The forest was too still, too silent. Not the kind of silence that soothed, this one carried weight, like the trees were holding their breath, like the earth beneath her boots was waiting for something to happen.
Aria's heart beat a slow rhythm against her ribs. The remnants of her dream still clung to her skin like frost, its warnings echoing behind her eyes, fire, shadows. A boy. She didn't believe in coincidences, but standing here now, facing the figure emerging from the darkness, she didn't have to.
He was real.
His steps were soundless, and he moved with the kind of ease that made her think he belonged to the dark. His coat, frayed and too large, brushed the leaves without a whisper. His eyes…. sharp, almost silver in the moonlight, studied her like he already knew who she was.
"You're late," he said.
Aria stiffened. "You were expecting me?"
"I wasn't sure you'd survive the dream," he murmured, then tilted his head. "But the flame likes you. It never speaks unless it chooses."
The words struck her, it felt so strange to her that he knew about the dream. "What are you talking about? Who are you?"
"Elis," he said simply. "I was sent to find you. Or… maybe drawn to you. Either way, here we are."
Her fingers twitched at her side. She didn't trust him, not yet, but something about his presence wasn't unfamiliar. It was like standing too close to a storm and knowing the lightning wouldn't strike you... but could.
"How do you know about the dream?" she asked.
"Because I've had it, too," he said. "Different every time. But it always ends the same, fire, blood. The girl with the mark."
Aria's stomach twisted. "And the boy?"
"That's always me." His lips curled into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Unfortunately."
She narrowed her gaze. "You're one of them? One of the marks?"
Elias reached into his coat and pulled out a jagged shard, a flame-stone, pulsing red at its core. Its light flickered like her own, responding faintly. "They didn't want me," he said. "I wasn't chosen. I was cursed."
The stone dimmed in his hand, like it understood its own bitterness.
"I don't have time for riddles," Aria snapped. "If you know something, speak plainly."
He stepped closer. "Then listen. You were banished because of what you carry, because you're not just one of them, Aria. You're something more. And the moment they find out you're alive, you won't just be hunted. You'll be erased."
She didn't flinch, didn't even blink, but her throat felt like it had turned to ash. "How do you know my name?"
"I know everything about you," Elian said, voice low. "I've seen you fall. I've seen what comes after. And I've seen what happens if you make the wrong choice."
"Which is?" She challenged me.
He met her gaze. "Forgiving them."
The silence snapped like a wire pulled too tight. Then, somewhere beyond the trees, a sound, leaves rustling, too fast to be the wind. Elian's body went rigid.
"They're here," he said.
"Who?"
"Hunters. Or something worse."
Aria spun, her instincts flaring. Her pulse thundered. Shadows moved, too many, too fast. She turned back to Elian, but he was already gone, swallowed by the night.
"Run," his voice whispered from somewhere unseen. "This is just the beginning."
And then all hell broke loose.
The air shifted.
It wasn't just the wind, it was the forest itself, like it had been holding its breath all this time, waiting….. Waiting for her, waiting for this exact moment.
Leaves whipped around her in a violent spiral as the ground quaked beneath her feet. Trees groaned, ancient and tired, as if something deep within their roots had been disturbed. Aria stumbled backward, shielding her face from the flurry of dirt and wind. She couldn't see him, the boy, but his voice still echoed in her mind like a siren.
"Run."
Her instincts screamed, but her legs wouldn't move fast enough. Shadows spilled across the forest floor, thick and unnatural, curling like smoke, and from within them… something stirred.
A low snarl broke through the storm.
Not a wolf. Not a man.
A thing.
Then another. And another.
Eyes, three sets, emerged first. Crimson and soulless. Not packed, not rogue, not like anything she had ever seen. Their bodies were hunched and wrong, fur slick with something dark and reeking of rot. Their claws clicked against the stones like bone on glass.
She took a shaky step back. Then another. Her heart thundered.
She wasn't ready for this.
The fire within her flared in warning, responding to her fear, crackling beneath her skin. Her hands glowed faintly, small embers licking her fingertips. But it wasn't enough, not against this.
"Back off," she hissed, voice trembling but rising.
The creatures crept closer.
One growled, low and guttural, and lunged.
She flung out her palm, instinct taking over. A burst of flame erupted, slamming into its chest and sending it spiraling into the trees with a screech. But there were still two more. They hesitated for just a second, then attacked.
She ducked beneath the swipe of one and rolled across the forest floor, twigs snapping beneath her. She wasn't even sure if she was screaming. Her fire flared again, this time brighter, blasting one in the face. It shrieked and retreated, but the other didn't stop.
Its claws caught her shoulder.
Pain, searing, burning pain tore through her as she fell.
The world spun. She clutched her shoulder, hot blood spilling between her fingers.
Then he was there, the boy….. Elias.
He moved like smoke, fast and deadly, blades in both hands. His expression was unreadable, like he'd done this a hundred times before. In one swift motion, he drove a dagger into the creature's neck, twisting until it howled and collapsed into ash.
Aria blinked in shock. "What—?"
"No time," Elias said flatly. He grabbed her good arm and hauled her up. "They'll come back."
"W-what are those things?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he pulled her deeper into the forest, winding through paths she'd never seen. The wind died as suddenly as it came, the air still heavy with dread.
When they finally stopped, her lungs were burning, and her shoulder was slick with blood.
"You're hurt," he said, crouching beside her.
"No sh*t," she muttered.
He ripped a piece of fabric from his shirt and pressed it to her wound.
"Who were those things?" she asked again, softer now. "They weren't rogues."
"No," he said, meeting her eyes. "They were hunting you."
Her breath caught.
"Why?"
Before he could answer, he stiffened.
Another presence was with them, he could feel it.
His hand went to his blade again, but it was too late.
From the trees, a woman stepped forward, hooded, cloaked in white. Her face was hidden, but the energy she radiated made Aria's skin crawl.
"You found her," the woman said, her voice melodic and terrifying. "Good. The Rising Flame is no longer a myth."
Elias stepped in front of Aria.
"Stay back," he warned. "She's not ready yet."
The woman tilted her head. "Neither are you."
With a flick of her wrist, Elias was hurled backward into the trees, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.
Aria's hands ignited on instinct, but the woman didn't flinch.
"Child," she said. "You have no idea what you are. But soon… you will."
Before Aria could strike, the woman vanished into smoke.
There was silence for a few seconds.
Then Elias groaned, coughing from where he'd landed.
Aria ran to him, dropping to her knees. "Are you okay?"
He nodded weakly. "She's one of them. They know you're alive now. There's no hiding anymore."
Her stomach dropped.
The world was shifting a
gain. And she was at the center of it.
Elias looked up at her, pain in his eyes.
"We don't have much time."
Aria's heart pounded. "Time for what?"
He hesitated.
Then whispered....
"To choose what side of this war you're really on."