Dawn came too quickly.
A thin layer of mist clung to the ground as the palace gates opened, the first light of morning barely breaking through the horizon. The air was cold, sharp against the skin, carrying a quiet tension that none of the soldiers dared to ignore.
Kaelen stood at the front, already mounted.
His expression was focused and calm. But his thought were elsewhere.
"Ready, Your Highness?" Captain Rowan asked, adjusting the strap on his gauntlet.
Kaelen nodded once. "Move out."
The gates opened wider. And the group rode forward.
Eight warriors with one mission.
Silence followed them out of the city.
No one spoke.
Not even the usual low chatter that came with long rides. This wasn't a routine patrol. They all knew the were walking into the lion's den. Putting in mind that everything could go wrong.
The forest welcomed them with stillness. Not the peaceful kind but the unsettling kind.
Tall trees loomed overhead, their branches weaving together to block out much of the morning light. The deeper they rode, the darker it became, the mist thickening around them.
Rowan's gaze swept the area. "Too quiet," he muttered.
Kaelen noticed it too. There was no birds, no movement. Nothing.
Just the sound of hooves against damp earth.
"Spread out slightly," Kaelen ordered. "Stay within sight."
The soldiers obeyed immediately, shifting positions.
Every movement was measured and careful.
They hadn't gone much farther when Arin raised a hand. "Tracks."
Everyone slowed.
Kaelen dismounted first, crouching beside the disturbed ground. The soil was torn, claw marks deep and uneven, far larger than any natural predator.
Rowan stepped closer. "That's no ordinary beast."
Kaelen's jaw tightened. "Stay alert."
They moved forward on foot now. Weapons drawn.
The deeper they went the worse it became.
broken branches, scattered footprints.
And then, a sharp rotten smell engulfed them.
Bren covered his nose slightly. "Gods…"
They found it moments later.
A body. What remained of one. Lying twisted near the base of a tree.
Dunc turned away immediately. Torin swore under his breath.
Kaelen stepped closer, his expression hardening.
The wound was clear. A single bite.
But the flesh around it had darkened, veins spreading outward like cracks beneath the skin. It looked like a deadly poison.
Rowan exhaled slowly. "The reports were right."
Kaelen stood. "It's close."
As if summoned by his words. A low sound echoed through the trees. Like something moving through leaves. A low sound came from deeper in the trees.
Like something moving through the undergrowth.
Every soldier reacted immediately.
The raised their weapons.
They didn't panic—but they didn't relax either.
Rowan stepped slightly forward, his voice low. "Hold position."
The group tightened instinctively, shifting just enough to cover each other without breaking formation.
Kaelen's eyes moved across the tree line. "Stay alert," he said.
No one spoke after that.
They waited for any sign of movement. After a second, a branch snapped somewhere to their right.
Jorik turned in that direction, blade ready.
Sergeant Vale already had an arrow drawn, aiming into the trees. No one moved unnecessarily.
Whatever was out there they were ready for it.
Suddenly, a branch snapped behind them.
Jorik turned sharply. "There!"
Something was coming towards them. A blur appeared between the trees.
Then... They saw it.
For a split second.
A huge body of a lion. It looked mascular and powerful. But the head looked so wrong.....
elongated shape of a serpent, its eyes gleaming with something unnatural.
Its mouth slightly opened and even from a distance
they could see the glisten of it's venom.
"Back!" Kaelen shouted.
The creature lunged at them faster than expected.
Arin barely dodged, the beast's claws tearing through the space where he had just been.
"Spread out!" Rowan barked.
The soldiers moved quickly, surrounding it but keeping distance.
The beast hissed. A sound that didn't belong to any natural creature.
It circled them as if watching to see if they will lower their guard.
Then as if seeing enough it retreated just as quickly as it had appeared. Disappearing into the forest.
The silence that followed was worse than the attack.
Torin exhaled shakily. "What… was that?"
Kaelen's grip tightened on his sword."It's testing us."
Rowan nodded grimly. "And now it knows we're here."
Kaelen looked toward the direction it vanished.
His expression hardened. "Then we hunt it before it hunts us."
Elara froze. The herb basket slipped from her hands, leaves scattering across the floor but she didn't notice. A sharp, crushing unease hit her all at once.
Her breath caught. Her chest tightened painfully, like something invisible had wrapped around it.
Something was wrong. Not just wrong, she could sense the danger that was coming.
"Kaelen…" she whispered, the name barely leaving her lips. Her heartbeat quickened.
It echoed in her ears, drowning everything else out.
She staggered back a step, pressing a hand against her chest as if it would steady her.
But it didn't.
The feeling grew stronger as if warning her.
Her fingers trembled.
It felt like something building inside her. Her chest tightened. Her fingers started to shake.
Then....
A sharp sensation rushed through her arms, down to her hands.
The oil lamp made a small cracking sound.
Elara's head snapped toward it. The flame flickered.
Her emotions was spiraling. Fear, worry, kealen, the forest. The feeling wouldn't stop. It kept building like everything inside her was being pulled in different directions at once.
She pressed a hand to her chest.
"Stop…" But it didn't.
The pressure rose sharply and the flame reacted.
It jumped, higher and fast.
Elara's breath caught. Her gaze locked onto the fire.
The fire moved, not randomly but In time with her breathing.
The faster her heart raced, the stronger it grew.
"No…" She stepped back.
And the flame stretched upward. The glass around it began to shake. A thin crack formed.
Another crack split through the glass.
The pressure inside her spiked and the lamp shattered.
Fire burst outward spilling across the table.
Spreading quickly and aggressively heating her face.
But everything else felt… off.
Like she wasn't fully there.
Like the fire and her emotions were tied together in a way she couldn't control.
"I didn't—" The flame surged again.
Wild and unstable, it didn't slow down neither did it settle. It moved like it was being pushed.
Like something inside her was feeding it.
"Elara!" The door slammed open.
Serenya rushed in, her eyes locked onto the flames instantly.
"Elara, what happened?"
Elara couldn't answer. Her breathing was uneven.
Her hands shaking. Her thoughts still spinning.
"I… I don't know," she said quickly, but her voice didn't sound steady.
The flame flared again higher and sharper.
Serenya's expression changed.
She felt it. This wasn't just fire.
"Stay back." She turned immediately and rushed out.
Elara couldn't move.
The fire continued to burn, rising and falling in uneven bursts, almost like it was breathing. Like it was connected to her.
Serenya returned quickly, water in one hand, cloth in the other.
As the damp cloth touched the flames, they flames flared up again. Serenya stepped closer trying to stop the fire from spreading. Elara's eyes widened.
"Mom!"
Fear shot through her instantly. For a second, it felt like the fire was reaching for Serenya, like it might burn her.
"Mom, stop!"
And then, the flames dropped. Like something had cut them off.
They shrank and faded then died completely.
The room fell into darkness. Smoke drifted into the air.
Elara stood frozen, her chest rising and falling quickly.
Her gaze fixed on where the fire had been.
Her mind racing.
Because this time It wasn't just fear.
It felt like the fire had listened.