Chapter 152: The Trail North

The wind had shifted again by dawn. Cold, sharp, and carrying the scent of something old—like iron and ash. Serena woke with the uneasy certainty that time was running out. Caine’s message had carved itself into her thoughts, deeper than the burn left by the Gateborn’s blade.

She dressed quickly, strapping on the crescent-dagger Mira had reforged from moonstone and silver. The blade felt oddly warm in her hand, as though it recognized the weight of what was to come.

By the time she stepped into the clearing, the others were already gathering.

Kael stood at the ward line, adjusting the enchantment stones with grim precision. Lyra was sharpening a third dagger across her thigh, eyes scanning the treetops. Mira, still pale, leaned on her staff but refused to stay behind. Theron, as usual, was half in shadow, half in thought. And Elias stood beside the packs, adjusting the straps, quiet and unreadable.

Serena looked at all of them, her pulse steady. She nodded once.

“Let’s move.”

They took the north trail, where the trees grew denser and the earth grew colder. For the first few hours, they said nothing. Only the sound of boots against damp ground and the occasional flap of a bird’s wings overhead broke the silence.

It wasn’t until midday that Lyra spoke. “Anyone else feel like we’re being watched?”

“You are,” Theron said dryly. “But it’s not local.”

Elias grunted. “The Gate?”

“No. This feels different.” Theron pointed to a thin shimmer of magic brushing the edge of a tree trunk. “This ward is woven with decay magic. Not Darian’s usual craft.”

“Then someone else is laying traps,” Kael muttered. “We need to be ready.”

Serena knelt by the shimmer. She reached out carefully, channeling her magic through her fingertips until the ward glowed beneath her touch. There were runes embedded in the weave—ancient ones.

She traced the symbols softly. Her breath caught.

“It’s Gateborn,” she whispered. “But not Darian’s signature.”

Elias leaned closer. “Then who?”

Serena looked up, troubled. “Someone older.”

The trail changed after that.

The forest narrowed, forcing them into single file. The air grew thick with mist, and the temperature dropped so sharply it bit through even the thickest cloaks. Shadows curled around the edges of the path, and the light grew duller despite the hour.

By late afternoon, Mira stumbled slightly. Elias caught her before she fell.

“I’m fine,” she snapped, brushing him off.

“You’re not,” he said, steadying her. “You should’ve stayed back.”

“I’m not letting her walk into this alone,” Mira said, glancing toward Serena. “Not again.”

Serena’s jaw tightened. She hadn’t asked anyone to come. But she hadn’t stopped them, either.

Theron paused suddenly. His hand shot up.

“Something ahead,” he murmured. “Magic… strong.”

They crept forward until the trees parted into a clearing—and stopped.

There, in the center of the glade, stood a massive stone obelisk. Cracked and covered in moss, it pulsed faintly with purple light. Around its base, symbols were carved deep into the rock—some recognizable, others not. A ring of bones circled the structure.

Elias stepped closer, examining the carvings. “This is a gate marker.”

Serena frowned. “Not a full portal?”

“No. More like a… message board for the Gateborn. This is where they regroup. Leave signs.”

Kael’s eyes scanned the treeline. “Then this place is cursed. We shouldn’t be here.”

But Serena stepped closer. Her hand hovered over the stone.

A faint whisper brushed her mind.

He’s near.

Her heart jumped.

“Caine was here,” she said aloud. “I can feel it.”

Then, without warning, the ground beneath them shook.

Lyra swore and stepped back, blades drawn. The obelisk flared with dark light.

“Trap,” Kael shouted, but it was too late.

The ring of bones lit up in a perfect circle—and exploded outward.

A surge of magic swept the clearing, flinging them backward. Serena hit the ground hard, her ears ringing. When her vision cleared, she was alone.

The others—gone.

The obelisk remained, but the forest around her had changed. The trees were blackened, the mist thicker, and the sky above bled red.

She stood quickly, heart pounding.

“Elias? Kael? Lyra?!”

No answer.

Just silence.

And then a voice.

You came too close.

She turned slowly.

A figure stepped through the mist.

Caine.

He looked the same—and yet completely different. His hair was longer, face sharper, but it was the eyes that stopped her. They were silvered, not natural. Touched.

“Caine?” she whispered.

He tilted his head. “Is that really you, Serena?”

She stepped toward him, voice trembling. “What happened to you? Where are the others?”

He blinked, confused. “You’re here. That’s all that matters.”

“Caine, listen to me. We have to—”

But he raised a hand. His magic pulsed through the air—eerie, echoing.

“This place isn’t safe. He’s watching. He knows you’re here.”

“Who?” she asked.

Caine’s expression flickered. Pain. Fear. “Darian isn’t the only one.”

Before she could respond, the obelisk behind them cracked. A scream—inhuman and ancient—ripped through the clearing.

Caine grabbed her hand.

“Run.”

They ran.

Branches tore at her skin. The world warped around them—trees bending, earth spinning. And just as suddenly as it had begun, they crossed through another shimmer of magic.

Serena stumbled into a second clearing—this one quiet, real.

Kael was there, helping Mira to her feet. Lyra’s blade was buried in a tree. Elias turned toward her, relief flooding his face.

“You’re back.”

“I found him,” Serena gasped. “Caine. He’s alive. But he’s not… right.”

Elias’s expression darkened.

Theron stepped forward, voice grim. “You were pulled into a reflection loop. Created by someone powerful. It wasn’t real—but it wasn’t false either.”

Kael added, “Whatever you saw… it may have been a projection of what he wants you to believe.”

Serena looked down at her hand. The one Caine had touched.

A faint glow still pulsed there.

“I think he’s calling for help,” she said.

Mira’s voice was soft. “Or warning you away.”

Serena didn’t reply. Her eyes locked on the horizon—toward the north, where the land darkened, and the wind whispered secrets.

“We keep going,” she said. “Whatever that was… it means we’re close.”

Elias moved to her side. “Closer than we’ve ever been.”

She nodded.

And behind them, the forest seemed to shiver.