---
Kaelen stood in the aftermath of the battle, his body still sore from the intensity of the fight. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, but his mind refused to settle. The strange dream—or was it a vision?—was playing over and over in his mind like a broken record. The Unseen, the storm, the City of Eternal Night… they were all so vivid, so real. Yet when Kaelen looked around, the world seemed so... ordinary. Nothing out of place.
Lira, Garak, and the others had regrouped by now, all of them looking just as exhausted as he felt. They had won, yes, but Kaelen couldn't shake the sense of foreboding gnawing at his gut. Something had changed.
"What's wrong, Kaelen?" Lira asked, her voice concerned as she stepped toward him. Her eyes searched his face, trying to understand the storm that was clearly brewing in his mind. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I… I think I have," Kaelen muttered, half to himself.
"What do you mean?" Garak's gruff voice interrupted, the warrior's brows furrowing. "What's got you spooked? We won, didn't we? The storm's gone."
Kaelen didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked out over the battlefield, his mind still reeling. The world was quiet now—too quiet, as if it was waiting for something.
"I think we've just opened the door to something bigger," Kaelen finally said. His voice was low, as if he were speaking more to himself than anyone else. "That storm... wasn't just a random force. It was part of something else. A test. A plan. And I'm afraid we've only seen the beginning."
Lira's eyes narrowed. "You're saying that the Unseen… that thing… wasn't just a one-off? You think it's coming back?"
Kaelen nodded slowly. "I'm not sure. But I have this feeling. Like the storm was just a small piece of a much bigger puzzle."
"Sounds like we've been dragged into something we can't back out of," Garak said, his tone grim but resolute. He cracked his knuckles, clearly ready for whatever came next. "I say we keep pushing forward. If we fight, we win. That's how it works."
"You're right," Kaelen said, his eyes sharpening. "But it won't be that simple. We need to figure out what's really going on. Who—or what—the Unseen is, and what its endgame really is."
Lira stepped forward, placing a hand on Kaelen's arm. "We'll face it together. We always do."
Kaelen met her gaze, feeling the weight of her words. Her loyalty, her faith in him, was unshakable, and it steadied his heart. He wasn't alone in this.
"Alright," Kaelen said, his voice more certain now. "We're going to need information. We need to find out more about this City of Eternal Night and why it's connected to the storm. I'm not going to let some cryptic being pull our strings."
The group nodded in agreement, each of them determined to move forward. But just as they began to turn, a strange feeling washed over Kaelen. A tingling sensation at the back of his mind, like an invisible presence watching him.
He spun around, scanning the horizon, but there was nothing there. His heart rate picked up as he clenched his fists, his senses heightened.
"What is it?" Lira asked, her voice edged with concern.
"I… I don't know. But I feel like we're being watched," Kaelen admitted, unease creeping into his voice. "It's like there's something out there—something waiting."
The group fell silent, each of them looking around nervously. The quiet atmosphere felt thick, almost suffocating. The air was still, but Kaelen could feel it. The storm may have passed, but something else was stirring in the distance.
Kaelen didn't want to alarm anyone, but he couldn't shake the sensation. Every instinct he had screamed that they weren't alone.
Then, as if to confirm his unease, a dark figure appeared at the edge of the battlefield, emerging from the shadows of the ruined landscape. It was a man, but there was something unnatural about him, something unsettling. His face was hidden behind a mask of shadows, his form almost blending with the darkness.
"Who's there?" Kaelen called out, his voice sharp.
The figure stepped forward, and with each step, the air grew colder, heavier. The ground beneath Kaelen's feet seemed to crack and shift with each movement of the stranger. When the figure stopped, his voice rang out in the silent air—a deep, echoing tone.
"You have been marked," the figure said. "Marked by the storm."
Kaelen's eyes narrowed, his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword. "Marked? By the storm? Who are you?"
The figure didn't answer immediately. Instead, he raised his hand, and the shadows around him seemed to warp and pulse, as if the very darkness were alive. Kaelen could feel the energy radiating from him—dark, oppressive, and ancient.
"I am the Harbinger," the figure said, his voice now laced with power. "And I have come to deliver the message. The storm is not over. It has only just begun. And now, it is time for you to face what you have awakened."
---
Kaelen's blood ran cold as the figure's words echoed in his mind. The storm wasn't over.
And the true battle was just beginning.
---