Kael woke to whispers that weren't his own.
At first, he thought the curse had found a new tongue to torment him with, that it had woven itself into the sound of leaves and the groan of trees. But as his eyes adjusted to the dim glow of dawn filtering through woven hides, he realized the voices were softer, lighter. The forest itself was murmuring.
He shifted on the bed of furs, his body stiff, burns still aching beneath the salves. Every movement dragged a dull weight across his ribs. His hand went instinctively to his chest, fingers brushing over cloth bandages that smelled of pine resin and crushed herbs. The pain was real, but it no longer felt like it was killing him. It was as though something ancient had pressed back against the curse, dulling its hunger.
Across the fire, Serenya sat sharpening a curved blade, her eyes lifting only briefly when he stirred. Her movements were steady, precise, as though she had done this every morning for years. Her hair fell like a raven's wing across her shoulder, and her gaze — when it finally settled fully on him — was cool and sharp as frost.
"You're alive," she said flatly.
Kael tried to sit up, but his body protested with a stab of fire. He grimaced, propping himself against the rough wooden wall. "Disappointed?"
"Not yet," she said, returning to her blade.
The curse twitched inside him, amused. She watches you like prey she hasn't decided to kill. Perhaps you should give her a reason.
Kael ignored it, focusing instead on the huntress. "You could have left me in the dirt. Why didn't you?"
She paused, then wiped the blade clean. "Because you didn't burn when the forest touched you."
His brow furrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The roots tested you," she said simply, as though it required no explanation. "Most who carry corruption ignite like dry tinder when they fall upon Ashwood's ground. But you resisted. That doesn't make you safe. It only makes you… strange."
Kael let out a humorless chuckle. "Strange is generous."
She gave him a long, unreadable look, then rose fluidly to her feet. "If you want to stay alive, you'll need more than my herbs. You'll need to prove you're not a threat."
His jaw tightened. "And how would I do that? Bow to your trees?"
For the first time, her lips twitched as if suppressing a smile. "Not bow. Listen."
She stepped outside the shelter, and Kael had no choice but to follow, despite his body's protests. The air outside was thick with dew, the forest canopy spilling shadow across the clearing. Birds flitted between branches, but their calls seemed muted, cautious.
Serenya led him to a circle of stones marked with carvings too old to decipher. Vines crawled over them, their leaves pulsing faintly with green light, as though the forest itself bled through the stone. She gestured for him to stand within.
Kael eyed the circle warily. "What is this?"
"A listening ground," she said. "Ashwood's heart is near here. If the forest deems you poison, it will show us. If it deems you… tolerable, it will grant a sign."
The curse stirred violently at the edge of his mind, recoiling from the circle like a beast from fire. Fool. Step inside, and the roots will strangle you. They know us. They will never suffer us to live.
Kael swallowed hard. He didn't trust the voice. But he didn't trust Serenya either. He stepped into the circle.
The air shifted immediately. The vines on the stones glowed brighter, tendrils twitching as if scenting the air. A low hum filled the clearing, resonating in his bones. Kael gritted his teeth as heat flared beneath his skin. The curse thrashed, pressing against his chest, clawing for release.
Flames licked at his arms. He gasped, struggling to contain it. His vision swam, red and green colliding. His knees buckled, but he forced himself upright, refusing to fall.
"Stop," Serenya ordered sharply, her hand pressing to the stones. Power pulsed outward, cool and grounding, like roots drinking deep from the earth. The curse snarled within him, striking at the force, but her touch pressed harder.
"Breathe," she said, her voice cutting through the noise. "If you let it consume you, you will be ash."
Kael dragged in a shuddering breath. For one moment — one blessed heartbeat — the curse stilled. The vines pulsed, then receded, their glow dimming until only faint traces remained. The hum faded, and silence returned.
Serenya lowered her hand. "Strange indeed," she murmured.
Kael staggered out of the circle, collapsing against a stone. Sweat slicked his brow, his hands trembling. "What… what did it show you?"
She regarded him, expression unreadable. "That you're not only cursed. You're bound."
He frowned. "Bound to what?"
Her gaze sharpened. "To whom."
Before he could answer, the forest itself shifted.
The birds fell silent. Leaves shivered without wind. A low growl rolled through the trees, guttural and deep, shaking the earth beneath their feet. Serenya stiffened, her hand flying to her bow.
"They've come," she hissed.
"Who?" Kael rasped.
Shadows slithered between the trees — not natural ones cast by branches, but things that moved on their own, shapes half-formed and writhing. From them emerged creatures twisted and lean, their bodies stretched too long, limbs ending in claws that dripped with dark sap. Their eyes glowed with pale fire, fixed hungrily on Kael.
The curse inside him howled in recognition. They smell me. They are drawn to me. Let me burn them.
Kael gritted his teeth, drawing the knife he had dropped the night before. Serenya was already moving, her bowstring singing as an arrow flew, striking one of the creatures clean through the skull. It shrieked, collapsing into black sludge that hissed against the earth.
But more came.
Dozens poured from the shadows, surrounding the clearing, their movements jerky and unnatural. Serenya fired again and again, each shot precise, but the tide pressed closer.
Kael fought to keep the curse restrained, but when one of the creatures lunged at him, claws slashing, instinct took over. Flame erupted from his palm, engulfing the beast in searing fire. It screamed, thrashing before collapsing into ash.
The blaze spread through him, wild and uncontrollable. His vision blazed red, the curse urging him to release more, to burn everything. He staggered, choking on his own power.
Then a hand gripped his arm — Serenya's.
Her touch was grounding, cool, like roots binding fire. "Focus, Kael!" she shouted over the din. "Use it — don't let it use you!"
Her voice cut through the haze. He drew in a breath, forcing the flame into his blade instead of the air. Fire licked along the steel, and when the next creature lunged, he slashed through it, the blade carving a line of burning ruin.
Side by side, they fought. Serenya's arrows pierced eyes and throats with deadly precision. Kael's blade, wreathed in cursed fire, cut down those who slipped through. The clearing filled with shrieks and smoke, black sludge burning into nothing beneath their feet.
At last, silence fell. The last creature crumbled, its body dissolving into the soil. The forest held still, watching.
Kael collapsed to one knee, chest heaving, flames flickering faintly along his arms. Serenya stood over him, bow lowered but not relaxed, her eyes wary.
"You draw them," she said finally. "Wherever you go, they will follow."
He nodded weakly, unable to deny it. "Then why… help me fight them?"
She looked at him, her expression hard. "Because if you fall, Ashwood will burn. And I won't allow that."
Her words were iron, but beneath them lay something else. Not trust. Not yet. But recognition.
They were bound now — not by choice, but by necessity.
And as Kael stared into the shadows of the forest, he knew this was only the beginning.