Chapter 5: The Forest's Claim
By Joy Daud
The queen's flames had vanished, but their scorch still lingered—on the walls, on the child's pillow, and in the prince's chest.
Kimo stood at the edge of the boy's bed, his hands clenched at his sides, green light faintly flickering beneath his skin. The vines had receded, the magic stilled—but inside him, the forest still roared.
"She will try again," he said coldly. "She always does."
Oki placed a hand on the prince's shoulder. He didn't pull away.
"You saved him," she said softly.
His voice was hollow. "I shouldn't have needed to."
---
By morning, word of the attack had spread—but twisted. Rumors said the child fell ill from a curse, or that the boy himself had magic he couldn't control. The queen was silent. The king, distant.
Oki returned to her duties, but the palace was no longer the same. Doors closed faster. Staff whispered. Even the walls felt like they were listening.
Kimo stayed hidden. Not in his chambers, but deeper—in the forest.
---
He returned to the old tree where the creature had spoken. This time, he came alone.
"I need answers," he said.
Roots moved. From the shadows, a voice replied:
> "Answers are seeds. Are you ready to grow them?"
"Why does she fear the forest?" he asked. "Why kill a child with light?"
> "Because she feeds on silence. On shadows. The boy has the gift of truth-seeing. Her lies cannot live near him. So she burns what she cannot control."
"And me?"
> "You are her opposite. You are your mother's son."
The name he had not spoken in years ached in his throat. Elira.
> "The forest remembers her," the creature whispered. "She once walked with fireflies and calmed storms with her breath. She bore a son with power in his veins. But he fears himself."
Kimo looked down. "I'm not afraid of what I am. I'm afraid of what I'll become if I embrace it."
The roots reached toward him—gentle, like fingers.
> "Then let the forest guide you."
He dropped to his knees and placed both hands into the soil.
And the forest accepted him.
Light bloomed from the earth. A circle of moss burst to life, birds cried out from the canopy, and wind stirred even the sleeping trees.
Kimo gasped. The power didn't hurt—it healed. Not fire. Not frost. But something older. Truer.
And in that moment, he understood.
He was not meant to hide.
---
Back at the palace, Oki passed through the queen's garden, summoned by one of the younger maids. But something was wrong. The air was thick with smoke.
She rounded the corner—and stopped cold.
A ring of scorched roses circled the queen as she practiced alone, hands glowing bright with orange flame, lips murmuring in an unknown tongue.
But this time, the fire wasn't attacking.
It was summoning.
From the flames rose a black-winged creature—slim, shadowy, and humanoid. Its eyes gleamed red, and when it saw Oki—it smiled.
Oki staggered back, heart pounding.
The queen turned slowly, her voice dripping with venom.
"Well well… kindness walks where it shouldn't."
Oki didn't answer. She ran.
---
That night, Kimo returned—his posture straighter, his eyes sharper, his presence almost… glowing.
Oki met him in the hallway, her face pale.
"There's something in the garden," she whispered. "She's not alone anymore."
Kimo didn't blink. "Then it's time I stop hiding."
---
To be continued…