Chapter 4 The scent of Truth

The forest was very quiet.

Lyra walked slowly between the tall trees. Morning fog moved like smoke around her legs. The ground felt soft under her boots. She carried a small bunch of flowers, lavender and forget-me-nots. Her dad loved these. He used to grow them in their garden and smiled when they bloomed.

She found her dad's grave in the middle of the forest. The grass was long and soft. Little wildflowers danced in the wind. The gray headstone said:

Caius Fenwood.

Loyal father. Brave protector.

Lyra knelt beside the grave. The stone felt cold on her hands. She gently placed the flowers down.

"Hi, Dad," she whispered. Her voice shook. "I brought your favorites."

Her chest hurt. Tears filled her eyes. But she tried to stay strong.

"I miss you. Everything's strange now. People are scared. And I don't know what to do without you."

She wiped her face. Then she noticed something strange near the flowers.

A black feather.

She didn't bring it. And there were no birds nearby. It just sat there, dark and still.

It felt... wrong. Like it was watching her.

She reached to touch it but then she heard a voice behind her.

"You always talk to graves?"

She jumped and turned around.

It was Elias. He leaned against a tree, arms crossed. He smiled a little, but his eyes looked serious.

"You scared me," Lyra said, standing up.

"Didn't mean to," Elias said. He walked over and looked at the grave. "I visit this place sometimes too."

Then he saw the feather. "Did you leave this?"

Lyra shook her head. "No. It was already here."

Elias looked worried. He crouched to look closer. "That's not good," he said quietly. "A crow feather on a Fenwood grave... that means something dark is nearby."

Lyra stared at him. "What kind of dark?"

"The kind that shouldn't be near the dead."

Before she could ask more, they heard a loud crash in the trees. Leaves shook. Someone yelled:

"Lyra!"

Selena ran out of the woods. She looked scared. "You have to come now! Jasper found something something bad."

Lyra and Elias ran with her.

They stopped at a ridge above the village. Jasper stood next to a small hole in the ground. His face was pale.

"Look," he said, pointing.

Lyra looked down.

In the dirt was a yellow bone. A black string was tied around it, and strange marks were carved into it.

Her stomach felt tight. "I saw something like this near my dad's grave."

"You're right," said a calm voice.

It was Athenana, the village lorekeeper. Her silver hair was tied back. She wore long robes that touched the ground.

She knelt beside the bone and studied it.

"This is sealing magic," she said. "Someone hid this. They didn't want anyone to find it."

Tristan came out of the trees. He didn't speak, but he held his sword, ready. His eyes watched the woods.

"What kind of thing needs sealing?" Jasper asked.

Athenana stood up. Her voice was heavy. "Something that can't die... or shouldn't."

The air turned cold. The trees didn't move. It felt like everything was holding its breath.

Lyra turned to the others. "I need to go back. To my father's grave."

No one stopped her.

When they got there, Lyra stopped and stared.

There were new footprints near the grave. Big ones. Bare feet. But the toes were too long. Too sharp. Not human.

"These weren't here before," Lyra whispered.

Elias bent down and sniffed the air. "No scent. Not human. Not animal. It feels like... it was never alive."

Athenana nodded. "No normal creature makes tracks like this."

Lyra knelt and touched the ground.

It felt warm. Too warm.

"There's something buried here," she said. "With my father."

Jasper looked worried. "You're not really going to dig up the grave, are you?"

But Lyra was already digging.

Elias helped. Then Tristan. Soon, they found something hard.

A box.

It was old and wet. Tied with black string. Little bones were tied into the string like a lock.

Athenana stepped forward. "This is strong magic. If you open this, something dangerous may come out."

Lyra looked at the box. Then at the grave.

"If my dad hid this, he had a reason. I need to know what it is."

She untied the string. The box opened slowly.

Inside... was a heart.

It wasn't dry. It wasn't dead.

It was beating.

Very slowly. Then again.

Selena gasped. "That's not possible."

Lyra stared. "Is this... his?"

The heart beat faster.

Everything went silent.

No birds. No wind. No sound.

Then footsteps.

Wet. Slow. Dragging.

They turned to look.

A man walked out of the trees.

He was tall. But something was wrong. His skin was pale like the moon. His clothes were dirty and wet. His eyes were black and empty.

Lyra's heart stopped.

"Dad?" she whispered.

The man smiled. But it was not a kind smile. It felt cold. Wrong.

"That's not him," Elias said, stepping in front of her.

Tristan pulled out his sword and stood close.

"He's trying to say something, Lyra said softly.

"That's not your father anymore," Athenana said.

The heart in the box beat louder. Faster. It echoed through the trees.

Then came a deep growl.

Not from the pale man.

From the woods.

A low voice, not human, spoke from the trees:

She is not yours to awaken."

The pale man stopped smiling.

Everyone turned.

The trees behind them exploded.

A huge creature jumped out. Covered in black fur. With sharp claws and glowing eyes. Bigger than any bear. More terrible.

It roared.

The ground shook.

Lyra screamed.

And then, Everything went dark.