DYLAN’S POV:
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The forest whispered around me, the rustling leaves carrying secrets only the wind could understand. I moved swiftly, my arms tightening around Cassandra’s fragile form as I carried her through the dense woodland. The trees towered above us, ancient and gnarled, their twisted branches stretching toward the sky like skeletal fingers. Shadows slithered across the forest floor, shifting with every step I took. The air here was now different—thick with enchantment, humming with an energy both eerie and oddly protective.
She stirred against my chest, her breath shallow, her body slack with exhaustion. I ignored the dull ache in my arms, pushing forward through the undergrowth, my senses sharp, my mind focused. We were close.
Then, through the tangled web of trees, the bunk
