WILLA
Nyra’s voice was the loudest I had ever heard it.
It pierced through my mind like a siren, sending a violent shockwave down my spine and into every limb.
"Co to , Willa," the other voice whispered again — soft, sweet, and dangerously dreamlike. "It’s ti to pay for your oath."
My oath. Damn it.
A strange, warm feeling blood in my chest. My head throbbed. My vision dimd at the edges.
For so terrifying reason, I wanted to sink to the ground and listen to that voice. To obey it. To ignore the darkening sky and the rain threatening to fall.
I knew none of it was my own will. Yet I couldn’t fight it.
"Willa..."
"Run!" Nyra snarled, slicing through the seductive pull like a blade.
I lurched forward, snapping back to reality. My vision cleared. I spun around, blinking rapidly as I scanned the forest.
"What is going on, Nyra?" I breathed, clutching my chest. A deep, unnatural ache had ford there.
I didn’t expect her to answer, but her voice ca again, raspy and strained, like she was fighting to speak.
"You need to run, Willa. Go far away from here."
"Why?" I murmured, frowning at the tree directly in front of .
Sothing was horribly wrong.
The twigs and branches began to twist and snap, contorting into weird shapes. They looked like hands. Not the bony skeleton from before. This ti they were pale, scrawny, and far too real.
The trunk elongated with a sickening creak. My eyes trailed upward as the top of the tree reshaped itself into a crude head-like structure. The leaves shifted and lengthened, forming strands of sickly green hair.
"Please, Willa," Nyra urged again, her voice weaker now.
"You have to give a reason," I whispered.
Really? What other reason did I need than the living nightmare forming right in front of ?
I couldn’t tell if I was hallucinating again or if this was real.
There was only one way to find out.
I exhaled slowly, steeling myself, and took a cautious step forward.
"Stop!" Nyra cried out. "You are making a grave mistake!"
Was I?
"Don’t go closer to that tree," she continued, her tone thick with warning.
"For soone who abandoned the mont I arrived here, you sure have a lot to say now," I said.
"You have to listen to ," Nyra whined. "I am your wolf. I would never do anything to hurt you."
"But you already did," I shot back. By leaving alone.
I stepped closer to the tree anyway, ignoring every caution from Nyra and my own instincts. I paused when a sharp sting pierced my palm.
"The sigil..." I mumbled.
I gazed at my hand as black smoke began to coil around it.
A powerful burst of energy — unlike anything I had ever felt — zapped into . It was so intense my knees nearly buckled.
"Fight it, Willa!" Nyra hissed desperately. "You have to!"
But I didn’t want to.
I lifted my palm, ignoring her. The black smoke shifted colors — red, then yellow, then a deep, glowing blue. It felt like it was reading , digging through my thoughts and emotions to decide exactly what it wanted to beco.
My mouth fell open in awe as an unexpected warmth spread through my veins. This wasn’t coming from Nyra.
"Co to , child," the voice murmured, smoother and more seductive than before.
I looked around the forest again, trying to locate where the voice was coming from.
I could feel the heavy pressure on my neck, the suffocating presence of the monster nearby... but I still couldn’t see it.
I looked back up at the tree for answers.
Wind glided through the leaves and shrubs, lifting dead leaves from the ground and gently wrapping around .
A soft, delighted laugh escaped my lips.
"There is nothing funny about this situation!" Nyra snapped. "That voice trying to push out is controlling you. Don’t give in—"
The connection between Nyra and suddenly snapped, sending a dull, throbbing pain through my skull.
"Are you ready for the adventure of your life?" the voice rasped.
"Where are you?" I demanded. "Show yourself." I needed to see who I was speaking to.
The voice was too sweet, too gentle to belong to the monster that had been hunting . Or maybe I had beco too trusting, too quickly.
"Touch the tree," it commanded without hesitation.
"The tree?" I frowned, staring at my hand and then back at the twisted trunk.
"No!" Nyra reconnected sharply. "Whatever you do, stay away from it! Don’t touch it!"
"You have to trust , Willa. He’s the bad guy. You can’t do what he says!"
Once again, I didn’t listen to her.
"Why am I—" My words were cut off as a powerful force slamd into from behind.
I stumbled forward, eyes wide with panic. I tried desperately to control my fall, stretching my hands out to avoid the tree.
Nyra’s frantic voice rang in my head.
But all my resistance was useless.
The invisible force dragged toward the tree. I dug my heels into the loose soil, teeth clenched, fighting with everything I had.
The wind turned violent. Thunder rumbled louder overhead.
This didn’t look good at all.
"Please, Nyra..." I hissed, hoping she would lend strength to fight the pull.
But I couldn’t feel her anymore.
Instead, the other voice returned — no longer soft and sweet. It was now creepy, ancient, and completely emotionless.
"I am done trying to persuade you, little brat," it snarled. "If you won’t do it of your own will, then I shall make you."
I gasped as the tug beca brutally stronger.
"Nyra," I cried out one last ti.
I didn’t know who else to plead with. This was my fault. I had made a deal with the devil, and now I was paying for it.
But I didn’t want to die yet.
There was only one person I could speak to, even though I had never tried it before.
My eyes snapped shut.
Please... Goddess Selene.
Sothing inside snapped almost imdiately.
My eyes flew open.
Just inches away from the tree, my hands jerked sideways at the last second. My head slamd into the trunk instead. I didn’t even have ti to register the pain before the impact sent flying backward into another tree. The back of my skull cracked against the rough bark. All the air rushed out of my lungs.
White-hot pain seared through my head. An ear-splitting scream tore from my throat before I could stop it.
Darkness danced at the edges of my vision. I tried to push myself up, but my legs collapsed beneath .
"Sobody..." I croaked, my voice barely audible even to my own ears.
I slid slowly down the length of the tree and crumpled into the dead grass.
Before my eyes fully shut, I saw a bright light speeding toward — fast and blindingly intense.
"Help ..."
Then the darkness swallowed completely.
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