They knelt before me! Kael didn't blink. His eyes, like they'd seen tempests and violence older than her years.
He leaned and moved closer, the fire's burning brighter sharpening the planes of his face.
They kneel for strength, girl, not for weakness or tears.
If you want them to stay down, you've gotta be tough as steel!!!!."
Her heart beat so fast like a drum, a storm in her chest.
The wolves from her dream are still vivid in her mind, silver, endless, forever. Her scream still rang in her ears.
But morning came without care for her pain. Days passed like rivers flowing fast.
Kael woke her up from a weak sleep before the rising of the sun.
His voice hit like a whip, his hands rough and cruel.
Again!!" he yelled.
She dropped to the cold ground, chest rising fast, mouth open like she was choking on the sky.
Not here. Not now.
Only the cold saw her break.
Her body shook, but his eyes pushed her harder.
She hit the wood till her hands bled. She lifted heavy stones until her arms cried out in pain.
He made her run through dark woods, where roots tried to catch her and darkness were heard saying scary things.
Why? she gasped once, when her knees were weak. Why push me past breaking? Isla cried with pain and agony in her voice.
Kael's reply was like a knife ,Because the world will not stop when you break. It will feast on your weakness. Better you bleed here, than bleed at their feet."
She rose again, And again And again, Every scar told a story on her skin.
Every bruise, a reminder she made it through. But the nights? The nights hurt the most.
When the fire died and the night went quiet, Isla slept off into burning dreams.
She saw the wolves again, their silver eyes deep like the moon.
She saw dark clouds rising, wind with violence blowing through the sky.
Then she heard her name soft, powerful like a goddess calling her.
"Isla… child of Snowveil… arise!!!." She woke bathed in sweat, Kael watching her from solitude like a sentinel made of iron.
What did you see? he asked. She bit her lip till it bled. She said nothing.
But deep inside, the wolves still bowed to her.
It was on the seventh dawn that Elder Morien appeared.
The door opened slowly, and the scent of herbs and incense rolled inside.
His cloak was old and worn out, and his eyes held stories he'd never told too many to count.
He looked at Isla and bowed not deep, but enough to ignite Kael's angry face.
"The Snowveil bloodline stirs," Morien said, his voice like frost. "The storm has found its vessel."
Isla froze Kael's hand snapped to the hilt of his blade. Leave your riddles, old man. She is no vessel, only flesh and bone.
Morien's smile was sorrow. "Flesh, yes. Bone, yes but more Storms are born in silence before they roar.
Steel only becomes strong when fire burns away the weakness Don't try to put out her fire, Kael she needs it to become who she's meant to be. Or it will consume you both."
Just like that, Morien was gone No goodbye, just his strange words hanging in the air, messing with her head.
Isla's eyes searched for Kael. What does he mean? Snowveil? Flame?
Kael looked away, his jaw tight. It means nothing. Just forget him.
But she caught that small shift in his eyes. He was scared. He just didn't want her to see it.
Days turned to weeks, and each one left a mark on her.
Kael didn't need to touch her his words cut deep, cold and sharp like a harmattan wind. Every day, a piece of her cracked.
"If you wish to die, stay down. If you wish to rise, turn your pain into fire."
She fell. She cried. She bled. She shouted his name with tears in her throat, cursing him.
When her hands shook and her legs gave way, she threw stones into the cold, over and over, until even anger left her.
"You're heartless!" she snapped, tears icing up on her face.
Kael's stare cut through her rage.
"No. I am honest. The world is cruel. .
I only show you its face."And yet behind his cruelty, there were cracks.
when her injuries got serious, he crushed some herbs and applied them directly to her skin.
his hands were strong and didn't let go for too long.
when she was super tired, he put a glass of water right there for her Not soft, not tender, but always there.
a strain was built, it was like striking flint against steel, creating a sharp, focused energy
Each jab flared.
Each fight scorched. And underneath, something unsaid bubbled.
It was during one sparring session that Isla noticed it. .
She had managed, for the first time, to sweep his legs and force him to the ground. .
Triumph went through her veins. But thenShe noticed it. .
A scratch on his cheek, small but red with blood. .
She blinked a couple of times, and voilà, the wound just closed up on its own.
her breath hitched. Hey, Kael, what's up? What are you? He pushed her away and stood up, silent. .
his face was tough as nails, but his silence was way louder than any denial.
That night, she caught him staring at the fire, with shadows clutching him like invisible shackles.
No history. No family. She'd been left to die before the night was over.
a ghostly figure, all flesh and bone, with a blade that cuts deep but never snaps.
On the twenty-first night, the storm came.
Training pushed Isla to her absolute max Kael's orders boomed in her head. .
her knuckles were bleeding like crazy, she was shaking from rage and feeling totally hopeless
I can't! She cried, collapsed in the snow.
Kael grabbed her shoulders, shaking her like a storm shakes the earth.
You're not worthless, you've got value. Rise up, or you're gonna sink in your own sadness!
Something cracked Something erupted inside her.
The sky went all dark. Winds howled, ripping branches off trees. .
Lightning zipped across the sky, unleashing its fury like a wild beast finally breaking free.
Strength rushed through her, wild, fierce, stunning.
her yell sliced through the air, and the storm just roared louder
Bolts of silver fire crashed down, splitting the forest.
the ground was shaking super hard and trees were on fire, roots were all up in the air from the dirt
Kael stood there, unshaken, even as the storm raged on. His voice was soft, almost awed. .
The Snowveil's awake.
The soft Touch And then silence.
The storm was over, just piles of rubble and smoldering remains, Isla was down, totally spent, barely breathing.
Kael snagged her. Not tenderly, not soft but his arms locked around her before she hit the ground.
Her head was resting on his chest. she could feel his heartbeat going strong and hear his breaths sounding rough and uneven
For a moment, his hands stayed too long.
Too close Isla's lips..