"Run!"
Ethan shoved Ivy away from the encroaching black smoke, his voice rough with desperation.
"Brother! No!" she cried out.
"Stubborn brat! Just run!"
Without another word, Ivy sprinted away, her legs burning as she forced herself not to look back.
Each footfall echoed the heartbreak she felt as tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision. She didn't know where she was headed, only that she had to keep moving—had to survive.
Finally, she stumbled upon a cave, its gaping mouth a shadowy void. 
"Brother, are we going in he—" Ivy’s voice broke as she turned, realizing the harsh truth, she was alone.
Panic clawed at her throat, but she forced it down, determined to enter the cave. Step by step, she descended into the pitch-black depths, the darkness swallowing her whole. But then, faintly, a light flickered deep within.
Creeping forward, Ivy hid behind jagged rocks and strange, twisted formations. She peered around a boulder and froze, her eyes widening in horror.
There it was, the mark. The same eerie symbol she’d seen during the ritual, glowing ominously in the dim light.
She clapped a trembling hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her ragged breaths. In the center of the mark, a body lay, lifeless and surrounded by shadowy figures chanting in low, guttural tones.
Ivy took a step back, but suddenly, a hand clamped down on her arm, icy and unyielding. Panic surged through her, and without thinking, she wrenched herself free and bolted toward the cave’s entrance.
"Brother!" she screamed, her voice hoarse, as she burst out into the open, her tears mingling with the dirt on her face.
She tripped, crashing to the ground.
"Ouch!" She looked up, she saw Dylan standing there.
Her hand instinctively reached for the thin, sharp knife Ethan had given her, the only thing she had to protect herself.
"Ivy?" Ethan’s voice cut through the air, laced with suspicion as he took a cautious step back.
"Impostor!" she hissed, her grip tightening on the knife, her eyes wild with fear.
Ethan’s gaze darkened, and he reached for a large wooden branch from the tree beside him. "You’re the impostor."
Her breath caught in her throat at the accusation. "W-Where are the others? You don't know because you're not him!"
"You took them! Bring back Sadie, bring back my sister!" Ethan’s voice cracked as he raised the branch, ready to strike.
"Ivy..."
A voice whispered from behind her, sending chills down her spine. She spun around, but the shadows were empty. When she turned back to Dylan, confusion clouded his face.
Ivy's pulse quickened—she knew they were close. Without a second thought, she bolted in the opposite direction.
"Wait!" Dylan's voice echoed, desperate, as he took off after her.
No matter how fast she ran or how many twists and turns she took, she couldn’t shake him. The forest closed in around her until suddenly, she skidded to a halt at the edge of a steep cliff.
“Dang it!”
“Ivy... wait!” Ethan’s voice called out, breathless but insistent. “It’s me!”
Ivy’s eyes darted to him, her mind racing as she analyzing every detail. The cuts on his hands, some still raw but not as severe as before.
He stepped closer, and she instinctively backed away, her foot slipping on the loose dirt. Before she could fall, Dylan’s arms wrapped around her waist, yanking her back to safety.
“Reckless as ever, Ivy...” 
The sudden closeness made her heart skip a beat.
Her cheeks flushed as she realized how tightly they were pressed together. She shifted, trying to compose herself, but her mind raced with doubts.
“Wait... why did you say I took Sadie and Aria?”
His gaze darkened, his expression haunted by the memory. “You showed up last night, but you were alone. It didn’t make sense—Ethan would never leave you behind. I tried to ignore it, but then...”
“Then what?”
His eyes clouding with something she couldn’t quite place. “Some people came... we fought, Ivy... but.”
“But?”
He looked away, guilt etched into his features. “I couldn’t bring myself to hurt you... even when I thought...”
The weight of his words stunned her. For a heartbeat, everything else faded. Until the image of her brother flashed in her mind.
“My brother, we need to find him. He knows what to do, and he knows who they are.” she pleaded, urgency lacing her voice.
He remained silent, his eyes betraying a pain that struck her to the core. The truth was there, hanging in the air between them, but neither dared to speak it aloud.
"Dylan..."
"I’ll go back there alone. Just tell me where," he declared.
"I’m coming with you!" She persistently insisted.
He sighed, knowing all too well that once Ivy made up her mind, there was no changing it.
Reluctantly, he nodded, and they began their trek back north to the spot where Ivy had last seen her brother. Dylan stuck close to her, every step calculated, every sound in the forest heightening his nerves.
When they reached the clearing where Ethan had been, Ivy’s heart sank, he was gone.
"Ivy... it’s getting dark. It’s not safe here," he whispered, though his eyes darted around, betraying his own unease.
Ivy’s gut told her the same thing, that they were being watched. But she pushed the fear aside, determined to find something, anything, that could lead her to Ethan.
"No, we’ll find something here..." 
She's scanning the ground until something caught her eyes, a smear of fresh blood.
They followed the crimson trail. It twisted through the underbrush, leading them to a sight that made Ivy’s blood run cold. 
An old, decaying house loomed ahead, its rotting walls hidden beneath a shroud of leaves. The structure was close to where the ritual had taken place—too close.
"No, don’t tell me we’re going in th—" Dylan began, but Ivy cut him off.
"Yes," she said, her voice firm as she stepped forward.
Just then, a flicker of movement in one of the windows made her freeze. A shadowy figure peered out, its presence sending a chill down her spine.
Dylan noticed her reaction but hadn’t seen the black shadow earlier.
He noticed her sudden halt, but he hadn’t seen the ominous shadow. 
"Ivy... we should leave," he urged, anxiety creeping into his voice.
"No, my brother might be inside. Look at this, it’s fresh blood. It means he hasn’t been gone long."
He opened his mouth to protest, but the words caught in his throat. He didn’t want to voice his darkest fears, the ones that screamed they were walking into a trap.
"Are you coming with me?" She asked, her eyes locking onto his, filled with desperation and determination.
He hesitated for a split second before he shrugged, then reached out to take Ivy’s hand. "Just don’t let go of me, or stray too far," he said, squeezing her hand tightly.