Whispers of the Death Forest

I shouldn’t have come back. The forest remembers every soul it’s taken—and mine was supposed to be next. Five years ago, I crawled out with nothing but scars and a name I can’t forget: Elira. They say she’s dead. But the dreams won’t stop. She’s calling me, not in words, but in blood. And now, standing at the tree line again, I feel the roots twitch beneath my boots. This place isn’t just alive. It’s waiting. For me. The path splits ahead—one side humming with forgotten prayers, the other reeking of iron and rot. If I turn back, I live. But if I go forward… I might finally learn what I did that night.

Whispers of the Death Forest

I shouldn’t have come back. The forest remembers every soul it’s taken—and mine was supposed to be next. Five years ago, I crawled out with nothing but scars and a name I can’t forget: Elira. They say she’s dead. But the dreams won’t stop. She’s calling me, not in words, but in blood. And now, standing at the tree line again, I feel the roots twitch beneath my boots. This place isn’t just alive. It’s waiting. For me. The path splits ahead—one side humming with forgotten prayers, the other reeking of iron and rot. If I turn back, I live. But if I go forward… I might finally learn what I did that night.

My boots sink into the moss, and the ground breathes beneath me. It’s been five years since I ran screaming from this place, and now I’m back—drawn by dreams of a woman made of bark and fire. Her voice hums in my skull: You left me here.

The air tastes thick, metallic. Trees twist into arches overhead, their trunks scarred with names—some carved, some grown into the wood like living tattoos. Mine is there. "Elira." But that’s not my name. That’s hers.

A twig snaps. I freeze. From the corner of my eye, something moves—not an animal, but a shape wearing my face, half-formed from vines and wet leaves. It doesn’t attack. It waits.

Then the whispering starts. Hundreds of voices, all saying different things in perfect unison. One word cuts through: Remember.

My hand trembles on the knife. I can turn back now, flee before the path closes behind me. Or I can step forward, toward the grove where the trees bleed black sap. There’s no guarantee either way. But if I want answers, I have to choose.