Chapter 23: Echoes of the Hidden
The forest swallowed them whole.
Leaves whipped past as Marissa and Mason sprinted through the underbrush, their breath sharp against the hush of the trees. Shadows stretched and twisted around them, the morning sun barely filtering through the thick canopy above. The crack of the branch still echoed in Marissa's ears, a warning bell ringing through her veins.
Mason didn't slow, didn't glance back. His grip was tight on her hand, guiding her through tangled roots and uneven ground. She could feel the heat of his panic in the way his muscles strained, the way his eyes darted to every movement. But beneath that, there was purpose he wasn't just running. He knew where he was going.
After what felt like miles, he veered sharply to the right, toward a moss-covered outcrop nestled between two ancient trees. He dropped to a crouch, pulling Marissa down beside him.
"Stay still," he whispered, breath ragged.
She did. Heart pounding, chest heaving, she pressed close to the rock as footsteps crunched somewhere behind them. Not hurried. Measured. Whoever was following them wasn't lost.
Marissa closed her eyes, trying to will her heartbeat to quiet, to become part of the stillness around them. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and distant rain. Beside her, Mason was stone.
Then the footsteps faded.
Only when the silence returned fully did Mason exhale. He looked to her, brushing a damp lock of hair from her forehead.
"We can't stop for long. But I need you to trust me. There's a place not far from here a place they won't follow us into."
Marissa nodded. She was past questioning now. Her fear had deepened into something quieter, heavier. It sat in her bones, but it didn't freeze her anymore. She was moving forward with him, wherever that led.
They moved again, this time slower, winding deeper into the forest's heart. As they walked, the atmosphere began to change. The air grew cooler, the light dimmer, even though the sun had risen high above the clouds. The trees here were older, their trunks twisted and thick with lichen. A silence hung between them that wasn't just the absence of sound—it felt like listening to a memory.
"Where are we going?" Marissa finally asked, her voice soft.
Mason glanced at her, then forward. "It's called the Hollow Veil. My mother spoke of it once, before she disappeared. A sanctuary hidden by enchantment. I didn't believe it existed until I saw it with my own eyes."
"Is it magic?"
He hesitated. "It's something older than that. Not spells or rituals. It's a place the world forgot, where the veil between what we see and what we don't wears thin. Where truth and myth breathe the same air."
Marissa shivered, but not from cold. Her fingers brushed against his.
"We're almost there," he said.
Minutes later, they emerged into a clearing.
Marissa gasped.
It was as though the forest had peeled back its layers to reveal a secret heart. A waterfall trickled down smooth stones into a crystalline pool, surrounded by soft moss and blooming nightflowers deep indigo and silver petals glowing faintly even in daylight. A gentle mist hung in the air, catching the light like stars.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
Mason didn't answer at first. He was watching her.
"So are you," he said finally.
Heat bloomed in her cheeks, and she looked away, overwhelmed by the sincerity in his voice.
They approached the water's edge, and Mason crouched, touching the surface lightly with his fingers. The ripples shimmered like liquid moonlight.
"We're safe here," he said. "For now."
They sat beneath the shelter of a twisted willow, its branches trailing like silver threads into the water. Marissa leaned her head against Mason's shoulder. He was warm. Solid.
And yet, she could feel it the change he had spoken of. A humming beneath his skin. A quiet storm gathering behind his eyes.
"Tell me more about them," she said softly. "The others. The ones who didn't make it."
Mason was silent for a long moment.
"There were seven of us," he said. "All taken from different parts of the world. Chosen for our... potential. That's what they called it. We thought it was for some advanced study program. It was a lie."
He paused, and his hand found hers.
"The experiments were subtle at first. Supplements. Isolation. They monitored our thoughts, our responses to stress. Then it got worse. DNA manipulation. Exposure to controlled environments. Trauma."
Marissa's heart ached.
"What happened to them?"
"Some resisted. Their bodies couldn't handle the changes. Others embraced it. They became something else entirely. Hollowed out. Hungry. I escaped before it could happen to me. But I don't know how much time I have."
She looked up at him.
"You're still fighting. That means something."
His eyes met hers. "You make it easier."
She smiled, but there was sadness in it. "If I lose you to this, Mason..."
He cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing the curve of her jaw. "You won't. I swear it. Whatever I have to do, I'll stay me. As long as you're with me."
She leaned into him, and he kissed her gentle, reverent, like a promise sealed in silence. The Hollow Veil wrapped around them, holding them in a place beyond time.
But the peace was fragile.
Later, as they lay on the soft moss, staring up at the canopy above, Mason tensed.
"Someone's coming," he said.
Marissa sat up. "How do you know?"
"I can feel them. Their pulse in the ground. The air shifts when they move."
He stood, and she followed. Across the clearing, just beyond the waterfall, the mist thickened. Shapes began to move within it.
Mason stepped in front of her, shoulders squared. "They shouldn't be able to enter."
But the mist parted.
A figure emerged. Tall. Cloaked in black. His presence felt like frostbite.
"Victor Rellin," Mason breathed.
Marissa's blood turned to ice.
The man smiled, though there was no warmth in it. His eyes were silver, sharp as broken glass.
"So this is where you've hidden yourself, Mason. Tucked away in fairy tales and forgotten corners. Charming."
Mason didn't move.
"Leave. Now."
Victor laughed softly. "You think this place can protect you? The veil weakens. Even myths decay."
He took another step forward, and the air trembled.
Marissa gripped Mason's hand, but he stepped forward alone.
"You ruined lives," he said. "You turned people into monsters."
Victor tilted his head. "I revealed their true nature."
Mason snarled. A low, guttural sound not entirely human.
Victor's eyes gleamed. "There it is. The beast beneath the boy. It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"You won't touch her," Mason said.
"Oh, I don't need to," Victor replied. "She'll see it eventually. The cracks in your skin. The hunger. The fury. She'll watch you become everything you hate."
Mason lunged.
Victor vanished into mist.
Marissa ran to him as he collapsed to one knee, gasping.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"He wasn't really here," Mason muttered. "Just a projection. Testing the barrier. Mocking me."
Marissa helped him up.
"We can't stay long," she said. "You said this place was safe. But if he can find us here…"
He nodded, eyes dark. "Then we find the others. The ones who escaped. The ones who still remember who they are."
She took his hand again.
"Then let's go find them. Together."
The Hollow Veil shivered as they stepped into the trees once more.
Somewhere behind them, the nightflowers dimmed.