Chapter 5 Shadows Unbound

My breath came in shallow bursts as Rowan and I stood in the ruins of the chapel, our silhouettes bathed in the faint glow of the locket on the altar. The world around us was silent, yet the tension hummed in the air like a storm waiting to break.

"What did we just do?" I whispered with a steady voice, despite the knot of fear tightening in my chest.

Rowan didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the locket, the flicker of its silver light reflecting in his eyes. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost pained. "We didn't just unlock the truth. We invited something back."

The ground trembled faintly beneath our feet after he spoke, and I instinctively reached for Rowan's arm. He turned toward me, his expression raw and conflicted, as though he were teetering on the edge of saying something he couldn't take back.

"You should hate me for dragging you into this," he said softly, his voice heavy with guilt. "I've put you in danger you can't even begin to understand."

I frowned at his words, and my grip on his arm tightened. "Don't you dare," I said, my voice laced with defiance. "Don't you dare act like this is just on you. I'm not some damsel you need to save, Rowan. I chose this. And I need to find my family. I need to know how all this is related to their disappearance."

His gaze met mine, his brows furrowing as if he couldn't believe the conviction in my voice. "Evelyn-"

"I'm serious," I interrupted, stepping closer. "You think I'm afraid of this? That I'd walk away now? When I'm so close to the truth?" I shook my head. "I've spent my life running from things I don't understand. Not anymore. If this locket holds the truth, I want to face it. I need to save my family."

Rowan's jaw tightened, his conflicting emotions playing out across his face. He was silent for a long moment, and I could feel the intensity of his gaze, as though he was trying to memorize every detail of me.

"You're braver than I deserve," he murmured finally, the words barely audible.

Before I could respond, the sound of a distant scream broke the silence. My head whipped toward the forest, and my pulse quickened.

"What was that?" she asked, trying to overcome the rush of fear that consumed me.

Rowan's posture shifted immediately, his hand resting instinctively on the small blade at his side. "Trouble," he muttered.

I grabbed his wrist before he could move. "Then let's face it," I said firmly.

Rowan hesitated, his expression was filled with a mix of admiration and frustration. "You're relentless," he muttered, but there was a flicker of a smile tugging at his lips.

We moved through the forest together, the scream growing louder and more anguished with each step. The trees closed in around us, their branches like tiny fingers clawing at the sky.

Finally, we found the source of the sound, a young woman, her clothes torn and her body trembling. Strange, jagged marks snaked up her arms, glowing faintly in the darkness. She looked up at us with wide, terrified eyes.

"Help me," she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. "The shadows... they're coming."

Rowan knelt beside her, his movements careful. I stood close with my heart pounding as I scanned the surrounding forest. I could feel something watching us, something unseen but undeniably present.

"What happened to her?" I asked, my voice laced with curiosity.

Rowan's hand hovered over the glowing marks on the woman's skin. His expression darkened. "This... this isn't from the wolves," he said grimly. "It's the Warden. It's already spreading."

Before I could respond, the woman let out a blood-curdling scream. Her body convulsed violently, and her eyes turned solid and unnaturally black.

Rowan yanked me back, shielding me as the woman's voice deepened into something inhuman. "You've awakened me," the voice said, cold and echoing. "And now, you'll pay the price."

My hand shot to the locket around my neck, its faint glow growing brighter as I stepped forward, ignoring Rowan's sharp intake of breath.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

The possessed woman's head tilted unnaturally, a chilling smile spreading across her face. "You'll know soon enough," the voice replied. "The second key will show you the way. But tread carefully, little mortal. The truth you seek comes with a cost."

The woman's body spasmed again, and a pulse of energy erupted from her, knocking Rowan and I to the ground. When we scrambled back to our feet, the woman was gone, her body dissolved into ash that scattered on the wind.

I clutched the locket tightly as my breath came in ragged gasps. I turned to Rowan, my eyes blazing with determination.

"The second key," I said. "We have to find it."

Rowan stared at me, his face pale. "Evelyn, you don't understand. If we keep going--"

"I do understand," I interrupted, stepping closer. My voice softened, and I reached out to touch his face, my fingers grazing his jaw. "But we can't stop now. Whatever this is, we have to finish it. Together."

Rowan's resolve wavered as he looked at me. For a moment, it felt as though the weight of the world had lifted, replaced by the energized charge of the space between us.

"I don't deserve you," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.

My lips curved into a faint smile. "You don't get to decide that."

Before either of us could say more, the forest around us seemed to shift. The shadows grew darker, the air colder. A faint whisper echoed through the trees, carrying a single, chilling phrase.

"The depths await."

Rowan's expression hardened. He stepped closer to me, his hand brushing against mine. "If we go there, there's no turning back."

I tightened her grip on the locket as my heart raced. Then I met his gaze. "Then let's not turn back."

The two of us stood together, with our resolve solidifying even as the darkness closed in around us. The depths were waiting, and so was the truth.