The woman's presence was overwhelming, but Kael held his ground. The air around them seemed to thrum with energy, the trees humming softly, as if the forest itself was alive with awareness. He couldn't shake the feeling that this woman was more than just a traveler like himself—there was something ancient in her, something tied to the deep roots of the wilds.
"What do you want from me?" Kael asked, his voice sharp, though a part of him knew that she wasn't here to harm him. There was something in her eyes—a wisdom, a sorrow—that set him on edge.
The woman seemed unfazed by his question, her gaze sweeping over him, taking in the spear, the relic, and the way the wilds responded to his presence. "I've been waiting for someone like you," she said, her tone not comforting, but matter-of-fact. "You are touched by the relic, and that means you're part of a much larger story than you know."
Kael frowned, his thoughts racing. The relic—the object he had carried with him since the trials—had always felt like a key, but to what? And why now did it feel as though the whole world was aligning to reveal its secrets?
"What story? And why me?" he pressed.
The woman's lips twisted into something like a sad smile. "You are not the first to be marked by it. There have been others, long before you. But the relic chooses its bearers for a reason. You were brought here because the wilds are changing—something ancient is awakening, something that hasn't stirred for centuries."
Kael's mind raced, trying to piece together her words. "And what is this awakening?"
The woman looked away, as if weighing whether to reveal the truth. "I wish I could say, but some things are better left unsaid, for now. But you will learn in time, Kael. The wilds will teach you what you need to know."
Kael wanted to ask more, but the woman's demeanor suggested that pushing further might yield no answers. The forest around them had grown still, almost as if it, too, was waiting for something.
"Will you help me?" Kael asked, though he wasn't sure what kind of help he even sought.
The woman looked at him, her eyes piercing. "I will show you the way, but the journey you take is yours alone to complete. The relic will guide you, but you must learn to trust its power, and more importantly, trust yourself."
She took a step back, turning toward the deeper woods. "The wilds hold many dangers, but they also hold answers. Find them, Kael. You are closer than you think."
With those final words, the woman turned and disappeared into the shadows of the forest, leaving Kael alone with his thoughts—and the feeling that the forest was no longer just a place to survive, but a place to uncover his destiny.