The clearing exploded in an instant.
The Crimson warrior lunged forward, his flaming blade slashing through the air with a roar of fury. Elara barely managed to roll to the side, the heat searing past her skin as she scrambled to her feet. Her heart raced, panic flooding her veins, but then---Kael was there.
In a blur, he drew his twin blades, meeting the second warrior who emerged from the mist. This one was clad in black armor, silver markings running like jagged veins across his chest. Their blades clashed with an awful screech, sparks flying.
Elara barely had time to breathe before the world seemed to spin. The sigil on her arm flared, a pulse of warmth traveling through her as if calling her to action. She could feel the magic deep inside her, its raw power swirling like a storm, just waiting to be unleashed.
Her pulse quickened. There was no time for fear.
She reached for that power, feeling it flood her body with strength. With a cry, Elara thrust her hand forward, and in a flash, a burst of blinding light erupted from her palm. The Crimson warrior was thrown back with a sickening thud, crashing into a tree. His armor cracked and groaned as he hit the ground, stunned.
Her chest heaved, the exertion of using such power leaving her breathless. But there was no time to rest.
The other warrior snarled and turned his blade toward her. Before she could react, Kael was already there, his movements fluid, a perfect dance of deadly precision. He blocked the attack, twisting the enemy's sword away and sending a knee into his gut. The masked warrior stumbled back, gasping for air, but Kael was relentless, pushing him further with every strike.
"They're not scouts," Kael hissed, his voice tight. "They're Retrievers."
"Retrievers?" Elara managed, trying to make sense of the words in the chaos.
Kael's eyes darkened as he parried another strike. "Special enforcers for the Crimson Covenant. They hunt for artifacts, rogue mages… and people like you."
Elara's heart sank, dread pooling in her stomach. "Why now? Why here?"
"Because your power's awake," Kael said grimly, barely dodging another strike. "The land sings when a Freeblood returns. They've heard it."
The words hit Elara harder than she expected. It wasn't just her mother they were after---it was her. She was the target. The weight of it pressed against her chest.
Before she could process the fear, the sound of heavy footsteps reached them. A new figure emerged from the shadows, taller and more menacing than the others. This warrior carried a massive halberd, forged from obsidian and crimson steel, and his presence was suffocating. There was something about him that radiated command, his voice cold and authoritative.
"Elara of the First Bloodline," he called, pointing the halberd at her. "You are summoned by the Covenant. Refuse, and you forfeit your right to exist."
The words hit Elara like a physical blow, a sickening, cold feeling spreading through her. She looked at the warrior, trying to steady her breath, the sigil on her arm burning in response to his presence.
"No," she said, her voice low but unwavering. "I refuse."
The warrior's face remained hidden, but his voice rang out like thunder as he raised his weapon. With a roar, he charged at her.
But Elara didn't flinch.
Instead, she closed her eyes, focusing on the sigil, on the magic coursing through her veins, on the terrifying truth that had been thrust upon her. There was no going back. She could feel the ancient power within her, urging her forward.
And then, with a single word---whispered but felt deeply---she called upon it.
The earth beneath their feet trembled. The ground cracked open, and from the monolith, roots of silver and black exploded outward, coiling like serpents. The Retriever with the halberd screamed as the roots wrapped around his legs, pulling him off balance, dragging him into the earth until he vanished beneath it, swallowed by the very land that had once been his ally.
Elara stood there, trembling from the sheer force of what she had done. The power had surged through her like wildfire, uncontained and wild. She looked at her hands, her body shaking.
"I---I didn't know I could do that," she whispered, her voice trembling, a mix of awe and fear.
Kael was beside her in an instant, his expression unreadable. He looked down at the spot where the halberd had been swallowed whole by the earth, his face grim.
"Neither did they," he said quietly, sheathing his blades.
Elara's heart pounded in her chest. The power she had just used felt like a part of her---something buried deep, but it was still her. It terrified her. And yet… there was something liberating in it too.
Kael crouched beside the remnants of the halberd, brushing ash from its handle. "That magic... That was Bloodroot. It's forbidden. Only the High Sigil-Bearers could summon it."
Elara swallowed hard, trying to shake the feeling of something shifting inside her. "So… what am I becoming?"
Kael's gaze met hers, his eyes filled with something unreadable, something raw. He looked at her as if for the first time, as if he saw more than the woman who had been trying to find herself.
"Something they'll never be able to control," he said softly, his voice thick with truth. "And that terrifies them."
The silence that followed was suffocating. Elara could feel the weight of her choices, the weight of the sigil's power, bearing down on her. She wasn't sure what she was becoming, but she knew one thing for sure---there was no turning back now.
She turned toward the forest, her heart racing. The Whisperwood had accepted her, but what was ahead felt even more uncertain.
Kael stood beside her, his voice steady. "We should move. They'll regroup."
She nodded, taking a deep breath. "Where to?"
"There's an old fortress---Nyxvale. Half-sunken into the cliffs. It's where your mother trained. There might still be people loyal to her bloodline."
Elara's gaze hardened, her resolve solidifying. "Then let's go. I want to know everything. About her. About me. About what's coming."
Kael's lips curled into a slight, grim smile. "Then brace yourself. Because what's coming… will test the world."