Aria's breath caught in her throat.
That voice.
It was impossible.
Her pulse roared in her ears as she turned toward the sound, her body moving before her mind could catch up. Her feet barely touched the ground as she walked forward, her entire being drawn to that voice—his voice.
"Aria…"
Callan.
Her heart twisted painfully in her chest. She knew that voice better than her own. She had heard it in her dreams, in her nightmares, and in the echoes of her regrets.
He was dead. She knew he was dead. She had seen it happen. She had caused it.
But still…
"Aria, please."
It was broken, pleading—like he was in pain.
Her steps quickened, but before she could take another breath, a strong hand yanked her back.
"Aria, stop."
Eldara's grip was firm, her blue eyes filled with warning. "It's a trick."
Aria's entire body tensed. "No. It's him."
Eldara didn't let go. "I don't know who this is, but it isn't Callan."
The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of damp earth and something darker—something rotten.
But Aria didn't care.
She yanked her arm free from Eldara's grasp and stepped forward.
"Callan?"
The trees whispered around her, shifting, twisting. Shadows curled at the edges of her vision. The ground felt unsteady, as if reality itself was bending.
And then, she saw him.
Standing just beyond the trees, illuminated by silver moonlight, was Callan.
Her breath left her.
He looked exactly the same—the same strong features, the same dark eyes that once held both mischief and kindness. His clothes were torn, dirty, but it was him.
"Aria…" His voice wavered, thick with emotion. "It's me."
Tears blurred her vision.
She took a step closer. "How… how are you—"
"Don't." Eldara's voice was sharp, urgent. "He's not real."
Aria ignored her.
He was right there.
Her hands trembled. "Callan… I—"
"I'm here," he said, stepping toward her.
The moment his foot touched the ground, a chill shot through her body, sending ice down her spine. The air thickened, turning heavy with something unnatural.
Eldara grabbed her wrist. "Look at his eyes."
Aria did.
And her stomach dropped.
His eyes weren't right.
They were dark—too dark. Like endless voids.
She staggered back. "No."
A sickening grin spread across Callan's face. "I've missed you, Aria."
His voice twisted, becoming distorted, layered with something else—something inhuman.
Then, his form began to shift.
His flesh rippled like water. His skin cracked, peeling away in jagged pieces. Shadows poured from his mouth, his hands, his eyes.
The thing wearing Callan's face let out a low, guttural laugh.
"You want to believe, don't you?" it whispered.
Aria's blood turned cold.
This wasn't him.
This was something else.
Something wrong.
Her hands clenched into fists. Power stirred inside her, burning through her veins, rising like a wave.
The creature tilted its head, watching her. Then, it smiled.
And lunged.
Aria barely had time to react.
The creature lunged at her with inhuman speed, its mouth stretching wide, revealing rows of jagged, blackened teeth.
She threw herself backward, barely avoiding its grasp. A sharp gust of wind cut through the trees, rustling the leaves as the ground beneath them trembled. Eldara stood firm beside her, her fingers twitching as energy crackled around her.
The illusion of Callan had completely shattered now. The figure before them was a monstrous shadow of what he once was. Its body was twisted, elongated, its limbs too long, its skin peeling away like burnt paper. The remnants of Callan's face hung over a hollow void where eyes should have been.
"You missed me, didn't you, Aria?" the creature whispered, its voice layered with a chorus of voices—Callan's, her own, others she didn't recognize.
Aria clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
This wasn't Callan.
It had never been Callan.
But it knew her.
It knew her regrets, her grief, the pain she carried.
And it was using it against her.
Aria's breath came in sharp, controlled bursts. "You think you can trick me?" she spat, her voice steadier than she felt.
The creature's head snapped unnaturally to the side. "I did trick you."
Her stomach twisted.
It was right.
For a moment, she had believed.
A sliver of hope had slipped into her heart, and the creature had fed on it.
But not anymore.
Aria's fingers twitched, and the air around her shimmered with power.
She had let Callan die. She had warned him, but he hadn't listened. That was the past.
And she refused to let the past control her.
The creature grinned, sensing the shift in her energy. "That anger… it suits you."
It lunged again.
This time, Aria didn't move back.
Instead, she charged forward.
A blinding arc of energy erupted from her palm, slamming into the creature's chest. It let out a piercing shriek as the force sent it crashing into the trees. The ground cracked beneath them, dark mist curling around its body.
Eldara wasted no time.
She raised her hands, and the wind howled in response. The trees groaned, their branches twisting unnaturally. Vines shot out from the earth, wrapping around the creature's limbs, pulling it down.
But it wasn't enough.
The creature's body convulsed, twisting unnaturally, and the vines burned away upon contact.
It let out another distorted laugh.
"You're stronger than I expected," it mused, voice thick with amusement. "But it won't save you."
Aria narrowed her eyes. "We'll see about that."
She raised both hands this time, summoning everything she had. Energy crackled around her like a storm, the air itself bending under the weight of her power.
The creature cocked its head. "Ah… so you do know who you are."
A flicker of hesitation crossed Aria's face.
What?
But before she could respond, the creature moved.
Not forward—downward.
It sank into the ground, dissolving into the shadows like smoke.
And then—
Silence.
The air was still. The forest held its breath.
Eldara took a cautious step forward, her energy still thrumming in the air. "It's not gone," she warned.
Aria knew that.
She could still feel it.
Lingering. Waiting. Watching.
Then—
The ground beneath her exploded.
Shadows erupted in thick tendrils, wrapping around her ankles, her wrists, pulling.
Her breath hitched as the air grew colder, her body sinking into the darkness.
"ARIA!" Eldara's voice was distant, distorted.
She struggled, power surging through her veins, but the shadows only tightened their grip. They weren't just binding her.
They were consuming her.
And then—
A voice.
Deep. Hollow.
"You cannot escape fate."
Her vision blurred. The world faded.
And everything went black.