Echoes Of The Lantern Wood

The last bus dropped Maren Calloway at the edge of Lantern Wood just after sunset, its headlights cutting a narrow beam through the thickening mist before disappearing down the road. She stood alone with a suitcase and a messenger bag slung across her shoulder, staring at the dense forest that swallowed the path ahead. Her breath came out in faint clouds as early autumn cold seeped beneath her coat.

She had not returned to Lantern Wood since she was fifteen. Fifteen and terrified. Fifteen and certain she had seen something that should not exist. Fifteen and desperate to forget the very town she was now forced to return to.

If not for the letter she received three days ago she never would have come.

It had been written in her brothers messy handwriting, even though her brother Elias had been declared missing ten months earlier.

Come home Maren. The lanterns have started again. And he is awake.

Her stomach had twisted when she read it. The lanterns. The one part of the woods every child in Lantern Hollow feared. The ghost lights that flickered deep between the pines. The whispers that came when the fog hung low. And the legend of the one who watched from the shadows.

The Watcher.

Maren dragged in a deep breath and began walking the dirt path toward town. The trees towered overhead so tall they blocked most of the fading sky. Each branch creaked softly like something breathing. She tried to steady her steps though every rustle made her heart jump.

Halfway across the old wooden footbridge she halted abruptly.

A soft glow shimmered ahead at the far end of the bridge. A lantern. Bright golden. Floating a few inches above the ground with no hand to hold it. It pulsed once like a heartbeat then faded.

Maren staggered back. No. Not again.

Her voice trembled. Elias. If this is your trick it is not funny.

Silence answered her.

The wind shifted and she felt watched. Not by a person. But by something within the trees. Something old. Something she had spent her whole childhood avoiding.

She forced her legs to move. For Elias she whispered.

The path led her to her childhood home on the hill. The porch light was off but a faint glow flickered from the living room window. She pushed open the door and stepped inside. Dust hung in the air. Her fathers coat still hung beside the door even though he had passed five years earlier. The house felt frozen in time, as though it had been waiting for her.

Maren dropped her suitcase and whispered Elias

No response.

She walked through the dark rooms until she reached the living room. A lantern sat on the table glowing faintly with golden light. Her heart pounded.

She approached slowly. Elias if you are here please answer me.

The lantern dimmed then brightened again. A pulse. Another pulse. And then

A voice behind her.

You should not touch that.

Maren whipped around, her heart leaping sharply. A man stood in the doorway between kitchen and hall. Tall. Lean. His dark hair fell slightly across his brow. His eyes glowed with a faint gold like embers beneath ash. Something about him felt human yet not fully so. His presence shimmered subtly as if he was not entirely solid.

Maren stumbled back. Who are you What are you doing in my house

His expression remained calm though his voice carried a gentle tension. My name is Riven.

Riven. The name felt too strange and too beautiful to belong to a person standing in her dusty living room.

She steadied her breathing. And why are you here

He looked at the lantern. The light was calling me.

Calling you she repeated. What does that even mean

His eyes returned to her with a softness that unnerved her. You carry lantern blood Maren. The woods respond to you.

She stared frozen. No. Whatever you are trying to say is ridiculous.

He stepped a bit closer but maintained a respectful distance. You have seen the lights before.

Her blood chilled. As a child yes. Once. The night you ran and your brother comforted you.

Her voice cracked. How do you know that

Because I was there.

Maren felt the air tighten around her chest. But you were not real. I was a child. I was afraid. I imagined things.

His expression grew sad. If only that were true.

Maren backed toward the door. I should call someone. The police. Anyone.

Riven shook his head but not threateningly. They cannot help you. Not with this. Not with what is coming.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. What is coming

The lanterns awaken only when the veil weakens. And the veil weakens only when someone is trying to cross from the other side.

Maren froze. Elias. Is he alive

Riven hesitated. She saw pain flicker in his glowing eyes. I do not know. But the lanterns search for him. As they search for all lost souls.

