Chapter 5 The Echo of Ash

Seren's breath came in shallow bursts as she pushed herself upright. The forest was silent, unnaturally so. The witches were gone. The ritual circle had faded, leaving only a faint shimmer in the grass. Her pendant had stopped glowing, but the crystal Kaelen had given her pulsed faintly in her satchel, as if it had absorbed part of the dream.

She stood slowly, her limbs aching, her mind fogged with fragments of the Threadless Dream. Umbros hadn't spoken, but his presence had filled every shattered mirror, every flicker of memory. She had seen herself twisted into something monstrous, her eyes hollow, her hands soaked in silver blood. She had felt the hunger, the pull, the power. And she had liked it.

That terrified her more than anything.

The trees around her seemed to lean in, listening. Thornmere was never truly quiet. Emotion magic lingered in the air, and tonight it tasted like dread. Seren turned in a slow circle, scanning the shadows. She wasn't alone.

A rustle behind her made her spin. A figure stepped from the trees, cloaked in deep green, face hidden beneath a hood. Seren tensed, her hand drifting toward the crystal.

"You woke the forest," the figure said, voice low and melodic. "It remembers you."

Seren didn't relax. "Who are you?"

The figure pulled back the hood. A young woman with eyes like moss and skin etched with glowing runes. A witch, but not one Seren recognized.

"I'm called Lys," she said. "I walk the Drift."

Seren frowned. "You're an Emotion Weaver."

Lys nodded. "I felt your dream. It tore through the threads like fire."

Seren stepped back. "I didn't mean to-"

"You did," Lys said gently. "And that's why I'm here."

Seren's grip tightened on the satchel. "What do you want?"

"To show you what comes next."

Lys turned and walked into the trees. Seren hesitated, then followed.

They moved in silence, the forest shifting around them. The trees grew taller, older. The air thickened with memory. Seren felt her heartbeat slow, her thoughts sharpen. The Drift was strong here.

They reached a clearing unlike the one before. At its center stood a stone altar, cracked and overgrown. Around it, six monoliths formed a circle, each pulsing with a different emotion-grief, rage, joy, fear, longing, and silence.

Lys gestured to the altar. "This is where the first Threadless was born."

Seren stepped closer. "Who?"

"No name," Lys said. "Only a scream. They were the first to break free of the loom. The first to feel without fate."

Seren touched the altar. It was warm.

Lys watched her. "You and Kaelen are not the first. But you are the strongest."

Seren looked up. "Why?"

"Because you were born during the Hollow Moon's rupture. You weren't just missed by the loom-you were rejected."

Seren's throat tightened. "So we're mistakes."

Lys shook her head. "You're warnings."

The crystal pulsed in Seren's satchel. She pulled it out and held it up. "Kaelen said Umbros lives inside us."

"He does," Lys said. "But not as you think. He is memory. He is emotion unbound. He is the Drift made flesh."

Seren stared at the crystal. "Then why does he want me?"

"Because you remember."

Seren blinked. "What?"

Lys stepped closer. "The Threadless Dream showed you what Umbros fears. You saw yourself. You saw what you could become. And you didn't look away."

Seren's hand trembled. "I felt it. The hunger."

"And you resisted," Lys said. "That's why you're still you."

Seren lowered the crystal. "What happens now?"

Lys turned to the monoliths. "You choose."

Seren frowned. "Choose what?"

"To bind the crystal to one emotion. To shape its power."

Seren looked at the six monoliths. Each pulsed with a rhythm that matched her heartbeat. She stepped toward the one that shimmered with silence.

Lys raised an eyebrow. "Not many choose silence."

Seren touched the stone. It was cold, but steady. "I need clarity."

The crystal flared in her hand, then dimmed. The silence monolith pulsed once, then went still.

Lys nodded. "It is done."

Seren felt the change immediately. The crystal no longer whispered. It no longer showed flickers of memory. It was quiet. But the quiet was sharp, focused. She felt her thoughts align, her emotions settle.

She turned to Lys. "Thank you."

Lys smiled. "You'll need that silence soon."

Seren's brow furrowed. "Why?"

"Because the dominions are stirring. The vampires have felt the rupture. The werewolves are restless. And the Keepers are watching."

Seren's stomach turned. "They'll come for me."

"They already are."

A howl split the air.

Seren spun toward the sound. It was close. Too close.

Lys stepped back. "Go. I'll hold the Drift."

Seren ran.

The forest blurred around her, branches reaching, roots shifting. The howl came again, joined by others. Moonbound wolves. But not her kin. These were hunters.

She burst into a clearing and skidded to a halt.

Three wolves stood waiting, their eyes glowing amber, their fur bristling. One stepped forward and shifted, bones cracking, fur receding, until Riven stood before her.

"You broke the Pact," he growled.

Seren raised the crystal. "I found Kaelen."

Riven's eyes narrowed. "Then you found the end."

Seren stepped back. "He's not the enemy."

"He's the beginning of the enemy," Riven said. "And you're the door."

The other wolves shifted, revealing two elders-Thorne and Mira, both scarred and silent.

Seren held her ground. "I'm not opening anything."

Thorne stepped forward. "Then prove it."

Seren frowned. "How?"

"Come with us. Face the Moonbound Trial."

Seren hesitated. The Trial was ancient, brutal. It tested loyalty, strength, and fate. She had no thread. She had no fate.

Mira spoke for the first time. "If you survive, you stay. If you fail, you fall."

Seren looked at the crystal. It pulsed once, then stilled.

She nodded. "I'll face it."

Riven smiled. "Then let the moon judge."

They turned and led her into the trees.

Seren followed.

The Hollow Moon pulsed.

And far below, Umbros waited.

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