The forest was in no hurry to let them go.
After the last shadow had dissipated, the silence did not settle immediately. It was not peace. It was a pause. The air remained heavy, dense, as if the trees still held the memory of the battle within them. The leaves did not rustle. The birds did not return either. Only their breathing and the muffled cries of the children filled the clearing.
Sofia remained on her knees for a few moments, her palm resting on the cold earth. She felt the deep vibration of the ground, like an echo that slowly dies out. The heat in her chest had not disappeared — it was retreating, gathering again in a stable, deep point, like a secondary heart that had learned to beat in silence.
She was not tired.
That was what scared her the most.
— It's over… for now, Vlad said, in a low voice.
It didn't sound like a victory. More like a realization.
Alexandra held the two children rescued from the hands of the shadows close to her, her arms firm, protective. She spoke to them softly, without big words, just calm, repeated sounds, to remind them that they were still here. The children were trembling, their faces hidden in her clothes, as if any blink too long could tear them from reality.
Dragoș stood by the fallen tree, checking the broken ropes. His sword hung down, but the sign of the Moon on his arm still pulsed weakly, coldly, steadily. He didn't look hurt—and yet, something about his posture was stiffer than before.
— The shadows didn't come by chance, he said, without looking up. They knew exactly where we were. And what they wanted.
Sofia stood up slowly. Her body felt light, too light.
— And they didn't want to kill us, she added. Not all of us.
Dragoș turned to her.
— Sofia… why did they ask for your medallion?
The question remained suspended between them.
Sofia instinctively brought her hand to her chest, squeezing the cold metal through the fabric.
— I don't know, she said honestly. But I know they didn't want it to destroy him.
A faint wind passed through the trees, like a long sigh. The branches moved, and the forest seemed to be unwinding, slowly, cautiously.
Alexandra looked up.
— We have to leave. The children are too scared. And too visible.
Vlad nodded immediately.
— The road to the village is not safe. I suggest the eastern path. It's longer, but it's hidden.
Alexandra approved.
— I agree. If there are more shadows, I don't want the kids in the middle.
Vlad thought for a moment, then decided:
— Alexandra, go first with the older kids. Sofia, you with the younger ones. Dragoş, you and I will close.
The kids moved instinctively, without being told anything. They gathered around Sofia and Alexandra, as if they sensed where safety was. A little boy reached out to Dragoş, then stopped, intimidated by the sword and the cold light that still surrounded his arm.
Dragoş knelt down and put down his sword.
— Don't be afraid, he told him softly. It's not for you.
The child looked at him for a few moments, then grabbed his fingers.
The way back was harder than the way back.
Not because the shadows would attack again—they didn't—but because of the constant feeling that they were being watched. Not followed. Studied. Every crack of a branch made Dragoş change his position. Alexandra was always checking her back. Vlad walked stiffly, alert to any deviation from the rhythm of the forest.
Sofia felt something different.
Not the shadows.
Something else.
Like a presence that had no form, but had intention.
— They're watching us, she murmured at one point.
Vlad didn't ask who.
— I know.
— They're not attacking, she continued. They're measuring. They're waiting.
Dragoş clenched his jaw.
— Let them wait as long as they want.
Sofia didn't answer. She knew it wasn't that simple.
When they reached the edge of the forest, the daylight had changed. It wasn't evening yet, but the sun had gone down enough for the shadows of the trees to stretch long across the village land.
The first people saw them.
— The children…
— They're the children!
— They're alive!
In a few moments, the village gathered around them. Hands outstretched. Tears. Screams of relief. Mothers tore their children from their arms, crying shamelessly. A father fell to his knees, thanking them wordlessly.
Sofia stopped at the edge of the crowd.
She didn't feel like a heroine.
She felt… different.
Vlad noticed.
— Do you need air?
She nodded and retreated to the old fountain in the center. The water reflected the sky—and her face. Her eyes seemed deeper. More attentive.
Dragoş approached after a few moments.
— Sofia…
She looked up.
— I know what you want to ask.
— Then tell me, he answered calmly. What has changed?
Sofia placed her palm over the medallion.
— They no longer react only when they are in danger. They respond to intent. By choice.
— Is that good or bad?
She hesitates.
— It is power, Dragoş. And power… always demands something in return.
Alexandra joins them.
— The shadows didn't ask for the medallion to destroy, she said. They asked for control.
Vlad comes last.
— That means someone knows exactly what the medallion is. And what you are, Sofia.
The words cut off his breath.
Sofia opened her mouth to say more.
To tell the truth.
To say a name.
Then, deep inside her, a voice rose—gentle, but firm.
"Not yet."the voice was Bianca
Sofia froze.
"It's too early, the voice continued. If you say it now, you'll put them in danger." Bianca said
—Sofia? Dragoş asked.
She shook her head slightly.
"Not yet," she said. Not until I fully understand what woke her up.
Her gaze moved to the castle, visible above the village.
— There's someone I need to talk to.
— Miral, Vlad said.
Sofia nodded.
But deep down, she knew:
When he speaks… nothing can be taken back.
And somewhere beyond the village, the forest closed its branches again.
Waiting.