Huff… Huff…
Footsteps pounded across damp earth, kicking up dew and loose soil. Leo ran, branches whipping past, shadows flickering like ghosts on either side. His lungs burned. His heartbeat thundered against his ribs like war drums in a siege.
The forest blurred, a tunnel of green and darkness.
Salt crept into the air.
Then, light.
A pale, silvery glow shimmered ahead, slipping between the branches like moonlight spilled from heaven. Leo pushed harder, bursting through the last veil of trees—
And skidded to a halt.
The ground vanished beneath his feet.
Before him yawned a vast cliff, jagged and sheer. The ocean churned far below, a furious thing clawing at the rocks. Waves crashed with the roar of thunder, flinging spray high into the air like the breath of a beast.
Wind shrieked from the depths, tugging at his clothes, his hair. It felt alive.
Leo stood on the edge, frozen.
Then—
A voice.
Soft. Echoing. Distant, yet close.
"Leo…"
A whisper riding the wind.
