The scent of damp earth and ancient trees filled the air as Nevea ran, barefoot and desperate, through the whispering forest. Sharp branches clawed at her skin, leaving crimson trails on the fallen leaves, but she felt nothing but the frantic beat of her own heart. Her long, silver hair whipped behind her, a luminous streak against the deepening twilight.

"I'm wrong. Please forgive me," she mumbled, breath catching in her throat. Every glance over her shoulder confirmed her fear: he was still there, a silhouette against the fading light, his golden eyes radiating a palpable sorrow that seemed to pierce her very soul. She hardened her heart, forcing herself onward.

A vast river, dark and inviting, appeared through the trees. The Soul River. A final glance back confirmed he was gaining on her, his silent approach a terrifying inevitability. "No," she whispered, a plea to herself, to him, to the unforgiving current.

Then, she plunged into the cold embrace of the water, the world momentarily swallowed by a roaring silence. But instead of purification, a horrifying realization dawned: the river rejected her, her tainted soul untouched. She floated to the surface, encased in a dark, ominous gleam, her heart shattering as the finality of her sin became clear.

"Don't cry, my love," a voice, achingly familiar, broke through her despair. Zach. His horned silhouette, his golden eyes filled with mirroring sadness, appeared above her. He gathered her into his arms, his touch both rough and impossibly tender, a silent promise in his embrace.