She inhaled sharply. Then help me find him.

Riven looked startled. You would trust me

No she admitted. But I will do anything for my brother.

A faint smile touched his lips like he respected her honesty. Then I will help.

Maren grabbed a coat and flashlight. Before she could step outside Riven raised a hand.

The lanterns will guide us. Not your flashlight. The woods listen to the wrong kind of light.

She reluctantly switched it off.

They stepped into the misty night. Almost immediately a golden lantern appeared between two trees. It hovered silently pulsing as if breathing.

Riven murmured. Follow it. Do not walk too far from me.

She shot him a wary glance. Why

Because the woods will try to take you.

The lantern drifted deeper into the forest and Maren followed cautiously. Riven walked beside her soundless on the leaves. She felt his presence like a faint warmth in the cold air.

They crossed the footbridge, passed ancient cedar trunks, and reached a clearing she did not remember.

Riven stopped. The lantern vanished.

Maren whispered. What now

The air grew still. No birds. No insects. Nothing.

Then a second lantern appeared hovering inches from her face. She gasped. It pulsed urgently and a voice whispered faintly within it.

Maren.

Her knees nearly buckled. Elias. It sounded like him. Weak. Distant.

She reached her hand toward the lantern but Riven grabbed her wrist gently.

Do not touch it.

Let go she snapped. He is calling me.

Riven stepped closer his face tight with fear. The voice you hear may not be your brother. The woods mimic those you miss most. It is how they lure guardians.

Guardians Maren echoed.

His grip loosened slightly though still steady. Lantern born souls are guardians in waiting. Your mother was one though she refused the calling. That choice cost her life.

Maren felt stabbed by the memory. My mother died in an accident.

Riven held her gaze. The woods do not cause accidents Maren. They collect souls that stray near the veil.

She yanked her hand free. I am not listening to your ghost stories.

She reached for the lantern.

Riven moved faster than humanly possible wrapping his arms around her waist pulling her back sharply.

Maren screamed Let me go

His voice cut through the darkness not angry but desperate. If you touch it you will be taken. I cannot lose you.

His words stunned her into silence. Lose me You just met me.

He exhaled shakily. Maren I have known you for years though you never saw me.

Ice crawled up her spine. Then what are you

Riven lowered his head. I am a lantern spirit. A bridge keeper. Bound to the veil. Bound to guide souls who drift too close.

Her breath trembled. A ghost.

Not fully he said. But not alive either.

The lantern whispered again. Maren. Help.

Tears burned her eyes. Elias is my brother. He would never trick me.

Riven tightened his jaw. Then we must go where the veil thins. Hold my arm. The woods will try to separate us.

She grabbed his sleeve. His skin felt warm almost burning despite the cold. The lantern drifted deeper into the woods and the trees bent away from its light like in fear.

They walked until they reached a ravine Maren had never seen. Mist rose in thick spirals. The lantern hovered above the ravine pulsing stronger and stronger.

A faint cry rose from below. Maren. Please. Help me.

Maren sobbed. Elias.

Riven whispered. It sounds real because he may be real. But if you jump you will fall through the veil. You cannot follow him yet.

She glared at Riven. Then what do I do

Riven touched his palm to the ground and the soil glowed faintly beneath his fingers. The veil is thin here. I can open it. But if I open it I must give part of myself. And I am already nearly drained from keeping the woods away from you.

Maren grabbed his hand. Then do not do it.

His eyes softened painfully. I must. Because I would do anything to protect you.

Why she whispered. Why me

Riven hesitated. His voice broke when he finally answered. Because you are the first person whose presence made me feel alive again. Because your light pulled me from the shadows long before you ever returned.

Her heart twisted violently. Riven.

The lanterns hummed impatiently. The voice from below grew weaker.

Riven closed his eyes and the air trembled. A rift slowly opened above the ravine like a tear in reality revealing swirling darkness. The voice of Elias echoed louder for a moment.

