The cursed land was already breathing between the leaves, though no one dared to name it...

The warmth of Ozian’s hand gripped my arm; his voice trembled as he asked me not to go into the forest. He didn’t want to accept the chaotic presence already hinting in the air—like a poison that soaked into the wood of the houses in Virewood, slipped downstream from the hills, and hid rot beneath the sap-skin of the ancient trees.

—Savannah talked about the cursed land… and that place isn’t far from the forest. It could be dangerous —said Ozian.

I knew he was right. But a magical vibration was calling me, pulling me northward, toward the trees.

—Go home, Ozian —I asked him, without looking.
—I’m not letting you go alone.
—There’s something strange in the forest, we have to investigate. My mother told me about a man who died from a strange bite—where else could that have happened if not in the woods? And Savannah told us about the seeds…
—But they don’t think it’s a virus. They’re running tests to rule out other diseases.
—Admit it’s suspicious —I said.

Ozian sighed in resignation.

—We’ll go together —he agreed.

We crossed town heading toward the forest. The streets were quiet, the air carried the scent of distant rain. When we reached the edge, the smell of damp earth filled my lungs.
I gazed at the woods and let out a quiet sigh. The trees stood tall and imposing like guardians, their branches interwoven into a natural roof that darkened the forest floor.

Still, I saw sparks leaping and tickling my cheeks—there was an ancient magic humming in the air. But at the same time, I felt the cold of elongated fingers wrapping around my ankles.

We kept walking deeper inside. Ozian pushed his bike, its wheels catching on the roots that jutted out from the earth. I held my skateboard tight, and with each step, the atmosphere shifted. The air grew thicker, as if the trees were inhaling and exhaling a venom that withered the flowers.

—Do you feel that?

Before Ozian could answer, the shadow wolf stretched, placing its front paws on a tree trunk. As soon as it stood upright, its eyes scanned me before leaping toward me. I choked on a scream as I felt its jaws close around my arm.

—Will Ozian die for you? —it growled.

I staggered back, dazed, and tripped over a root. I fell hard onto the damp earth.

—Are you okay? —Ozian's voice jolted me —Juno!

—It was nothing. Let’s keep going.

The forest led us to a clearing, where the light filtered in with an unnatural glow. And then we saw it.

A solitary plant stood in the center, pulsing as if it were breathing. Its black leaves seemed to drink in all the light, reflecting barely any. Veins glowed with a purplish light, like electric currents crawling through its structure. It didn’t smell like earth or vegetation. It smelled… like sulfur.

—Ozian, get out of here —I shouted, pushing him back.

I pulled out my phone, and the moment I pointed it at the plant, a vision slammed into me like a whip.

Red skies. Charred ground. Lifeless fields where deformed shadows crawled, advanced. Cracked voices screamed in the wind.

My stomach twisted.

—Run! —I screamed, grabbing Ozian’s arm and dragging him behind me.

He reacted too late and stumbled as he turned. His bike hit the ground with a dull thud, but Ozian quickly picked it up, dragging it awkwardly as we moved blindly through roots and undergrowth. Behind me, his ragged breathing betrayed his panic.

A crack sounded beneath his feet. He froze, gasping. His broken glasses glinted on the ground.

—Ozian… —I turned and saw him trembling. His chest rose and fell violently.

I took out the small bottle of sanitizer and placed it in his hands.

—Wash thoroughly.

—Is that flower dangerous?

—Yes —I swallowed hard—. It’s like it holds the pain of many trapped souls, screaming to escape.

My throat ached.

—I shouldn't have brought you here. I'm sorry.
Ozian took a deep breath, still not fully recovered.
—How do you know all that?
—I'm weird, Ozian.
He let out a weak laugh.
—You're one of a kind.

Suddenly, I heard it: a soft, hypnotic song, like a spell woven into the wind.
—Do you hear that? —I asked, unable to take my eyes off the path.
—Yeah... What is it?
—I don’t know, but we have to find it.

We followed the sound until we reached a lake. In the distance, small boats floated, tethered to stakes on a rustic dock, like lost ghosts of another time. We passed by country houses, each one more dilapidated than the last, as if history itself had cursed them.

