The square fell silent, the festival preparations forgotten. All eyes fixed on Aria, whose heart threatened to leap from her chest. She stepped back instinctively, the ribbon in her pocket suddenly burning like fire against her skin.
"You… you're looking for me?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
The stranger's silver eyes softened just a fraction. "Yes. And no time can be wasted. You are marked, Aria. Chosen by the veil. Your fate is not your own anymore."
Aria shook her head. "I don't understand. Marked? Chosen? I'm just… me. A simple village girl. I don't have… powers. I don't—"
"You do not yet understand them," he interrupted gently, his gaze piercing. "But they are real. And so is the danger that follows you. The ribbon," he said, pointing toward her pocket, "is only the beginning."
A chill ran down her spine. She could feel the truth of his words settling deep in her chest. Memories of the cloaked figure, the pool, and the visions surged in her mind like waves.
Tomas stepped beside her, placing a protective hand on her shoulder. "Aria, who is this man?" His voice was cautious but firm.
Aria's eyes met his, and she shook her head. "I… I don't know. But he's not here for gossip. Or for the festival."
The stranger crouched slightly to meet her gaze. "I am called Cael. I have been sent to guide you. There are forces watching, forces that wish to twist your gift—your destiny—into ruin. You must come with me. Now."
Aria's stomach knotted. "Come with you? Leave the village? Leave my family? Tomas?"
"I wish it were different," Cael said softly. "But hesitation will only cost you… everything."
The wind picked up, rattling the banners and sending a shiver through the villagers. Some began murmuring, uneasy at the intensity of the scene, while others whispered of omens and curses.
Tomas stepped forward. "If she goes, I go too." His voice was steady, but his hand tightened around hers.
Cael's eyes flickered briefly toward him. "The path is dangerous. Only the chosen may survive it. Others will not."
Aria's gaze shifted between the silver-eyed stranger and the familiar warmth of her friend. Her chest felt tight with conflicting choices. Leave everything she had ever known and step into the unknown, or stay and risk what she didn't yet fully understand?
The ribbon burned again. She pulled it from her pocket, the symbol glowing faintly, almost urging her forward.
Her resolve hardened. "I'll go," she said. "But only if I understand what I'm facing. And I need you to tell me everything, Cael."
The stranger nodded once, gravely. "Very well. There is little time. The veil's enemies are already moving."
As Aria climbed onto the cart Cael had brought, Tomas's hand lingered on hers for a heartbeat longer. "Promise me you'll come back," he said.
"I will," she whispered, though uncertainty laced her words.
The cart rolled forward, carrying Aria away from the only home she had ever known. Behind her, the village square seemed to shrink, swallowed by shadows that whispered of trials, power, and choices that would change everything.
Above, the sky darkened, clouds swirling unnaturally as if the world itself sensed the beginning of her journey.
And somewhere, beyond the mountains and the forests, the veil was watching.