The sun hung brightly overhead, painting the sky in soft shades of blue and gold as Moonella stepped off the gravel road and into the forest. A soft breeze whispered through the trees, brushing gently against her skin as if welcoming her presence. For a place that once held death, it was eerily serene.
She hadn't told anyone where she was going—not that she had anyone to tell. But something about the dream, the sketch, and the unshakable feeling deep in her gut had drawn her here.
Each step took her deeper into silence. No cars, no distant voices—just the sound of her own breath and the crunch of dried leaves beneath her boots. It felt strange, how peaceful everything looked in daylight. Almost... wrong.
Moonella stopped when she reached a small clearing surrounded by crooked trees, their branches arching above like old arms guarding forgotten secrets. This was it. The place where Elira's body had been found.
She stood still, eyes scanning the space. No signs of trauma. No markers or crosses. Just a circle of soft grass and wild dandelions swaying in the breeze.
She walked slowly, her fingers brushing the tops of the wildflowers. Part of her hoped she wouldn't find anything. Another part desperately wanted proof that everything she'd written, everything she believed, wasn't just fiction.
Then she saw it.
Half-buried beneath a patch of grass near the base of a gnarled tree, something glinted in the sunlight. Small. Silver.
She crouched down and gently cleared the dirt with her fingers.
It was a locket.
Time and weather had dulled its shine, but the delicate engraving on its surface was still faintly visible—tiny floral patterns curling around the edges like vines frozen in silver.
Moonella's heart quickened. She opened the locket with cautious fingers.
Inside, on one side, was a faded photograph of a little girl. Her smile was barely visible, blurred by years and weather—but the eyes were unmistakable.Elira.
On the opposite side, carved directly into the metal in careful, shaky letters, was a single name:Nina.
Moonella's breath caught.
She sat back on her heels, staring at the locket in her hand as a thousand thoughts swirled in her head. How could this be here? Was this really Elira's? And Nina… was that just coincidence? Or was this the same Nina who visited her in dreams?
Suddenly, something else caught her eye.
Etched into the bark of the tree behind her—so faint it could've easily been missed—were a series of symbols. Three, arranged vertically. The top symbol was a perfect circle. The second looked like an open eye with rays extending outward. The third… a spiral, broken in the middle.
She stood and traced the carvings with her fingertips. They felt old, weathered by time. Ritual symbols, maybe? Warnings?
Moonella pulled out her phone and took several photos, including the surrounding area. She took a mental note of every detail—the shape of the clearing, the tree's position, even the exact light angle when she found the locket.
She didn't know what it all meant. Not yet. But this was more than she'd hoped for.
This was proof.
As she tucked the locket safely into her pocket, a sudden gust of wind swept through the clearing, carrying the scent of old wood and damp earth. It wasn't cold. It wasn't menacing. It was… calming, like a whisper of thanks.
Moonella closed her eyes for a moment and let herself feel it. The weight of what she had discovered. The pull of the mystery she had just begun to uncover.
When she finally turned back toward the path, her steps were lighter.
For the first time, she didn't feel like just a writer chasing shadows.
She felt like someone walking toward the truth.