The next few days passed in a blur for Calen. The unease he had felt after meeting the stranger in the woods lingered, refusing to leave him. He tried to push it aside, but the thoughts kept circling in his mind. The village of Thalewood had always been a quiet refuge, untouched by the conflicts and chaos of the world beyond. But now, Calen couldn't shake the feeling that Thalewood—his entire life—was on the verge of something far bigger than he could imagine.
His father, Orin, had noticed the change in him. Calen's hands lingered too long on his work, and his eyes were often distant, lost in thought. He'd tried to talk to him, but Calen wasn't sure how to explain the strange sensation that had overtaken him.
"You're distracted, boy," Orin said one evening as they sat together, eating their dinner. "What's on your mind?"
"I… I don't know, Father," Calen replied, pushing the food around on his plate. "It's just—something's not right. Something's coming."
Orin frowned, but before he could say anything, Elena, his mother, joined the conversation. "Maybe you're just tired," she suggested gently, her hands wiping the last of the herbs off the table. "You've been working hard, haven't you? A little rest will do you good."
But Calen wasn't sure it was that simple. He couldn't ignore the feeling that something was changing, something bigger than him. The image of the woman in the woods haunted his thoughts. She was more than just a stranger—she had brought with her a power that seemed to awaken something inside him.
The following morning, Calen decided to go back to the forest. He couldn't explain why, but he felt a strange pull toward it. Maybe it was the need for answers or just the hope of seeing the woman again, but he knew he had to return to the place where his life had shifted.
The forest was as quiet as ever, the trees tall and dense, casting long shadows over the ground. As Calen walked deeper into the woods, the weight in his chest grew heavier. The air was thick with magic, or at least something he couldn't explain. He found himself at the same spot where he had seen the woman, the spot where the earth had trembled beneath his feet.
Nothing was there. No sign of her.
But Calen didn't leave. He waited.
And then, just as before, a figure appeared, stepping out from the trees. The woman in the dark cloak.
"I knew you'd come," she said, her voice as soft as the wind.
Calen stepped back, heart racing. "Who are you?"
She studied him for a moment, her eyes glowing faintly in the dim light. "I am someone who has been watching," she replied. "Watching you, and watching your village. Things are about to change, and you will be part of it."
"Part of what?" Calen asked, his voice trembling. "What do you mean?"
The woman's gaze softened, and she stepped closer. "There are forces at work in this world, forces that are rising again. Empires will fall, and new powers will rise. And you…" She looked him up and down. "You have a role to play in it."
"I'm just a farmer," Calen said, shaking his head. "I don't know anything about power or empires. I don't even know what's happening."
"You don't have to know yet," she said, her voice gentle but firm. "But the time is coming. And when it does, you will need to be ready."
Calen swallowed, trying to steady his breath. "What do you want from me?"
"Nothing," she replied. "I'm here to help. To show you the path you must take."
"Why me?" Calen asked, the question slipping out before he could stop it.
The woman smiled, a faint, knowing smile. "You have more in you than you realize, Calen. More than you think. But you must be open to it, or it will be lost."
With that, she turned and vanished into the forest, leaving Calen standing alone in the silence once more. But this time, he didn't feel quite as alone. Something inside him had stirred—something he couldn't explain.