Chapter 1: The Boy and the Wind
The wind spoke to Lyra again.
It rustled the silver leaves of the whispering trees and tugged gently at her cloak. "A stranger walks the forest," it murmured in her ear. "A boy with a wounded heart."
Lyra stood barefoot on a mossy stone, her white hair falling like silk over her shoulders. She narrowed her eyes toward the edge of the trees. Few dared to enter the forest. Fewer returned.
But he wasn't like the others.
Kael stumbled forward, a rough leather satchel on his back and a wooden sword tied to his belt. His boots were caked in mud, and his breath came fast. The forest pressed in around him like a living thing—roots curling, trees whispering secrets, shadows shifting.
He had been walking for hours, chasing stories. A flower called Lunebloom, hidden deep within the Whispering Forest, was said to cure any illness. His sister was dying. This was his last hope.
A sudden root rose from the ground like a serpent and caught his foot. He fell hard, scraping his palms.
Lyra appeared silently, stepping out from behind a tree older than the kingdom itself.
"You're bleeding," she said softly, kneeling beside him
Kael looked up, startled. She seemed unreal — eyes like moonlight, voice like leaves in the wind.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"I am Lyra," she said. "And you shouldn't be here."
"I need the flower. The Lunebloom. Please…"
She hesitated. The spirits watched from the trees, silent and ancient.
"Follow me," she finally said. "But know this: the forest does not like to be disturbed. And helping you may cost me more than you know."
As the wind stirred once more, the forest closed behind them.
And their journey began.
Chapter 2: The Spirits' Warning
Lyra walked ahead, barefoot and sure, as if the forest itself moved to clear her path. Kael followed, glancing around nervously. The trees looked different now — taller, twisted, almost watching.
"You live here?" he asked quietly.
"I was raised here," Lyra replied without turning. "By the spirits. I don't belong to the outside world."
Kael frowned. "You don't seem like a spirit."
She gave a small smile. "That's because I'm not. Not fully."
They crossed a shallow stream that whispered in a language Kael didn't understand. He could feel the magic in the air — thick and old. It hummed in his chest.
Suddenly, the wind died.
Lyra stopped. "They're coming."
From between the trees, faint lights flickered — bluish-white orbs that floated like fireflies. Shapes formed behind them: slender figures, tall, draped in mist, their faces hidden by glowing masks.
The forest spirits," Lyra whispered. "They've come to judge."
Kael stood his ground as the tallest spirit drifted forward. Its voice was neither male nor female — just ancient.
"Child of wind," it said, "why have you broken the silence?"
Lyra bowed her head. "The boy seeks the Lunebloom. His cause is pure."
He is human. He carries fire and steel. He brings danger."
Kael stepped forward. "Please. My sister is dying. I don't care about gold or glory. I just want to save her."
The spirit was silent for a long moment. Then: "You may go deeper. But if you awaken what sleeps beneath the roots, both your fates are sealed."
With that, the spirits vanished like fog at sunrise.
Kael looked at Lyra. "What did it mean?"
She looked toward the heart of the forest, her voice low. "That some magic should never be disturbed."
They walked on — not knowing that something ancient had already begun to stir