The forest had grown silent again, but the quiet was heavy, loaded with expectation. Edrin moved carefully, every step measured, his senses stretched taut as the silver pulse within him thrummed like a heartbeat against the dark. Liora followed closely, her eyes scanning the treeline, sword ready though her hands shook from exhaustion.
"We can't stay near the clearing," Edrin whispered, his voice low. "Even if we hide, the Council knows. The Harvester's destruction… it sent a signal. They'll trace it."
Liora nodded, jaw tight. "Then we move fast. Where to?"
Edrin's gaze drifted to the faint silver threads lingering in the air, remnants of the Beacon's shattered runes. They pulsed faintly, almost like whispers. "The Beacon left something behind… something I can follow. I don't know what it is yet, but I can feel it. It's leading us somewhere."
For hours they moved through the forest, navigating twisted roots and dense undergrowth. Shadows stretched unnaturally, and the air felt charged, as if the forest itself was aware of the awakening power inside Edrin. At times, he felt a presence trailing them—subtle, intangible—but every time he turned, there was nothing. Only the lingering hum of silver light beneath his skin, warning him.
Finally, they reached a small clearing where the ground sloped downward into a hidden valley. A narrow river cut through the earth, its waters shimmering with a strange iridescence that mirrored the faint glow in Edrin's chest. He knelt, pressing his fingers to the water. The silver pulse responded, sending ripples outward, interacting with the river as if it were a thread connecting him to something beyond the valley.
"This… feels alive," he murmured. "The Beacon… it left a path. Not just for me, but for whoever is meant to follow it."
Liora crouched beside him, wary. "Alive? Like… the forest itself?"
"Not the forest," Edrin said, standing. "Something older. Something that remembers the light the Council tries to control. I can feel it… like it's waiting."
A rustle from the treeline made them both snap to attention. A figure emerged, hooded and silent, moving with the ease of someone who belonged entirely to the shadows. The silver pulse flared sharply, signaling both caution and recognition.
"You're following the trail," the figure said, voice low and deliberate. "I've been watching."
Edrin tensed. "Who are you?"
The figure stepped closer, revealing pale, angular features beneath the hood. Eyes gleamed faintly like molten silver. "I am called Selene," she said. "Once, I served the Council. Now… I serve the Beacon. And it has chosen you."
Liora's hand went to her sword. "Chosen him? For what?"
Selene's gaze shifted to Edrin, intense yet calm. "To awaken what the Council fears most. You survived the Harvester. You wield the light of the Beacon. You are… the first in a long line they tried to erase. The threads of fate bend toward you, boy. They bend, but they also resist. That is why they will come."
Edrin swallowed hard, silver light flickering along his veins. "Why me?"
"Because you are unclaimed," Selene said. "Neither fully bound to the Council nor entirely free. The Beacon sensed it. It called you… and in answering, you disrupted the balance. That is why the Council will not forgive. That is why they will send more than hunters next time. You will need to understand what you hold inside before they arrive again."
Liora glanced between them, concern shadowing her face. "And if we fail?"
Selene's expression hardened. "Then the Council takes everything. Not just your life. Your soul, your memories… even the world you know. They do not forgive. They do not hesitate."
Edrin's pulse thrummed in response. The silver light inside him no longer just pulsed with power—it demanded attention, demanding mastery. "Then we learn," he said. "We master it… before they find us again."
Selene nodded. "Good. Then we begin. But beware—what grows inside you is not simple. The light you carry… it is alive, aware. It can protect, but it can also consume. And it will be tested, by you and by them."
As she spoke, Edrin felt the silver pulse twist, almost like a coil of restrained energy, eager and dangerous. The Harvester had been only the beginning. The Council would send more, and stronger. The threads of fate had intertwined him with a power older than any mortal reckoning, and the forest itself seemed to hum in warning.
"Where do we start?" Liora asked, her voice resolute, though fear lingered beneath the surface.
Selene extended her hand toward the river, and the water shimmered and shifted under her touch, revealing faint patterns that pulsed like runes. "Here. The Beacon left fragments of its essence scattered across the world. You will learn from them. You will face trials. You will confront the Council. And only then… will you understand what it truly means to wield the light."
Edrin nodded, determination settling in his chest alongside the pulsing silver. "Then we begin," he said.
The forest seemed to exhale, shadows stretching and twisting, as if acknowledging the choice made. And somewhere deep within the valley, faint echoes of the Council stirred, a warning carried on winds that had not yet touched the world.
Edrin's silver pulse flared, bright and hungry, as if sensing the challenges to come. The first threads had been revealed. The first warning had been issued.
And the Council would not wait.
Edrin followed Selene to the riverbank, each step stirring silver motes of light that rose from the ground and danced like fireflies. The air felt electric, heavy with expectation. He could feel the pulse in his chest reacting to the patterns in the water, almost as if the Beacon itself were guiding him.
Liora stayed close, her eyes never leaving the shimmering runes. "I still don't understand half of what's happening," she muttered. "How is this light alive?"
"It's not just light," Selene said, voice calm but edged with warning. "It is consciousness, memory, and intent all in one. It responds to the will of those strong enough to command it—and it tests those who are not."
Edrin clenched his fists. "Then I have to be strong. I can't let the Council take me. I can't let anyone else suffer for what I carry inside."
Selene nodded. "Good. Resolve is the first step. But know this—the light does not obey blindly. It listens, it learns, and it demands. If you fail to control it, it will control you. And if the Council senses even a fragment of hesitation… they will strike without mercy."
The river shimmered, silver threads weaving into intricate patterns, calling out to him. Edrin took a deep breath, feeling the pulse within him intensify, as if answering a silent summons. The path ahead was dangerous, but for the first time, he felt ready to face it.
Liora squeezed his arm. "Then let's face it together."
Edrin nodded, the silver light thrumming in agreement, signaling the beginning of a new, perilous journey.