The cold wind of the early morning bit into Aric's skin as he made his way through the forest, Selene by his side. The night had passed in uneasy silence. After the encounter with the masked man, sleep had eluded him, and the thoughts swirling in his mind had kept him restless, haunted by the words spoken to him.
"You are marked."
It wasn't just a threat. It was a statement of fact. Someone had already set their sights on him, and the weight of that knowledge pressed down on him more heavily than the fatigue that tugged at his limbs.
The dark woods stretched endlessly ahead, a labyrinth of twisting trees and thick underbrush. The air was thick with mist, and the sounds of birds were muted, drowned out by the ever-present hum of tension that lingered. The forest seemed alive, but not in the usual sense. There was something unnatural about it today, a sense that it was watching, waiting for something to unfold.
"Where are we going?" Aric asked, his voice hoarse from a night spent pacing and thinking.
Selene glanced at him, her expression unreadable. "We need to reach the Hidden Vale," she said, her tone serious. "It's the only place where we might find answers."
Aric's brow furrowed. "The Hidden Vale? I've heard rumors of it, but no one's ever seen it. It's supposed to be a place lost to time."
"It is," Selene confirmed, her eyes narrowing as she scanned their surroundings. "But there are people there—old allies of mine—who may have the knowledge we need. And, more importantly, they might know how to deal with the shadows that are hunting you."
Aric swallowed hard. The shadows. He had come to understand, at least in part, what that meant. It wasn't just the metaphorical darkness inside him that threatened to consume him. It was something more tangible, more sinister. Someone, or something, was using that darkness against him.
"What are we looking for there?" Aric asked, trying to focus on the task at hand. "What can they offer me that I don't already know?"
Selene's lips pressed into a thin line. "They might have knowledge of a way to control the darkness inside you—or at least a way to survive it. There's a prophecy, one that speaks of someone like you. Someone who has the power to either destroy the world or save it. But the path is a perilous one."
A chill ran through Aric's spine at her words. A prophecy? The weight of it felt too much to bear. He wasn't some hero from the legends. He wasn't destined to change the world. He was just a boy who had been swept into forces beyond his control.
But the words destroy the world or save it stayed with him, gnawing at him. How could he possibly carry that burden? The path ahead seemed too dark, too uncertain.
As they pressed deeper into the forest, the air grew thicker, and the trees seemed to close in around them. The trail was narrow, barely visible beneath the thick undergrowth, but Selene moved with purpose, as though she knew exactly where she was going. Aric, however, could feel a gnawing sense of unease growing in the pit of his stomach. The forest felt wrong, as if it were conspiring against them.
Suddenly, a sound broke the eerie silence—a low growl, distant but unmistakable. Aric's hand went to his sword instinctively, but Selene held up a hand to stop him.
"Stay quiet," she whispered, her eyes darting to the trees. "Something's coming."
The growl echoed again, closer this time, followed by the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps, as if something large was moving through the underbrush. Aric's pulse quickened. His instincts screamed that they weren't alone.
From the shadows, something emerged—a massive, hulking creature, its dark eyes gleaming in the dim light. Its fur was matted with dirt and blood, and its claws scraped the earth as it moved toward them. Aric's heart thudded in his chest. This wasn't just any creature. It was a beast out of nightmares—bigger than a wolf, its muscles rippling under its dark coat, and its fangs bared in a snarl.
Aric instinctively took a step forward, but Selene stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Don't provoke it. It's not what you think."
"What is it?" Aric asked, confused and tense.
"A guardian," Selene said softly. "It's here to test you."
The beast growled again, the sound reverberating through the trees, and then it lunged forward, faster than Aric had anticipated. Before he could react, it was upon him, its claws raking through the air just inches from his face. Aric's sword was already in his hand, but the speed of the attack left him little time to think.
He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature's massive claws, and rolled to his feet in a fluid motion. The beast circled, its eyes locked on him, its growls echoing through the trees.
Aric tightened his grip on his sword, his heart pounding. "Is this part of the test?" he asked, his voice shaky with adrenaline.
Selene didn't respond. Instead, she stood perfectly still, watching the beast with an intensity that made Aric uneasy.
"Focus," she said finally. "It's not about defeating the beast. It's about facing your fear."
Aric's gaze never left the creature, the terror that had gripped him earlier shifting into something else—a strange determination. He had faced the darkness inside him, and he had fought for his survival. This was no different. He wasn't just fighting a creature; he was fighting the fear of losing control, of being overwhelmed by the shadows that lurked just beneath the surface.
The beast lunged again, and this time, Aric was ready. He sidestepped the attack, his sword slicing through the air as he narrowly avoided the beast's jaws. But instead of attacking, he hesitated, something inside him shifting. He didn't need to kill this creature. He needed to tame it. To show that he was in control.
With a roar, the beast lunged one last time, but this time, Aric's blade connected with its shoulder, not in a strike meant to kill, but one meant to subdue. The beast howled in pain, stumbling back.
Aric held his ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The beast's eyes were wild, but there was something else in them—recognition. Understanding. The creature stopped, its growl quieting as it backed away from Aric.
Selene stepped forward, her gaze still fixed on the beast. "You passed the test."
Aric looked down at the sword in his hand, his pulse slowing. "What was the test for?"
"The darkness inside you isn't something you can kill. It's a part of you," Selene explained. "This was a lesson in control. In understanding that you can choose how to wield the power within you."
Aric stared at the beast, which was now retreating back into the forest, vanishing into the shadows. The fear that had gripped him moments before began to fade, replaced by a sense of clarity. The journey ahead wasn't just about fighting external enemies. It was about facing the darkness within himself and learning how to control it.
But how long would he be able to maintain that control? And what price would he have to pay when the shadows finally overtook him?