The path beneath their feet was no longer just dirt and stone. It was old—older than the village, older than the ruins they had seen before. Faded carvings, the same ones from the archway, peeked through the moss that had claimed the cracked stones.

Aedan kept his gaze forward, resisting the urge to glance over his shoulder.

The whispering hadn't returned, but the memory of it still clung to him.

His own voice, calling his name.

A shiver ran down his spine.

Kael, ever the more vocal of the two, finally broke the silence. "I hate this place. I really hate this place."

Aedan gave him a sideways glance. "Not a fan of haunted forests?"

Kael scoffed. "Oh no, I love forests that whisper my name in my own damn voice. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." He kicked a loose stone ahead of them. "Seriously, though. That wasn't normal."

Aedan sighed. "Nothing about today has been normal."

Kael scratched the back of his head, his usual smirk absent. "You think it's the shard?"

Aedan hesitated, fingers brushing against the stone in his pocket. Its warmth was constant, pulsing in slow, steady beats, like a second heartbeat.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But if it is, we need to figure out why."

Kael let out a long breath. "Great. Love a good mystery that might get us both killed."

They continued walking, the only sound the crunch of their boots against the stone path.

Then Aedan saw it.

The tree.

It stood taller than any of the others, its trunk a deep, dark red—like old blood. The branches stretched wide, their gnarled limbs curling inward, as if shielding something at its base. Thick roots coiled around what looked like stone pillars, remnants of an ancient structure long since overtaken by nature.

Something about it felt wrong.

Aedan slowed his steps. "Kael…"

Kael followed his gaze and stiffened. "Yeah. That's a hell no from me."

Aedan ignored him, stepping closer. The carvings on the stone beneath the tree were more pronounced here, untouched by time. He traced his fingers over them, feeling the grooves beneath his skin.

Something about them was familiar.

A memory surfaced—faint, blurry. A city drowning in darkness. A tower crumbling into the void. A voice, speaking in a language he didn't understand.

His breath hitched.

Kael grabbed his arm. "Okay, seriously, don't touch creepy symbols in a creepy forest. That's, like, rule number one."

Aedan swallowed. "I think… I've seen this before."

Kael frowned. "Where?"

Aedan hesitated. "I don't know."

The words felt heavy on his tongue. The memory was there, but just out of reach—like something glimpsed through murky water.

The shard in his pocket grew hot.

Aedan sucked in a breath, pulling his hand away from the carvings. The warmth faded instantly.

Kael narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, no. That's definitely a bad sign."

Before Aedan could respond, a low creaking echoed through the forest.

Both of them froze.

The sound wasn't wood bending in the wind. It was something moving.

Slow. Deliberate.

A shadow shifted behind the tree.

Aedan and Kael stepped back in unison, hands inching toward their weapons.

The air grew colder.

Then—

A whisper. Soft. Distant. Yet unmistakably clear.

"…Aedan…"

Aedan's stomach dropped.

Kael drew his sword. "I swear to god, if something jumps out at us—"

Something moved.

Not fast. Not sudden. But deliberate. A figure—just barely visible in the thick shadows—stepped out from behind the tree.

Aedan's breath caught.

It was him.

Or rather, something that looked like him.

Same height. Same build. Even the same cloak. But the face was wrong.

Too pale. Eyes too dark. Mouth curled in a mockery of a smile.

Aedan's grip on his dagger tightened.

Kael took a step forward, blade raised. "Nope. Absolutely not. We're not doing this."

The thing that looked like Aedan tilted its head, like it was studying them.

Then it spoke.

"You shouldn't have come here."

The voice wasn't human. It wasn't even close. It was layered, distorted, as if multiple voices spoke at once—some high, some low, all slightly off.

Aedan's pulse pounded in his ears. "Who are you?"

The thing's smile widened. "You already know."

Kael cursed under his breath. "Yeah, we're leaving."

The thing's expression didn't change. "Leaving?"

It took a single step forward.

The forest shifted.

The path behind them was gone. The trees had closed in, their twisted limbs forming an unbroken wall. The air was thick, suffocating.

Aedan's mind raced. The shard burned in his pocket, but he didn't dare take it out.

Kael exhaled sharply. "Okay, new plan. Stab first, ask questions never."

He lunged.

His blade met nothing.

The thing wasn't there anymore.

Kael stumbled forward, eyes wide. "What the—?"

A whisper brushed against Aedan's ear.

"You belong to us now."

Aedan spun, dagger flashing.

Nothing.

Kael grabbed his wrist. "We need to move. Now."

Aedan didn't argue.

They ran.

The trees blurred past, their twisted forms seeming to shift and reach for them as they fled. The forest pulsed, the whispers growing louder, pressing against Aedan's skull.

Then—

Light.

A sudden break in the trees.

They burst through the edge of the forest, tumbling onto damp grass.

The whispers stopped.

The air was still.

Aedan lay on his back, chest heaving. He could still feel the phantom touch of something against his skin, lingering like a bad dream.

Kael groaned beside him. "Okay. New rule. No more haunted forests."

Aedan didn't respond. He stared up at the sky, trying to slow his breathing.

The thing had looked like him.

And it had known his name.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out the shard.

The carvings on its surface were glowing.

Aedan exhaled shakily.

Whatever was happening to him—it wasn't over.

It was just beginning.