THE WHISPERS OF THE FOREST
The forest remembered things that people forgot.
Parna had believed that for as long as she could remember.
While others feared the woods surrounding her village, she found comfort there. The trees never judged her. The rivers never laughed at her questions. The wind never called her strange.
Nature simply accepted her.
Perhaps that was why she spent more time among trees than among people.
The morning sun filtered through the leaves as Parna walked along a narrow forest trail.
Birds sang overhead.
A cool breeze carried the scent of wet earth.
Everything appeared normal.
Yet something felt different.
For the past three days, the forest had been acting strangely.
The birds changed their migration routes.
Flowers bloomed out of season.
Animals appeared in places they shouldn't.
And every night, Parna dreamed of a gate.
A giant stone gate standing beneath a sky full of black clouds.
She never understood what it meant.
But the dream returned again and again.
Always the same.
Always unfinished.
---
Parna reached her favorite place deep within the woods.
An ancient tree stood there.
Its roots spread across the ground like giant veins.
No one knew how old it was.
The villagers called it the Elder Tree.
Children were told not to go near it.
Parna ignored those warnings.
The tree felt familiar.
Almost like an old friend.
She sat against its trunk and closed her eyes.
The forest sounds surrounded her.
Rustling leaves.
Flowing water.
Birdsong.
Then suddenly—
Silence.
Parna opened her eyes.
The birds had stopped singing.
The wind had stopped blowing.
Even the insects had become quiet.
An uneasy feeling settled inside her chest.
Slowly she stood.
"What's wrong?" she whispered.
Of course, no one answered.
Yet somehow she felt the forest trying to communicate.
Trying to warn her.
About what?
She didn't know.
---
A shadow moved between the trees.
Parna turned quickly.
Nothing.
Only darkness between the trunks.
She frowned.
For a moment she had been certain someone was there.
Watching.
The feeling vanished as quickly as it arrived.
Still, she couldn't shake the sensation.
Someone—or something—had been observing her.
---
By afternoon she returned to the village.
Life continued as usual.
Children played in the streets.
Farmers worked in their fields.
Merchants sold fruit and vegetables.
Everything looked normal.
Yet Parna noticed small things.
A flock of birds circling the same spot.
Dogs barking toward the forest.
A horse refusing to move.
Animals noticed things before humans did.
And today every animal seemed nervous.
---
That evening a storm began gathering on the horizon.
Dark clouds rolled across the sky.
The air became heavy.
People hurried indoors.
Parna remained outside.
Watching.
Waiting.
The wind brushed against her face.
For a brief moment she heard something.
A whisper.
So faint she almost missed it.
"North."
Parna froze.
The voice had sounded distant.
Almost like the wind itself had spoken.
She looked around.
No one stood nearby.
The village square was nearly empty.
"Who's there?" she asked.
No answer came.
Only the approaching storm.
---
Night arrived.
Rain tapped softly against her bedroom window.
The storm had grown stronger.
Lightning flashed beyond the forest.
Parna sat beside the glass, staring into the darkness.
Something was happening.
She felt it deep inside her.
Like invisible threads pulling toward an unknown destination.
Eventually exhaustion overcame her.
She climbed into bed and closed her eyes.
Sleep arrived quickly.
And with it came the dream.
---
She stood inside a forest unlike any she had ever seen.
The trees were enormous.
Their branches stretched toward the stars.
Silver mist covered the ground.
The air felt ancient.
Alive.
Parna walked forward.
Something was calling her.
Not with words.
With feeling.
With memory.
Ahead, a path appeared.
She followed it.
The deeper she walked, the quieter everything became.
Soon the forest ended.
And there it was.
The gate.
Massive.
Ancient.
Covered with symbols she couldn't understand.
The same gate from every dream.
This time she stood closer.
Close enough to see the carvings.
Close enough to notice four circular symbols glowing faintly across its surface.
One red.
One green.
One silver.
One gold.
Parna stepped forward.
The symbols pulsed softly.
As if reacting to her presence.
Then she heard footsteps.
Not behind her.
Beyond the gate.
Someone was there.
Waiting.
Watching.
A cold feeling crawled down her spine.
The storm above intensified.
Lightning split the sky.
For a brief second, the figure became visible.
A silhouette.
Tall.
Motionless.
Its face hidden beneath darkness.
Only its eyes could be seen.
Crimson.
Bright as burning embers.
The same eyes from Riva's vision.
The figure smiled.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
And then spoke.
"The forest remembers."
The voice echoed through the dream.
Ancient.
Patient.
Terrifying.
Parna tried to move.
She couldn't.
Tried to speak.
No sound emerged.
The crimson eyes remained fixed upon her.
As if studying her.
As if recognizing her.
Then everything changed.
The ground trembled.
The gate began to glow.
The four symbols brightened.
And suddenly another image flashed before her.
A girl standing beneath a storm.
Dark hair.
Quiet eyes.
Watching rain strike a window.
Parna didn't know who the girl was.
Yet somehow she felt connected to her.
As though their stories had already begun intertwining.
As though fate itself was pulling them together.
The image vanished.
The crimson eyes disappeared.
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
Parna woke with a gasp.
Her room was dark.
Rain still fell outside.
Thunder rolled across the sky.
Her heart pounded violently.
The dream had felt real.
Too real.
She climbed out of bed and approached the window.
Lightning illuminated the forest.
For a single second she thought she saw something standing among the trees.
A figure.
Watching.
Then darkness returned.
Gone.
Perhaps it had only been her imagination.
Perhaps.
Yet deep inside, Parna knew something had changed.
The dream was no longer just a dream.
The whispers were becoming louder.
The forest was trying to lead her somewhere.
Toward something forgotten.
Toward something hidden.
Far away, another girl had awakened from a vision.
Neither knew the other's name.
Neither knew the role they would play.
But somewhere beyond the storm, unseen forces were already moving.
The first key had stirred.
Now the second had begun to awaken.
And the Kingdom of Aurelia continued to open its eyes.