The forest stretched ahead like a slumbering beast, its tangled roots and towering trees drenched in mist. Dawn broke through the canopy in fractured shafts of gold, painting the trail in fleeting patterns of light and shadow. Abhi tightened the strap of his pack and glanced at Isha, who moved ahead with silent confidence.
They had been traveling since first light, following the faded map they received the night before. The jagged mountain—shaped like a watching eye—loomed somewhere beyond the forest's heart, hidden by nature and time.
"You alright?" Isha asked, glancing back.
"Just tired," Abhi replied. "I didn't sleep much last night."
"You heard the whisper again."
He hesitated. "Yeah. It called him... the Watcher. Who is that?"
She slowed, her face unreadable. "One of the old ones. They say he was once a guardian, like the woman in your vision. But he fell… turned into something else."
"Is he connected to the Vault?"
"More than connected," she said. "They say he was the first to reach it... and the first to be consumed by it."
Abhi shivered, though the air was warm. The idea that he was walking toward something even a guardian feared twisted in his gut.
They traveled in silence for a time, the only sounds of the crunch of leaves and the occasional cry of distant birds. Abhi's senses, heightened now by the ring, picked up more than before—vibrations beneath the soil, energy pockets in the air, even faint echoes of movement that might've been spirits or memories clinging to the land.
By midday, they reached a clearing marked by broken stones arranged in a spiral. Faint runes were carved into each one, eroded by wind and time.
"Stop," Isha said quickly. "This is old ground."
Abhi paused beside her. "What is it?"
"A warning," she said, crouching to examine the runes. "This place remembers bloodshed. Look."
He followed her gaze and saw a long groove in the earth, dark as dried ink.
"A fight?" he asked.
She nodded slowly. "Hunters. Maybe even the second bearer."
Abhi looked around uneasily. "Are we too late?"
"Or right on time."
A rustle in the trees snapped their attention to the left. Isha moved instantly, her palm crackling with silvery energy. A figure stepped into view—lean, hooded, and silent. His eyes glowed faintly red.
Not human.
Abhi stepped back. "Is that—?"
"A Hunter," Isha hissed.
The figure raised a hand, and in response, two more Hunters emerged from the trees, surrounding the clearing. Their robes shimmered like oil, shifting in unnatural ways. One raised a staff etched with familiar markings—the same symbol as the Vault. The eye with three pupils.
"Give us the bearer," the lead Hunter said, voice hollow and wrong. "The Vault will accept him. Or it will consume him."
Isha stepped forward. "You'll have to go through me."
The lead Hunter raised his hand. A wave of shadow exploded toward her, sharp and fast. But Isha was faster. She extended her fingers and whispered a single word in an old tongue. A silver shield erupted around her, shattering the shadow wave like glass.
She retaliated instantly—her body surrounded by a glowing field of pale blue energy. With a flick of her hand, she sent a spiral of light toward the nearest Hunter. It struck his chest and sent him flying through the trees, screaming.
The second Hunter lunged at Abhi, who tried to focus, to summon his Soulfire. But his panic made it unstable. The light flared in his chest and surged into his hands, but it fizzled before he could aim.
The Hunter was almost upon him—until a spear of light tore through the air and pinned him to a tree.
Isha stood beside him now, breathing hard, her energy flaring like a storm. "Stay close to me!" she shouted.
Abhi gritted his teeth. "I can do it. I just—"
"Not yet," she said, deflecting another blow with a swing of her arm. "You're not ready!"
Together, they fought back-to-back. Isha danced between attacks like a shadow, her powers flowing with graceful precision. Abhi did his best to keep steady, drawing from the energy inside him, trying to tame the firestorm within. Once, he managed to fire a small burst of light that struck a Hunter in the leg, slowing him down.
It wasn't enough to defeat—but it was a start.
After several more minutes of fierce combat, Isha finally drove her hand into the ground and whispered a different incantation. A ring of light burst outwards, forming a blinding circle that repelled the remaining Hunters. They stumbled back, hissing like burned animals before vanishing into the trees.
Silence returned.
Abhi collapsed to his knees, panting. "I—I couldn't control it... again."
Isha crouched beside him, placing a hand on his back. "You did fine. You're not supposed to master it overnight."
"But I'm supposed to face the Vault," he said bitterly. "How can I if I can't even face them?"
She looked into his eyes. "Because you're not alone anymore."
Abhi looked away, ashamed. "I was born to destroy. My father saw it the moment I opened my eyes. That's why he tied the cloth. Why he ran."
"And I saw you stand against darkness just now," she said firmly. "Your father feared your power. I believe in it."
The words struck him like lightning—not painful but powerful. Healing.
They rested for a moment longer before continuing their journey. As they walked, Abhi felt something stir inside him—not just Soulfire, but purpose.
As they neared the mountain's base by evening, the mist thickened. Strange symbols appeared in the trees, and the air shimmered with energy.
"We're close," Isha whispered.
Abhi nodded, his eyes glowing faintly now—not from fear or loss of control, but from a growing understanding. The Vault awaited. So did the second bearer. And possibly… answers.
But before they could reach the entrance, a low growl echoed from the shadows ahead.
Something massive stirred in the fog.
And they were not alone.