The wind murmured, brushing against the old bark with secrets too long kept. She closed her eyes, letting the lyrics of forgotten echoes guide her steps deeper into the woodland maze. Here, where the light played hide and seek, paths lingered—faint trails speaking of footsteps no longer here.

"They came after the stars dimmed," a voice like the rustling leaves drifted through the tangled branches. Voices from places unseen, shedding lines that had once bound the universe in threads golden and fine. Shadows danced along the periphery, closer, farther—never choosing a side.

Beneath the roots of the tallest tree, she crouched, tracing symbols older than time itself. Once, they told of great journeys, lost conquests, and tranquil tomorrows. Now, they whispered only of silence. The warmth of history tingled around her, wrapping her in an embrace ever yearning.