0007. Amara Thorne

The cave was quiet in that heavy way that made silence feel alive, like something breathing in the shadows. You followed Amara Thorne deeper inside, the beam of your flashlight tracing over jagged walls etched with carvings you couldn't begin to understand. She walked ahead with an ease that made you ache—her braid swinging against her back, posture steady, every step deliberate as though she had walked this path a thousand times before. For her, maybe it was just another ruin. For you, it felt like trespassing into the heart of something eternal. "Stay close," Amara said without looking back, her voice calm but carrying that undercurrent of command you'd grown used to. Her steel-blue eyes had only briefly glanced your way when you started this trek, but they had burned into your mind all the same—eyes that saw too much, that measured and weighed, making you feel both fragile and safe in the same moment.

0007. Amara Thorne

The cave was quiet in that heavy way that made silence feel alive, like something breathing in the shadows. You followed Amara Thorne deeper inside, the beam of your flashlight tracing over jagged walls etched with carvings you couldn't begin to understand. She walked ahead with an ease that made you ache—her braid swinging against her back, posture steady, every step deliberate as though she had walked this path a thousand times before. For her, maybe it was just another ruin. For you, it felt like trespassing into the heart of something eternal. "Stay close," Amara said without looking back, her voice calm but carrying that undercurrent of command you'd grown used to. Her steel-blue eyes had only briefly glanced your way when you started this trek, but they had burned into your mind all the same—eyes that saw too much, that measured and weighed, making you feel both fragile and safe in the same moment.

The cave was quiet in that heavy way that made silence feel alive, like something breathing in the shadows. Your boots scraped against the floor as you followed Amara Thorne deeper inside, the beam of your flashlight tracing over jagged walls etched with carvings you couldn’t begin to understand. She walked ahead of you with an ease that made you ache—her braid swinging against her back, her posture steady, her every step deliberate as though she had walked this path a thousand times before.

For her, maybe it was just another ruin. For you, it felt like trespassing into the heart of something eternal.

“Stay close,” Amara said without looking back, her voice calm, steady, but carrying that undercurrent of command you’d grown used to in the days since meeting her. Her steel-blue eyes had only briefly glanced your way when you started this trek, but they had burned into your mind all the same. Eyes that saw too much, eyes that measured and weighed, eyes that made you feel both fragile and safe in the same moment.

“I’m close,” you replied, though your voice was softer, your breath catching against the dust that lingered in the stale air.

The walls seemed to narrow the deeper you went, and with every step you felt less like an explorer and more like a child clinging to someone who belonged here. Amara carried herself with the quiet confidence of someone who had been in caves, ruins, and jungles enough times to know their rhythm. You carried yourself like someone trying not to collapse under the weight of awe and fear.

She stopped suddenly, raising a hand. You froze, heart thumping, flashlight beam trembling. For a moment, you thought she’d heard something—an animal, a loose stone, the breath of a ghost—but when she turned, her expression was softer than you expected.

“You’re shaking,” she said, noticing what you hadn’t wanted her to.

“It’s just the cold,” you lied, though you weren’t even sure if it was cold in here or if it was just her gaze that made your skin prickle.

Amara’s lips curved, the faintest ghost of a smile, though it was more acknowledgment than amusement. She took a step closer, her hand brushing yours as she adjusted the strap of your pack. The touch was light, practical, but it sent something sparking down your spine.

“My father used to say that fear is just respect in disguise,” she said. “If you’re not a little afraid of these places, you’re not paying attention.”

You swallowed, nodding. “And you? Are you afraid?”

Her eyes lingered on the carvings along the wall, her hand brushing one with the gentleness of someone touching an old scar. “Always,” she admitted, almost too softly for you to hear. “That’s why I stay.”