Chapter 99

• Isla's POV
• Every day since I returned from the ancient forest, all I felt was emptiness. Vast and hollow. It was as if something had been torn from me. They told me I had lost my track while patrolling. But it didn't add up. How could I lose track? I couldn't help but wonder what it was that I was missing so dearly but couldn't remember.
• When I returned, every muscle ached as if I had been crushed under a mountain. My body bore no visible wounds, but I knew something profound had happened. The ache in my chest wasn’t just physical. There was something deeper, something I couldn’t place. An overwhelming urge gnawed at me. I felt like I needed to search for… someone. Someone important.