Finally, we found a cabin with broken windows. We left the bike and the skateboard by the entrance before going inside. The wood creaked beneath our steps, as if warning someone had arrived.

In the center of the room, lit by a beam of sunlight filtering through the broken roof, stood a lotus flower. It was small, but it felt like a spell. Its voice was clear and melodic, like the strings of a finely tuned harp. Yes, it had a voice…

The moon bleeds, the dawn is torn,
the halonite burns in the eternal night.
White chrysanthemums, dark chrysanthemums,
you will decide if there’s life or future.

I knelt before it, hypnotized by its song.
—It’s… strange —Ozian murmured, uneasy.

I cupped my hands around the flower. As I did, it gently detached from its stem, floating between my palms—and then I heard a sarcastic laugh, sharp as the edge of a blade.

—Finally. Take me with you, foolish girl —said the flower.
—Who are you? —I asked, watching the ethereal glow it emitted.
—I am all you need and all you fear —it replied, with a deliberate pause, as if savoring each word—. Now listen closely. A storm is coming, an energy rupture. It’s not what you think. A bolt is coming. Yes... pure, raw, unpredictable discharge. It doesn’t strike the ground—it pierces through it.

I stared at it, confused, not understanding what it meant.

—What’s your name?
—Lunserena, but you can call me Serena —it answered, and I felt its aura scanning me.

I carefully placed the flower in my bag. Suddenly, a whisper of electricity broke the silence. That’s when we saw it.

A cat emerged from the shadows, moving with the speed of lightning. Over its eye, a black mark shaped a perfect lightning bolt—like an omen.

That’s when I understood. The weight of the flower’s words hit me like a blow. She had seen the cat before we did.

—This is amazing! —I exclaimed, my heart racing.

The cat meowed before disappearing into the woods.
Ozian grabbed my hand.
—Let’s get out of here.

…

That night, I woke up with a tightness in my chest. The lotus flower glowed faintly in the pot on my nightstand, its soft light pulsing with an otherworldly shimmer.

I slowly sat up, fumbling through the drawer for the halonite stone. Its cold surface settled into my palm as I held it tightly. I needed to see Eridanus.

I stepped out of the trailer carefully, making sure not to wake Mom, who was curled up asleep on the couch.

The night air smelled like damp earth and wildflowers. I crossed the lot in silence, moving between the backs of the trailers and the patch of open land where the zinnias shimmered. Their petals sparkled under the moonlight.

I pressed the stone to my chest and closed my eyes.
—Eridanus… —my voice barely carried on the wind—. I need to see you.

I paced in circles, digging my nails into my palms like I could claw the waiting out of me. Every sound made me whip my head around. Every shadow looked like him.

—The people in town are in danger —I whispered, letting the words dissolve into the night—. I think there’s a virus, or a poison spreading in the air. I can feel it… I know it’s dangerous. I’m sure it’s connected to the cursed land.

The wind tossed my hair, and I smiled at the warmth brushing my skin.
—Eridanus? —I opened my eyes wide.

A flash lit up the darkness. My breath caught—I knew I was about to see him.

But instead of his slender form and hypnotic light, what appeared was…
—Girl, what the hell are you doing out here this late? Get back inside! —a gruff voice barked.

The skinny neighbor was pointing a flashlight at me, squinting like I was some kind of fugitive. The warmth I’d felt wasn’t Eridanus—it was the stale air from his cigarette and the yellow beam bouncing off my face.

—I… —I blinked, still caught in the illusion—. I thought you were…

The man huffed and shook his head.
—Thought I was what? An angel? Go on, get back inside before your mom chews me out for letting a kid wander around doing dumb stuff at this hour.

I let my shoulders drop, the spell broken, the weight of disappointment sinking deep into my chest. I sighed and walked back without arguing. But just as I passed the row of zinnias, a whisper slipped through the shadows.

"I’ll come back to you."

Goosebumps prickled my skin. I froze, gripping the stone tightly.
It hadn’t been my imagination.