The cold wind howled through the trees, carrying with it the scent of damp earth and something far darker—a decay that Seraphina couldn't quite place. The forest had changed since the confrontation. What had once felt like a strange, albeit unsettling, landscape now felt like a living, breathing entity. Its very atmosphere seemed to pulse with malevolent energy, pressing in on her, suffocating her thoughts.
Beside her, Kael moved like a shadow, his presence commanding yet distant. The brief confrontation with the cloaked figure hadn't shaken him. If anything, it had only hardened his resolve, the lines of his face set in an almost grim expression. Seraphina couldn't fathom how he remained so composed in the face of such darkness. Her heart still raced with the echoes of the figure's chilling words.
"She is already ours."
She shivered at the memory.
The only sound between them was the crunch of leaves beneath their feet as they continued deeper into the forest. Seraphina had no idea where they were headed, but every part of her screamed that they were nearing something crucial—something dangerous.
Finally, unable to bear the silence any longer, Seraphina spoke, her voice a fragile thread in the dense, foreboding atmosphere. "Kael, what is it that's really going on? What was that figure back there? Why did it seem to know me?"
Kael didn't answer immediately. He continued walking, his eyes fixed ahead. For a moment, she thought he wouldn't respond at all, but then his voice cut through the silence, cold and measured.
"You don't need to understand it all right now," he said, his tone blunt. "Not everything is meant for you to know. Not yet."
Seraphina's frustration flared. "That's not good enough! I'm not some bystander in all of this, Kael. You brought me into this mess. I have the right to know what's going on."
Kael stopped abruptly and turned to face her, his eyes glowing faintly in the dim light, the silver runes on his skin shimmering with an eerie light. The intensity of his gaze pinned her in place, and for a moment, she wondered if she had gone too far in questioning him. His voice was lower now, though the edge of irritation still lingered.
"It's not about whether you have the right to know, Seraphina. It's about whether you're ready to know. The truth... it has a cost."
She opened her mouth to argue, but the words died on her lips. The weight of his statement hung between them, and she felt a pang of doubt deep in her gut.
The truth has a cost.
The words were cryptic, yet they seemed to pulse with a dark significance. Seraphina swallowed, her mind racing as she tried to piece together the puzzle of her life. She had come here seeking answers, but all she had found was more questions.
Before she could respond, Kael turned and resumed walking. He didn't look back, but his next words were meant for her, spoken softly enough that she could just catch them in the wind. "The Blackthorn Forest doesn't just hold secrets—it guards them. And it will test you, Seraphina. Whether you're ready or not."
They walked in silence for several more minutes, the oppressive weight of Kael's words settling heavily on Seraphina's shoulders. The trees around them seemed to close in, the branches creaking as if in warning. It wasn't just the forest that was watching them now—it was something else, something that had been waiting for them.
And then, it came.
A flicker of movement—barely perceptible—darted between the trees. At first, Seraphina thought it was a trick of the light, but then she saw it again, more clearly this time: a figure, hooded and cloaked, slipping in and out of the shadows like a wraith.
Kael's hand went to his sword with a fluid, practiced motion. His expression remained unreadable, but Seraphina saw the subtle tension in his posture.
"We're not alone," he muttered under his breath, his voice as hard as steel.
Seraphina's pulse quickened. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to get as far away from whatever this was, but her feet felt rooted to the ground, as though the forest itself was pulling her in.
"Kael... what is that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes fixed on the shadowy figure ahead.
Kael's grip on his sword tightened. "Not what—who. And it's trouble."
Before she could process what he meant, the figure emerged from the shadows fully, its features still hidden beneath a heavy cloak. Seraphina instinctively took a step back, but Kael didn't flinch. He stood his ground, his sword raised and ready.
The figure spoke, its voice a smooth, unnerving calm that seemed to ripple through the air. "You've come far, Kael. But you won't go any further."
Kael's lips curled into a slight, almost bitter smile. "Is that a threat?"
The figure didn't answer. Instead, it reached up and pulled back its hood, revealing a face that was both familiar and alien. Long, dark hair framed a sharp, angular face, the eyes glowing with a faint, eerie light that reminded Seraphina of the ancient runes on Kael's skin. There was something almost otherworldly about the figure, something that made the hairs on her neck stand on end.
"Seraphina," the figure said, its voice smooth as silk, but laced with an unmistakable edge of warning. "We've been waiting for you."
Her breath caught in her throat. "Waiting for me? Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head, as though considering her question carefully. Then, it smiled—cold, predatory, and entirely without warmth. "I am the one who holds the key to your past. The one who can unravel the mysteries you don't yet know you're tangled in."
Seraphina took a step back, her heart pounding. She didn't know what this figure wanted or why it was speaking to her like that, but something in its gaze told her it wasn't here to help.
Kael stepped forward, his body rigid with tension. "Enough of your riddles. What do you want with her?"
The figure's eyes flickered to Kael, its smile widening. "Nothing... yet. But Seraphina, she has a role to play, whether she knows it or not."
Seraphina shook her head, her mind spinning. "I don't understand. What role? Who are you? What do you want with me?"
The figure's smile faltered, its eyes narrowing. "The truth has a price, remember. And sometimes, it's better not to ask the questions you don't want the answers to."
Without another word, the figure vanished into the shadows, dissolving like mist on the wind. The sudden silence left Seraphina reeling, her head spinning with the flood of thoughts and emotions rushing through her.
Kael didn't move. He didn't look at her. But his voice, low and gravelly, cut through the tension. "You'll have to face the truth soon enough, Seraphina. And when you do... it'll change everything."
The words hung heavy in the air, pressing down on her chest like a weight she couldn't escape. The truth. What truth? And why was it so important? More than anything, Seraphina wanted to understand. But deep down, a part of her feared what the answer might be.
The path ahead seemed darker now, the trees closing in around them like a cage. Seraphina's mind raced, but there was only one thing she was certain of: she was caught in something far larger than herself. And whether she was ready or not, there was no going back.