Wendy's POV
We abandoned the village while darkness still clung to the horizon. Every moment we lingered felt like torture, each shadow whispering memories I refused to acknowledge. The ghosts of what once was haunted every corner of that place.
Javier moves beside me in comfortable silence, that infuriating melody slipping from his lips again. The hymn cuts through my defenses like a blade, stirring feelings I've buried for centuries. My jaw clenches against the urge to demand his silence.
The forest thins around us, ancient trees surrendering to progress. The electric hum of civilization drowns out nature's whispers, replacing birdsong with the mechanical pulse of a world I barely recognize.
