The city of Elyndra shimmered under the fading light of dusk, lanterns floating gently in the evening breeze. The cobblestone streets, worn smooth by centuries of footsteps, seemed to hum with a life of their own. Kaelis Veyra adjusted his cloak, feeling the familiar tug in his chest—a subtle pull that always appeared when something extraordinary was near.
He had learned to ignore most whispers, the ones others couldn't hear. But tonight, the sound was different. Clearer. Almost… urgent.
Turning a corner, Kaelis nearly collided with a figure stepping out of the shadows.
"I'm—sorry!" he stammered, looking up.
The young woman before him had hair like liquid midnight and eyes that seemed to hold the reflection of a thousand stars. For a heartbeat, time itself seemed to pause.
"It's… okay," she said, her voice like a melody that lingered even after the words were gone. She tilted her head, studying him with a curious intensity.
Kaelis felt an odd warmth in his chest, a sensation he couldn't explain. Magic? Fate? He wasn't sure. But something about her made the air around him hum.
"You… felt that too, didn't you?" she asked, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips.
"Felt what?" he replied, though his voice wavered.
"The pull," she said simply, stepping closer. "The whisper in the air, calling us…"
Before he could respond, a shadow flickered across the street, fast and silent. Kaelis instinctively grabbed her hand. Electricity shot through him at the touch.
"Who—?" he began.
But the moment passed, leaving only the fading glow of lanterns and a lingering sense that their lives had just been irrevocably changed.
Kaelis looked at her again. "I'm Kaelis. And you are?"
"Selara," she whispered, "Selara Nyx. And Kaelis… I think this is the beginning of something neither of us can escape."