Chapter Forty Six

Damian

"Dammy," she called, using the nickname she had given me in our youthful days. Only she ever called me that, and hearing it now stirred emotions I thought were buried long ago with her death. The shadows of the forest seemed to respond to her call, weaving a surreal dance around us. My head spun with disbelief, my heart pounding in my chest.

Surely, I must be seeing double.

"Follow me, and we can be together again. Abandon this quest, and all our pains will vanish." She whispered in a haunting melody, wrapping around me like a familiar yet distant echo. It was beyond strange to hear her lovely voice after all this year—six, to be precise.

"No, this can't be happening, Ava; you can't be here. You can't be real because I saw you die," I whispered to myself, my voice trembling, and I shook my head in disbelief as I tried to comprehend her impossible presence. I was beyond shocked. Why was she in the forest of darkness? I felt like I was losing my mind because there was no way she