Noor's breath caught in her throat.
The glowing eyes didn't blink. They just… watched.
She instinctively stepped closer to Danial. "Did you see that?" she whispered, cautiously.
Danial's eyes narrowed, his body tensing. "Yeah. I see it."
The eyes didn't move at first. Then, slowly, they rose, higher than any animal she had ever seen. Noor's breath hitched as the silhouette took shape through the branches. Massive wings unfurled, brushing against the leaves, casting shadows that didn't seem to match the fading sunlight.
It wasn't a wolf. Or a bear. It was a dragon.
A creature from bedtime stories and burned pages of forgotten history. Real. Breathing. Watching her.
Danial's face got paler in fear but he couldn't leave her in danger.
Her pendant, the small crescent moon she'd worn since her father's death, suddenly flared — glowing brighter than it ever had before. Not a soft glow, but a pulse, like it was alive. Noor grabbed it instinctively, her fingers were trembling.
Danial moved in front of her. "What the hell is that thing?" He was shocked.
Noor didn't answer. She couldn't.
The dragon stepped forward. Its scales shimmered like moonlight over water, not rough or ugly, but smooth, elegant. Beautiful, even. That dragon looked directly in Noor's eyes, but not with hunger..with something else that was dangerously close to pride and maybe even warmth.
"It's not here to hurt me," Noor said before she could stop herself.
Danial looked at her like she'd lost her mind. "You're kidding me, right? It's a freaking dragon, Noor!"
But she wasn't kidding. She stepped forward. The dragon didn't move.
And then, right before her eyes… it changed.
Its wings folded in. Its body began to shift, light wrapping around it like fog, bones twisting, shrinking, reshaping — until what stood before her was not a beast but a man.
Tall, Dressed in dark robes that looked ancient. His hair was shoulder-length, black with a faint silvery sheen. His eyes were still glowing faintly like molten stars.
Danial froze beside her. "Okay. I really am hallucinating. Noor. Say something. Anything."
But she couldn't. Her lips had parted, but no sound came out.
The man took a slow step forward. His voice was calm.
"You look just like your mother..." He says, his simple words holded so many emotions she couldn't understand yet.
Noor blinked, confused. "Do I… know you?"
"You will," he said gently. "Soon."
Danial instinctively pulled Noor behind him. "Who the hell are you?"
The man looked at him briefly, then back to Noor, almost amused. "That's a complicated answer."
"I'm not in the mood for riddles," Danial snapped.
Noor, though, was still staring. Her pendant was still glowing, but instead of heat, she now felt… warmth. "You know my mom...?" She asked a little nervously.
"Yes," the man said simply. "More than anyone..."
At the mention of her mother, Noor stiffened.
"Who actually are you...? How do you know her? And why did you come here?" Many questions were in her mind after all these years but she couldn't let her guard down so easily.
"How do I know her? She saved my life once and in return I promised her something..." He says calmly, looking at Yaram's grave.
Noor stepped closer, the world narrowing around her. "What promise?"
The man's expression softened. "To protect you."
"My mama..who actually was she?" Noor says. Her voice cracks with emotion.