Athena.

The northern forest stretched endlessly under the pale glow of the moon, shadows twisting like living things between the trunks of the ancient trees. My heartbeat was loud in my ears, and every sound—the snap of a branch, the rustle of leaves, the distant call of a night bird—felt amplified, urgent, demanding attention.

Beauty rode beside me, her posture calm, almost regal, yet I could feel the tension radiating from her. We weren’t just traversing the forest; we were moving ...