Maren. Please.

She stepped toward the opening but Riven caught her again.

No. Not yet. You cannot cross without becoming bound like me.

Then how do we get him out

Riven looked tortured. I do not know. But I will not let you sacrifice your life.

Her chest tightened. Do not tell me what I can and cannot do.

Riven looked at her with pained eyes. If you cross you will never return. You will fade piece by piece until you are trapped in the lantern realm forever.

Maren cupped his face gently surprising them both. Riven. My brother is all I have left.

Riven whispered. You are all I have left.

Her breath caught. Riven.

Before she could reply the ground cracked and something rose from the ravine. A shadow made of dozens of writhing forms. Its eyes glowed like dying embers. It whispered with a thousand voices.

Give us the guardian.

Maren stumbled back. What is that

Riven positioned himself in front of her his entire form flickering with pale light. A wraith massed from lost souls. It hunts guardians. It wants your light.

Maren gripped his arm. And Elias

He whispered He is inside its grip.

The wraith surged upward. Riven unleashed a burst of golden light pushing it back but the effort nearly shattered him. His body flickered wildly.

Maren gasped Riven stop. You cannot keep doing that.

He smiled weakly over his shoulder. Then protect me.

She had no idea how. But something inside her chest pulsed. A warmth. A deep ancient hum. The same warmth that had surrounded her mother when she tended their garden at night. The same warmth she felt the night she saw lantern lights as a child.

She raised her hands instinctively.

The air exploded with golden light.

The trees bent away. The wraith shrieked. The lantern beside them ignited like a star.

Riven stared at her in stunned awe. Maren. You awakened.

The power burned through her until she nearly collapsed. Riven caught her before she fell. The wraith recoiled from the light revealing a mass of tangled forms within it. And in the very center a faint shape.

Elias.

Maren screamed his name.

The wraith tightened around him. Riven growled. It is consuming him. If we do not free him now he will become part of it forever.

How she cried.

By completing the lantern bond Riven whispered. You and I together. But once completed our souls will be linked. You will never outrun the woods again. And I will never leave your side. We will be bound for eternity.

Maren stared into his glowing amber eyes. She saw fear. And longing. And love he did not dare speak.

She whispered I choose it. I choose you. Help me save him.

Riven inhaled shakily. Then take my hand.

She did. Their fingers intertwined and golden fire erupted around them. His glow merged with hers creating a blazing sphere of light that tore through the darkness.

The wraith shrieked as the light shattered its form. Elias fell through collapsing onto the ground. Maren sobbed running to him. He was weak trembling but alive.

Riven knelt on the other side of Elias, smiling faintly even as his form flickered. You saved him.

Maren wiped her tears. We saved him.

Elias whispered weakly. Maren. Riven. You two. The lanterns. I saw everything.

Maren stroked his hair. You are safe now.

Riven looked between them but his expression dimmed slightly. The veil will close soon. The woods will rest again.

Maren touched his arm. And you

Riven exhaled. Bound to you now. Not to the woods. Wherever you go I follow.

Her heart surged painfully with emotion. Does that frighten you

His lips curved into a soft smile. It is the first thing in centuries that does not frighten me.

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. Warm. Solid. Real.

Riven whispered. Maren Calloway. Guardian of Lantern Wood. I will walk beside you for as long as your soul burns.

She whispered back And until your lantern goes dark I will not leave you.

The veil closed with a quiet sigh of wind. The lanterns dimmed. The trees stood silent once more.

Elias weak but breathing leaned against Maren as she held him steady. Riven walked beside them his amber eyes no longer haunted but filled with newfound hope.

And deep within Lantern Wood the ancient spirits watched with quiet approval.

A new guardian had awakened.

A broken spirit had found solace.

And an impossible love had begun to bridge the realm between the living and the lost.

Their story was only beginning under the soft glow of the lanterns.