Dion's POV
The late afternoon sun filtered weakly through the dense canopy as I hurried toward my small cabin nestled deep in the woods. My chest was tight with dread, a cold knot twisting inside me. The weight of everything—the distance growing between me and Therrin, the shadowy presence creeping at the edges of our lives, and the silence between her and Ari—pressed down like a storm about to break.
I had left her only hours before, trembling under the weight of things unsaid, the fragile threads of connection fraying between us. I needed to find her, to fix this before it spiraled beyond repair.
But when I pushed open the door, the emptiness that greeted me slammed into my chest harder than any blow.
The cabin was untouched—her clothes folded neatly, the faint scent of her lingering in the air—but she was gone.
Panic flared bright and sharp. I called her name aloud, but the silence was deafening.
My mind immediately reached out to Ari—the only other soul I could connect to so intimately. If Therrin wasn't here, then maybe Ari knew where she had gone.
I closed my eyes and sent a mental pulse, a silent call reaching across the distance to Ari's mind.
"Ari, can you hear me?"
The connection sparked faintly at first, then bloomed as she answered silently, her voice echoing softly in my thoughts.
"Dion. Yes, I hear you."
Relief washed over me, but it was tempered by the anxiety lurking beneath. I needed answers, and she was the closest link I had.
"Therrin—she's not here. Do you know where she is?"
There was a pause, heavy with uncertainty.
"No. She hasn't spoken to me. There's… a barrier between us now, Dion. I can't reach her either."
The words hit me like a cold wind. The walls that kept Ari and Therrin apart were also keeping me from her.
"She's pushing us away," I said, frustration thick in my mind. "Why? What's happening to her?"
"I don't know," Ari admitted. "But it's like something is controlling her, whispering in her mind, pulling her deeper into the shadows. I can feel it—but I can't fight it alone."
"I'll find her," I promised fiercely. "No matter what it takes."
The connection flickered, Ari's thoughts reaching out one last time.
"Be careful, Dion. She's fragile. And the shadows—"
But I had already broken the link, the weight of urgency pressing me forward.
I began searching the surrounding woods, every step fueled by desperate hope. The forest was thick and shadowed, but I called out to her, listened for any sign—anything to tell me she was near.
The air grew colder as the sun dipped lower, and a restless unease settled deep in my bones. It was as if the shadows themselves were watching, waiting.
I stopped beside a small stream, the gentle rush of water a stark contrast to the turmoil in my chest. Kneeling, I traced my fingers through the cool current, trying to steady my racing mind.
Therrin, I whispered. Please come back.
The woods seemed to close around me, thick with silence and shadow.
And then, a faint glimmer—a flicker of movement just beyond the trees.
I sprang up, heart pounding, and pushed through the underbrush toward it.
But as I reached the spot, there was nothing—only empty air and the lingering scent of earth and leaves.
I sank to my knees, exhausted and broken, tears burning hot behind my eyes.
My connection with Therrin was fraying, slipping through my fingers like smoke.
I had to find a way to bring her back—to break through the darkness pulling her under.
But with each moment she drifted further away, the shadows grew stronger.
And I feared that if I didn't act soon, I might lose her forever.