The forest below was quiet now.
Elarien stood still, listening to her breath and the soft rustling of leaves above her head. Somewhere far behind, the shape made of fear had vanished. Yet something had stayed. A feeling. Like the forest was waiting to show her more.
She followed the path deeper.
The light from the glowing mushrooms lit her way. Their soft blue and green colors shimmered under her feet. The air smelled of wet moss and something sweet, like flower petals after a summer rain.
Soon, she came to a wide pool in the middle of the cave.
Its surface was smooth as glass.
And it was whispering.
Elarien knelt beside it.
The whispers were not loud. They were soft, like lullabies sung in dreams. She leaned closer. As she did, the water began to move.
Not in waves.
Not from wind.
But in pictures.
Elarien saw her mother, standing at the edge of the same pool many years ago. Her dark hair was longer then, and her eyes were bright with wonder. The silver wolf sat beside her, smaller and younger too.
"She came here," Elarien whispered.
Yes, said the silver wolf behind her. She came with hope.
The pool shimmered again.
This time it showed the moment her mother left.
She was holding something close to her chest. The ring. Her eyes were full of tears. She looked back once, then walked away from the water.
Elarien reached toward the pool, but the image faded.
"What happened?" she asked.
She heard the voice, not from the wolf this time, but from the water itself.
She gave up her voice to protect you. She gave up her place as Guardian.
Elarien's chest ached. Her fingers curled around the ring hanging from her neck.
The pool whispered again.
You carry what she left behind. But your path is your own.
Elarien looked into the water. This time, she saw herself.
But not as she was now.
She saw herself standing tall, a cloak over her shoulders, a soft light glowing from her hands. Her eyes were calm. Her voice was strong.
She did not look like someone afraid to speak.
She looked like someone who had learned to listen.
Elarien stood.
"I am ready to learn," she said.
The pool shimmered one last time.
Then it was still.
The silver wolf came to her side.
You listened. And now the forest has heard you.
A soft rumble moved through the ground.
Not loud.
Not scary.
But steady.
Like a door opening somewhere deep in the roots.
Elarien turned to the path ahead.
There was more waiting.
But she no longer felt small.
She had a voice.
And the forest was listening.