The forest felt different now.
Not just dangerous — aware.
Every rustle, every shift of wind, every flicker of shadow felt like a warning. Lira walked close behind Kael, her fingers brushing the dagger he'd given her, though she doubted steel could save her from what hunted them.
Kael moved with purpose, but she could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes scanned the trees with a predator's focus.
"Kael," she whispered, "what if the cliffs aren't enough? What if the truth doesn't stop the Shadehound?"
Kael didn't slow. "Then we find another way."
"But what if there isn't one?"
He stopped.
Turned.
And for the first time since the Shadehound appeared, she saw fear in his eyes — not for himself, but for her.
"Lira," he said quietly, "I don't care what the Seer said. I don't care what destiny expects. I will not let that creature take you."
Her breath caught. "Kael…"
He looked away quickly, as if he'd said too much. "We should keep moving."
They walked in silence, the air thick with unspoken things. Lira's mind churned with the vision she'd seen — the woman of starlight, the collapsing machine, the truth she wasn't ready to face.
She was the Starborn.
A bridge between worlds.
A soul that didn't belong to one lifetime.
But what did that make her now?
A girl?
A weapon?
A mistake?
Her mark pulsed beneath her tunic — warm, insistent, alive.
Kael noticed. "It's reacting again."
Lira pressed a hand to her shoulder. "It feels… stronger. Like something is waking up."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Then we need to reach the cliffs before it does."
They continued until the trees thinned, revealing a narrow ravine. A fallen tree formed a natural bridge across it, slick with moss.
Kael tested it with his boot. "It'll hold. Carefully."
Lira stepped onto the log, arms out for balance. Halfway across, the wind shifted — cold, sharp, unnatural.
Kael's head snapped up. "Lira—"
A howl tore through the forest.
Close.
Too close.
The Shadehound burst from the mist behind them, its body a writhing mass of shadow and bone. Its eyes locked onto Lira, glowing with hunger.
Kael shouted, "Run!"
Lira sprinted across the log, heart pounding. She reached the other side just as the Shadehound leapt onto the fallen tree, its claws digging into the bark.
Kael met it mid‑bridge.
Steel clashed with shadow.
The log shook violently.
"Kael!" Lira cried.
"Go!" he shouted. "Get to the cliffs!"
"I'm not leaving you!"
The Shadehound lunged. Kael dodged, but the creature's claws raked across his side. He staggered, gripping the log to keep from falling.
Lira's mark flared.
Golden light burst from her skin, shooting across the ravine like a comet. It struck the Shadehound, sending it skidding back, its form flickering violently.
Kael stared at her, breathless. "Lira…"
She didn't think.
She moved.
She ran back onto the log, grabbed Kael's arm, and pulled him toward her. "Come on!"
The Shadehound reformed, snarling, its body trembling with rage.
Kael stumbled onto solid ground beside her. "Lira, that power—"
"I don't know how I did it," she said, voice shaking. "But I can't control it."
Kael grabbed her shoulders. "You don't have to control it. You just have to survive long enough to understand it."
The Shadehound howled, preparing to leap again.
Kael pulled Lira close, his breath warm against her ear. "When I say run, you run. Don't look back."
Lira's heart hammered. "Kael—"
He met her gaze, eyes fierce. "I'm not dying today."
The Shadehound lunged.
Kael shoved Lira behind him.
But before the creature could reach them—
The ground trembled.
The air shimmered.
And a burst of silver light erupted from the trees, slamming into the Shadehound with the force of a storm.
The creature shrieked, its body unraveling into smoke.
Lira shielded her eyes. "What was that?"
Kael stared into the trees, blade raised. "We're not alone."
A figure stepped into the clearing.
Cloaked.
Hooded.
Carrying a staff that glowed with the same silver light that had struck the Shadehound.
Lira's breath caught.
Kael stepped in front of her. "Identify yourself."
The figure lowered their hood.
And Lira's world tilted.
Because she knew that face.
Not from this life.
But from the one before.
"Astra," the figure said softly. "I've been searching for you."
Lira's knees weakened.
Kael froze.
And the Shadehound's distant howl echoed through the forest — furious, wounded, and still hunting.