The forest had never felt so cold.
Elira's breath steamed in the morning air as she moved silently beneath the twisted branches, her cloak drawn tight. The scar on her collarbone throbbed a dull pulse like a warning.
Kael was missing.
The scorched mark on the cabin door still burned faintly in her mind.
She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.
Every shadow seemed to twist into something alive.
The villagers whispered rumors tales of Flame walkers cursed to burn cities to ash, of old pacts broken and debts unpaid.
Elira was no stranger to those stories.
But now, she knew the truth was darker and closer than any tale could tell.
A rustle caught her attention.
She spun.
A figure stepped from the shadows, A man wrapped in leather and secrets.
Looking for this? His hand revealed a small, charred piece of parchment sealed with a red emblem the Ember Pact.
Elira's fingers trembled.
The pact was real.
And so was the war.
The man's eyes were sharp, like a hawk's, and his voice low.
You don't know what you're up against, witch.
Elira's hand rested on the hilt of her dagger. Then tell me.
He hesitated, then sighed. I'm called Varin. Once, I was part of the Ember Guard the secret protectors of the pact.
Once?
Now, the pact is broken. The balance shattered. The Flame walkers hunted.
Elira clenched her jaw. Kael is one of them.
Varin nodded slowly. And he carries a curse that could burn the world.
She looked down at the charred parchment in his hand, the emblem glowing faintly.
What do we do?
We find him. Before the hunters do.
Night fell hard and fast, wrapping the forest in shadows thick as smoke.
Elira and Varin moved quietly, the pact's charred parchment tucked safely inside her cloak. Each step felt heavier, the weight of history pressing down.
Tell me about Kael, she whispered.
Varin glanced at her, eyes troubled.
He wasn't always like this, he said. Once, he was a man who believed love could change fate.
Elira frowned. What happened?
Varin's voice dropped. He made a choice that doomed the pact and cursed himself.
The forest seemed to listen, the wind carrying whispers that sounded like warnings.
Suddenly, a soft rustle behind them.
Elira's heart slammed against her ribs as she spun, dagger drawn.
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
Kael.
His silver eyes caught hers, and for a moment, all the fear and anger and longing hung between them like a flame ready to ignite.