The forest was still---eerily still. Not the kind of quiet that brought peace, but the kind that came after something violent, something unnatural. Elara stood motionless in the clearing, the air thick with the scent of damp earth and blood. Her breaths came in short, shallow bursts. The magic she'd released still echoed through her body like a storm barely held at bay.
Her wrist throbbed with heat. The sigil wasn't just burning---it was alive. It pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, a mark of power that she hadn't yet claimed, but which had already claimed her.
Kael stepped forward, slow and silent, the way only seasoned warriors moved. He approached the creature's lifeless form---the Voidborn---and crouched beside it. The beast, once terrifying and relentless, now looked small in death. Its inky form shimmered for a moment before beginning to dissolve into the earth, leaving behind only questions.
He wiped his blade clean with a worn cloth, every movement practiced and precise. Then he stood, his eyes finding Elara's across the clearing. They were unreadable, sharp and shadowed, as if searching her for something even he couldn't name.
"You did well," he said, his voice low.
Elara blinked, unsure how to respond. "I didn't know what I was doing," she admitted, her voice catching slightly. It wasn't shame---just honesty. She had acted on instinct, pulled forward by the sigil's will more than her own.
Kael gave a faint nod, almost approving. "Instinct can save your life. But it won't always be enough."
Her throat tightened. "Are there more of them?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
He didn't look at her. Instead, he scanned the forest line, always alert, always ready. "They don't come alone," he muttered. "Especially not now."
Elara followed when he moved, her legs stiff but determined. Each step felt heavier than the last, the adrenaline fading, replaced by unease. The sigil still hummed under her skin, not just a reminder but a warning. It was power, yes---but it wasn't hers. Not yet.
As they moved through the underbrush, she glanced at Kael. He was a contradiction---wary but calm, guarded yet strangely present. His warnings echoed in her mind. This power could consume her. And still, he stayed close.
"You talk like you've seen this before," she said, trying to understand the man beside her.
"I've seen worse," he replied without missing a step.
"Then why aren't you afraid?"
He slowed slightly, just enough to glance at her. "Because fear slows you down. And out here, hesitation can kill you."
She was silent for a while, chewing on the weight of his words.
"I don't know if I can control it," she confessed, voice softer now. "It's like it's inside me but... not mine. What if I lose myself to it?"
Kael stopped walking. He turned to her, and for a moment, the usual hardness in his expression faltered. There was something raw in his eyes, something almost... human.
"You might," he said honestly. "But you don't have to fight it alone."
The admission startled her. Not because of what he said, but because of how he said it. Like he knew what it felt like---to battle something inside yourself. To wonder if you were still you.
They kept walking. The trees began to thin, and soon, a faint glow lit the edge of the horizon. A campfire. At first glance, it looked like safety. The flicker of flames. The scent of cooking. But something about it felt off.
Kael's arm shot out, catching Elara's shoulder and pulling her back behind the cover of trees. His body was tense, coiled like a spring, his eyes scanning the clearing ahead.
"It's too quiet," he murmured. "Stay low."
Elara crouched beside him, heart thudding. Through the leaves, she could see it now. The fire burned, but no one moved. No voices. No figures. Just silence.
Then, like smoke sliding from the shadows, a figure emerged. Elara froze.
It looked like a Voidborn--but different. Less solid, its body flickering like a reflection in water. Its eyes glowed faintly, ember-like, as if lit from within. It moved like it didn't belong in this world---and maybe it didn't.
Kael stood slowly, sword drawn. But before he could strike, the creature let out a piercing, unnatural screech. The ground trembled. Elara clutched her ears as the sigil on her wrist lit up like fire, blinding and hot.
"Elara!" Kael's voice cut through the chaos. "Now! Use it!"
The world tilted. Her mind screamed. But somewhere within that storm of sound and fear, something clicked.
She let go.
Magic surged through her, raw and wild, wrapping around her like armor. It didn't ask for permission--it just was. Darkness twisted around her fingers, tendrils lashing out like whips.
The creature shrieked, stumbling back as Elara's power gripped it. Her shadows wrapped around its ghostlike body, dragging it down, swallowing it in one crushing wave. It wailed, then vanished---snuffed out like a candle.
Elara collapsed to one knee, gasping. The sigil pulsed like a second heart, furious and unrelenting.
Kael was at her side instantly. "You're getting stronger," he said, voice low, almost reverent. "But strength without control…" He didn't finish the sentence.
She looked up at him, exhausted and afraid. "So what now?"
Kael offered her a hand, his expression grim but steady. "Now, we keep moving. The Voidborn are just the start. Something worse is coming. And like it or not… you're at the center of it."
Elara took his hand.
The path ahead wasn't clear.
But it was hers to walk.