When Elara opened her eyes, the world spun---not from the dizziness of the vision, but from the cold weight of Kael's hand still resting on her shoulder. It anchored her to reality, and yet it made her feel exposed, vulnerable in ways she didn't understand.
For a moment, she stayed silent, focusing on the breath in her chest, steadying herself against the raw power that still hummed beneath her skin. The sigil wasn't just a mark anymore. It was a part of her---woven into her soul. But with it came a gnawing hunger, a desire to use it, to wield it as a tool.
"Is it always like this?" she whispered, barely audible as her gaze flicked down to the glowing mark on her wrist.
Kael's hand slid away slowly, though his presence seemed to grow stronger, a looming shadow she couldn't shake. "The sigil feeds on desire," he said quietly, his voice firm. "It amplifies everything within you---your wants, your weaknesses. If you're not careful, it'll consume you."
The words landed like a chill, sliding under her skin and settling in her bones. She had always known there was something dark about the power she carried, but hearing it from Kael---someone who didn't offer advice lightly---made it real in a way nothing else had.
"I don't plan to be consumed," she said, though even as the words left her, doubt gnawed at her. The hunger inside her was already growing, insistent. To possess. To control. She could feel the sigil's power pumping through her blood, beating in time with her heart.
"You should," Kael's voice dropped low, full of gravity. "The power you've awakened isn't something you can control just by will. It's a force, Elara. It demands to be obeyed. And those who try to command it… don't often survive."
Elara's frown deepened, his words cutting into her with a sharpness that made her heart flutter. But she refused to let fear creep in. She had been chosen. The sigil, the power---it was hers. She would wield it.
Taking a deep breath, she shifted her gaze toward the path leading deeper into the forest. The image of Velkaria, the ruins, and the darkness still haunted her, like an echo that refused to fade. It called to her---promising answers. Promising power.
Kael followed her gaze, his eyes narrowing as though he already knew what she was thinking. "You're going after it, aren't you?"
Elara nodded without looking at him. "I have no choice. The sigil… it's leading me."
"And if you're wrong?" His voice, always so certain, was tinged with something Elara hadn't expected---concern.
"I won't be," she said, though the words tasted like ash in her mouth.
Silence stretched between them, thick and taut like a drawn bow. Then Kael took a step closer, his shadow falling over her. There was something about the way he moved---deliberate, controlled---that made her pulse spike. She could feel the tension between them, crackling like static in the air.
"I know what it's like," Kael murmured, softer now, almost too intimate. "To be called by something you can't control. To be driven by a power you don't understand. But, Elara, it changes you. It changes you in ways that"---He cut himself off, as if unsure how much of the truth he should let her see.
His words hit her deeper than she expected. It wasn't just the warning---it was the way he looked at her, as if he saw something inside her, something he couldn't quite place but recognized all the same. The way his presence surrounded her, comforting yet suffocating.
"I'm not afraid of change," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "I'm not afraid of anything."
Kael's gaze softened---just for a moment. Then, it hardened, and he stepped back, his hands clenched at his sides.
"You should be," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "But we all have our demons to face."
Before Elara could respond, a low, guttural growl cut through the stillness. It sent a chill down her spine, and her blood froze.
Kael's body shifted, his movements becoming fluid and ready, like a coiled spring. "Get behind me," he ordered, his voice sharp and commanding.
Elara didn't hesitate. She stepped closer, her heart hammering in her chest. She drew her dagger, feeling the cool metal against her palm, but her thoughts were clouded by the burning sigil on her wrist.
Another growl echoed---closer this time---and the bushes near the clearing began to rustle violently. Darkness was closing in, drawn to her power.
A shape darted from the underbrush, too fast for her eyes to follow. In a heartbeat, Kael's blade flashed, meeting the creature head-on with a swift, brutal motion. Elara barely saw it—a hulking beast with fiery eyes---before Kael's sword struck.
The creature howled in pain but didn't retreat. It lunged again, wild and relentless.
"You need to use your magic, Elara!" Kael shouted, his voice strained, fighting the beast off. "Now!"
The sigil screamed within her, urging her to act. This was why she had been chosen, wasn't it? To protect herself. To wield this power.
Closing her eyes, she centered herself. The sigil pulsed again, matching the beat of her heart. The power surged within her, demanding release.
Then, she unleashed it.
A wave of dark energy exploded from her, swirling around her like a storm. The beast froze, its growls turning into desperate whimpers as the shadowy tendrils of her magic wound around it. The air crackled, the forest bending to her will.
The creature collapsed, its final cry guttural, and Elara staggered back, drained. The sigil flared brightly on her wrist. For a fleeting moment, she caught a glimpse of something in the distance---a shadow, too unnatural to ignore, watching her from afar.
Shuddering, she turned to Kael, breath ragged. "What was that?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. His eyes were locked on the fallen beast, his sword slick with blood. His jaw clenched before he met her gaze.
"That wasn't just any creature," he said grimly. "That was one of the Voidborn---the very creatures the sigil calls."
Elara's stomach twisted. The Voidborn were myths---beasts of shadow, creatures born from the sigil's power. But if they were real…
"If they're here…" Kael's voice lowered, filled with dark forewarning, "…then everything you've seen, everything the sigil is showing you, is no coincidence."
Her gaze snapped back to the horizon, her heart pounding. The sigil's power was only the beginning. The path ahead was dark---filled with dangers she couldn't yet comprehend.
But it was her path. And it was one she was destined to walk.