The forest was too quiet.
Not peaceful-quiet.The kind of quiet that pressed into your bones and made the hairs on your neck rise.
Kael stopped walking. His hand shot out, signaling Ariya to freeze. She nearly bumped into him.
"What is it?" she whispered.
Kael didn't answer. He crouched low, eyes scanning the underbrush. Every muscle in his body was tight, ready. He was listening.
Ariya held her breath.
The trees around them were still. Even the birds had gone silent.
Then they heard it.
Not footsteps.
A scraping sound. Like claws dragging over stone and bark.
Kael cursed under his breath.
"Shadowbeast."
Ariya's heart dropped. "What is that?"
Kael stood, quickly and quietly pulling his bow from his back.
"A hunter," he said. "The king uses them when he wants someone gone quietly. Half-magic, half-monster. They track by scent, heat, and fear. And they don't stop."
A branch snapped somewhere behind them. Closer.
Kael grabbed Ariya's arm.
"Run."
🌲 The Chase
They ran—through ferns, between roots, across a narrow streambed. Ariya didn't look back. She just ran.
She heard it behind them: the rustle of leaves, the thump of heavy paws, the hiss of breath that wasn't quite human.
It was gaining.
Kael grabbed her hand and pulled her up a steep ridge, then behind a mossy boulder. They collapsed into the shadows, gasping.
"Stay down," he whispered.
The creature stepped into view moments later.
It was wrong.
Its body shifted constantly—like smoke given claws. Its face had no eyes. Just skin. Its head twitched toward them, sniffing the air.
Ariya covered her mouth, heart slamming against her ribs.
It paused. Growled.
And then—
It leapt.
Kael shoved Ariya behind him, drawing his dagger just as the beast lunged over the rock.
🔥 The Spark Ignites
It all happened in a blur.
Kael struck first, slicing its shoulder. The creature screamed—not like an animal, but like something older and broken.
It slammed him into the ground.
"No!" Ariya shouted.
She threw herself forward—no plan, just instinct—and pushed against the beast's side.
Its skin was freezing cold and burning hot all at once.
Something inside her cracked open.
Her body lit up with heat—rushing through her chest, arms, fingertips.
The ring on her hand blazed.
And then, without thinking, she screamed—
"Get away from him!"
The flame burst out of her hand like lightning, striking the creature's face. It recoiled with a shriek, smoke rising from its skin, and vanished back into the trees.
Ariya collapsed beside Kael, breathing hard.
His eyes were wide. "You—what—"
"I don't know," she gasped. "I didn't mean to."
He pulled her closer, scanning her for injuries. "You're okay. You're okay…"
She looked at her hand. The flame was gone—but the mark it left was not.
🌒 Later
They sat by a cold stream, rinsing blood and dirt from their hands. Kael winced as he dabbed at the gash on his shoulder.
"You should've run," he said quietly.
"I wasn't going to let it kill you," she replied.
Kael gave a small, proud smirk—one that vanished just as quickly.
"You saved me," he said. "With fire."
Ariya stared into the water. "I didn't know I could."
"Now you do."
He looked at her with something different in his eyes now. Not fear. Not doubt.
"There's more inside you than you realize, Ariya. We just need to wake it up."