The morning sun rose over the horizon, casting a pale, sickly light on the desolate scene. Kael and Mia sat on a rough, wooden cart, their eyes blank, their bodies unmoving. Two large, black horses pulled the cart, their hooves thudding rhythmically against the ground, while Austin and another mage rode alongside them. Behind the cart, the remaining six mages followed on their own horses, their faces hidden beneath the dark folds of their hoods.
Kael's eyes stared vacantly at the ground, his mind clouded with confusion and pain. He didn't know how long it had been since that terrible night, but the blood of his parents still stained his thoughts. He couldn't shake the image—the explosion, the warm splatter on his face, the screams. His heart pounded against his chest, but no matter how much fear and anguish he felt, his body remained stiff, cold, unresponsive.
The cart rocked along the dirt road, and he glanced at Mia, sitting beside him. Her face was pale, her eyes downcast, staring at the floor of the cart. Her usually lively, inquisitive eyes were empty now, lost to the horror of the night before. She hadn't said a word since then, hadn't even made a sound. Her once vibrant spirit seemed broken, a shell of the sister he once knew.
They were moving away from their home—away from Eldenwood, from everything familiar. At first, the landscape had been rolling hills of green, with the occasional farmhouse dotting the horizon. The scent of freshly turned soil and morning dew had been in the air, familiar smells that reminded Kael of his family's farm. But as the hours passed, the road grew narrower, the greenery faded into dark woods, and the trees became more dense, their branches stretching like bony fingers above them. The path became rough, jagged, filled with the sounds of crunching twigs and rustling leaves as the cart trundled deeper into the unknown forest.
Every now and then, Kael noticed the mages ahead, clearing the way for the cart. They would raise their hands, mutter in strange languages, and the thick undergrowth would part, creating a path. Rocks and branches moved as if by invisible hands, revealing a trail through the seemingly impenetrable forest. It was like watching something unnatural, but Kael was too numb to feel the shock that should have accompanied such a sight.
The days blurred together. The cart moved endlessly forward, through sun and rain, as the world around them became a twisted blur of dark woods and oppressive silence. Every night, they would stop at makeshift camps, the mages setting up wards Kael didn't understand. And every day, Austin would come to the cart, bringing food and water, forcing it down their throats with little care for their wills. Kael's throat burned as he swallowed the stale bread and dry meat Austin shoved into his mouth. Mia barely reacted to it, her hands limp as Austin fed her with the same roughness.
"You need to eat, children," Austin would say in a cold, mocking voice. "You'll need your strength for what's coming."
Kael wanted to fight back, to scream, to lash out. But his body wouldn't listen. It was as if a fog had settled over him, muting his movements, dulling his mind. And yet, in the back of his consciousness, something was stirring—a fire that had been ignited on that horrific night.
Mia sat next to him, her small body curled up, her face still as stone. She didn't cry, didn't scream, but the hollow look in her eyes told him everything. She was broken, just as he was. But somehow, that made Kael's resolve burn even brighter.
He would not let her be lost to this.
As the cart moved deeper into the forest, the rage inside Kael grew. He had no control over what had happened—no power to stop the mages, no way to protect his family. But the thought of Mia, his little sister, being dragged into this twisted world made him sick. He had failed his parents. He had failed his home. But he would not fail her.
The mages were evil, ruthless. They had taken everything from him, stripped him of his life, his family, his freedom. He would never forget the way they had laughed as his parents' bodies exploded, the way Austin had mocked them even in their death. And now, they were using him, and using Mia, for some dark purpose—something he couldn't yet understand.
But Kael swore to himself that he would figure it out.
Vengeance. The word echoed in his mind, filling the hollow spaces left by grief and fear. He wanted revenge on Austin and the mages. He wanted to make them pay for everything they had done. But most of all, he wanted to protect Mia.
She was all he had left now.
The cart continued to rumble forward, the wheels creaking beneath them, the dark forest swallowing them whole. Kael glanced at Mia once more, her fragile figure barely moving, her head leaning against the side of the cart. His heart ached for her, but beneath that ache was a new purpose—a goal.
He would protect her. And he would destroy these people for what they had done. Whatever it took, he would find a way.
Kael clenched his fists, feeling the growing calluses from his months of training. He wasn't strong enough yet. But he would be. Someday, he would be.
And when that day came, they would regret ever crossing paths with Kael of Eldenwood.