They had just started to feel safe.
After days of rest, laughter, and pretending the world wasn't crumbling, the group had grown soft in the best way. Lyra started humming again. Kael stopped flinching in his sleep. Even Ariya caught herself smiling without thinking.
But peace was never meant to last.
It came with the wind. Sharp. Wrong. A shift in the air that made the fire crackle strangely and birds vanish from the trees.
Kael felt it first. He rose to his feet mid-conversation, hand already on his blade.Lyra cursed. "Too quiet."Jax frowned. "Wait. Where are the—"
And then the arrows rained down.
The enemy came from the cliffs. Silent, fast, cloaked in the king's colors — black and silver. Shadowblades. Elite. Trained to kill rebels without warning.
The first blast hit the fire pit, sending sparks flying.The second landed beside Jax, who yelped and dove for cover.Kael shouted orders, blocking a blade aimed at Lyra's spine.And Ariya?
Ariya ran straight toward the storm.
She didn't think. She felt.
The fire roared beneath her skin — louder than ever. The mark on her shoulder flared, searing like molten metal. She screamed, not in pain, but in fury. In command.
And something deep inside her broke free.
Her hands burst into flame — not just sparks, not flickers. Full, spiraling, golden fire.But it wasn't normal. This fire moved like liquid. Like it had shape. Purpose.
Ariya raised both arms, eyes glowing.The earth around her cracked.
"GET BACK!" she shouted, voice distorted by power.
And the fire obeyed.
A wave of flame exploded outward from her body in every direction — a circle of pure destruction. It didn't burn the trees. Didn't touch her friends.
It only sought the enemy.
Shadowblades screamed. Some dropped their weapons. Others turned and ran.
But the fire followed.
It chased them like a beast made of light and rage, and in its center stood Ariya — glowing, floating, burning like a goddess.
Then it stopped.
Just like that. Her knees buckled. The fire vanished.
And she collapsed.
Kael caught her before she hit the ground. "Ariya?!"
She was breathing. Barely.
Blood trickled from her nose. Her skin was pale. The mark on her shoulder pulsed once more… then went dim.
"We need to move," Lyra said quickly, scanning the trees. "Now. More could come."
"But she's—" Jax started, voice cracking.
Kael looked up, eyes cold. "Then we carry her."
Keal picked her up
They moved fast. Through woods and thorns. Down a hidden deer path only Lyra seemed to know. Ariya didn't wake. Not fully. She murmured things in her sleep — names no one recognized. Words in languages none of them spoke.
Hours passed. Maybe days.
Until finally… the forest opened.
And they saw it.
A village. Hidden in the cliffs. Lanterns glowing like stars. Homes carved from living trees and stone. No paths in or out. No guards. No gates.
"Where are we?" Jax whispered.
A soft voice answered from the trees.
"You've reached the edge of the world," it said. "And the beginning of hers."