The forest had gone completely still, as if the world itself had decided to hold its breath. Not a single leaf rustled, not a bird dared to sing. We were standing at the very heart of it all, the place where the warmth gathered and lingered the longest, wrapping around the body like an invisible blanket. The air here felt heavier, denser, almost intimate, as if the forest itself was aware of what was about to happen and chose silence out of respect—or curiosity.
Right in front of me were three women.
Trill. Artemis. Aegis.
