As I melted into Dimitri's embrace, the darkness enveloped us like a thick fog, swallowing the clearing and the remnants of my confrontation with the hooded figures. It felt as though we had stepped into another realm, one where time stood still and the weight of our reality hung heavy in the air. The whispers of the voice still echoed in my mind, but they were muted now, drowned out by the steady rhythm of Dimitri’s heartbeat against my ear.
“Aurora,” he murmured, pulling back slightly to look into my eyes. “Stay with me. We’re safe here.”
I nodded, trying to shake off the lingering anxiety that clung to me like a shadow. “I know. It’s just… the voice—it feels like it knows me. It knows my fears, my doubts.”
Dimitri’s expression turned serious. “It’s trying to manipulate you, to make y
