Talon ran through the village square, his boots pounding the cobbled stones, heart racing with excitement and fear. Behind him, the anxious voices of the villagers faded into the distance, replaced by the steady rhythm of his breathing and the echo of his own thoughts. What had he just seen? A light? A shimmering thread in the air, like nothing he'd ever known before. His instincts screamed at him to follow it, and he wasn't about to turn back now.
His father's warning echoed in his mind, but he shut it out. Talon had never been one to heed caution—at least, not when something called to him like this. It was as though the light had reached out, wrapped itself around his chest, and pulled him forward.
He didn't know where he was going—he barely paid attention to the road as he ran. The houses of Veilridge quickly thinned out, replaced by the wild grasses of the Silver Plains. The morning mist clung to the low hills, a faint veil over the land that only added to the eerie feeling that had settled over him.
The pulse of the light seemed to pull him in a specific direction, a low hum in the air that matched the pounding of his own heart. As he moved farther from town, the path became more rugged, the land more untamed. The distant call of a bird echoed in the silence, but otherwise, everything felt still, as if the world itself were holding its breath.
Talon's legs burned with the effort, but he didn't stop. The light had to be close—he could feel it. He rounded a bend in the hills and found himself at the edge of a small copse of trees, the dark trunks of the ancient oaks looming like sentinels. The light was here, somewhere within the trees, hidden beneath the mist.
He hesitated, taking in the unfamiliar scene. The woods were silent now, the air thick with an otherworldly energy. The pulse of the light was stronger here, but it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
Talon stepped forward, his breath shallow as he parted the underbrush. The trees seemed to lean in around him, the dense canopy above blocking out most of the morning sun, casting the forest floor in shadows. The air felt charged, as though the very atmosphere was alive with something ancient.
And then he saw it.
In the clearing up ahead, a faint shimmer hung in the air—just like the light he'd seen in the village. It pulsed, the way a heartbeat does, before flickering and stretching out toward the sky. Talon approached cautiously, his footsteps muffled on the soft earth. His mind raced with questions, but he didn't dare speak them aloud. What was it? What could it be?
He was almost upon it when the light snapped sharply toward him, as if it had sensed his presence. A sudden rush of wind swept through the clearing, making the trees creak and groan as if warning him. The light flickered again, more intensely this time, and Talon found himself unable to move, mesmerized by its strange, otherworldly glow. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen—too bright to be natural, too fluid to be a simple reflection of light.
"Who are you?"
Talon's breath caught in his throat as the voice broke through the stillness of the forest. It was soft but sharp, like the wind that stirred the trees—an ancient, rasping whisper that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. He froze, eyes scanning the clearing, searching for the source of the voice.
The light shifted, bending and swirling around him in a delicate, almost graceful dance. He instinctively reached out a hand, drawn to it like a moth to flame, but hesitated just before touching it.
"Do you seek answers?" the voice continued, its tone now laden with something that sent a shiver down Talon's spine.
Talon swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing. "I… I don't know. I saw the light. It's—it's pulling me. I need to know what it is."
A long silence followed. The light seemed to dim for a moment, as if considering his words. Then it pulsed again, stronger this time, and the voice spoke once more, but this time, it was different—clearer, more tangible.
"You seek to leave this place. To leave behind the world you know. But know this, young one—the path you walk will not be easy. It is not without danger, and there will be no turning back once you begin."
Talon's pulse quickened. The voice felt real now, not just a whisper, but something he could almost touch. He wanted to ask more, to demand answers, but the words stuck in his throat. He could feel it—this was the moment. The one he had been waiting for, whether he was ready or not.
"I'm ready," he finally managed to say. His voice felt foreign, as though the words weren't entirely his own.
The light flared again, this time expanding outward in a brilliant explosion of energy, blinding him for a moment. Talon staggered backward, instinctively shielding his eyes.
When the light subsided, the air around him had changed. The clearing was still, but the world itself felt different—thicker, as if the veil between what was real and what was not had shifted, leaving him standing on the edge of something vast and unknown.
"Then go," the voice whispered, softer now, as though it were receding into the very air. "Find the answers you seek. But remember, you are not the only one who searches. Be cautious, for there are those who would seek to control what you will uncover."
Talon didn't wait. He didn't know why, but the moment the voice fell silent, something within him urged him forward. The path ahead seemed clearer, though he couldn't explain how. He could feel the weight of the words—the warning, the promise—settling into his chest.
And with that, Talon turned and began to walk, his feet taking him deeper into the forest. The light, that strange force that had called to him, had faded, but something had changed. The world felt different now. It had cracked open before him, revealing a horizon he had never known existed.
But what awaited him beyond the veil?
Talon didn't know. But he would find out.
And there would be no turning back.