The clearing was quiet except for the sound of rustling leaves and the steady crackle of a small fire. Arianne stood in the center, her eyes locked on the shard in her hand. Kael circled her slowly, his sword drawn but held low.
"Focus," Kael said, his voice calm but firm. "The shard isn't a tool. It's a part of you now. You need to listen to it."
"I am listening," Arianne said through gritted teeth. The shard glowed faintly, but the warmth she'd felt before was elusive, like trying to catch smoke with her hands.
Kael raised his sword. "Then prove it."
Arianne's eyes widened as Kael lunged, his blade slicing through the air. She raised the shard instinctively, and a burst of light shot out, forming a shimmering shield. The impact of his strike sent a jolt up her arm, but the shield held.
"Better," Kael said, stepping back. "But you can't just react. You need control. Try again."
They repeated the exercise, Kael pressing her with increasingly swift and unpredictable attacks. Each time, Arianne managed to summon the shard's light, but it was clumsy and inconsistent. Her frustration grew with each failure.
"I can't do this!" she finally shouted, dropping to her knees. The shard dimmed, its glow fading like a dying ember. "It's too much."
Kael knelt beside her, his expression softening. "Power like this doesn't come easily. It's a bond you have to build, step by step. Trust yourself, Arianne. The shard chose you for a reason."
His words lingered in her mind as she stared at the shard. She thought of the villagers, their lives saved by this power. She thought of the shadow creatures, relentless and unyielding. And she thought of the prophecy, its weight pressing down on her shoulders.
Taking a deep breath, she rose to her feet. "Again."
Kael nodded, and they resumed the training. This time, Arianne focused not on the shard itself but on the feeling it evoked—the warmth, the light, the connection. Slowly, the shard responded, its glow steadying. By the time the sun began to set, Arianne was holding her own against Kael's attacks, her confidence growing with each successful strike and shield.
But deep in the forest, another presence stirred.
Far from the clearing, in the shadow of a crumbling tower, a figure cloaked in dark robes stood before a swirling pool of black mist. The air crackled with an unnatural energy as the figure extended a hand, revealing long, slender fingers adorned with rings of obsidian and bone.
"Tell me," the figure murmured, their voice smooth and cold, "where is the shard now?"
The pool rippled, and images flickered within its depths: Arianne, struggling to control her power; Kael, ever watchful; the village they had just left. The figure's lips curled into a faint smile.
"So, the Moon Bearer has awakened," they said, their tone laced with mockery. "How quaint."
Another figure emerged from the shadows—a hulking beast with glowing red eyes and fur like molten tar. It growled low, its massive frame trembling with barely contained rage.
"Patience," the cloaked figure said, resting a hand on the creature's head. "We'll find them soon enough. And when we do, the shard will return to its rightful place."
The creature snarled, but the figure merely turned back to the pool, their smile widening.
"Let the girl struggle. Let her believe she has a chance. It will make her despair all the sweeter when I take it all away."
The mist swirled violently, and the figure raised their hand, drawing the pool into stillness.
"Prepare the others," they commanded. "The hunt begins at dawn."
Arianne shivered as they set up camp for the night. The shard, now safely tucked beneath her cloak, seemed quieter than before, as though resting after the day's exertions.
Kael handed her a small bowl of stew, and they ate in companionable silence. But Arianne couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching them.
"Do you ever wonder if we're being followed?" she asked finally, her voice low.
Kael's expression darkened. "We are. The shard's light is like a beacon. The question isn't if they're following us—it's how close they are."
Arianne swallowed hard, her grip tightening on the shard. "Then we don't have much time, do we?"
"No," Kael said, his gaze fixed on the dark forest beyond the firelight. "And we'll need every moment we have to prepare."
As the fire crackled and the forest whispered around them, Arianne stared into the flames, her resolve hardening. She didn't know who—or what—was coming for them. But she knew one thing: she wouldn't let the shard fall into the wrong hands.