The air in the forest was thick and suffocating, almost tangible. Elara struggled through the trees, her breath ragged and her legs trembling from the frantic run. The village she had always called home was now reduce to ashes, destroyed by the army of the dreaded Dark Prince, the man who everyone spoke of as a lengend. A monster without a face.
A branch snapped under her feet, and the sound seemed to echo like a drumbeat in the silence. She wasn't alone.
Elara turned quickly, her heart puonding, and saw them. Two soldiers in dark armor, their faces hidden behind helmets adorned with menacing designs, were closing in on her.
"Don't run, girl" one of them said, his voice rough and amused. " The prince is waiting for you."
"I'm not going with you!" Elara shouted, stepping back until her back hit the rough baek of a tree.
In an instant, a hand grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her with ease. Elara fought, trying to break free, but her body was too weak, too exhausted. Before she could resist, she felt a sharp blow to her head, and everything went black.
When she opened her eyes again, the world had changed.
She found herself kneeling on a cold stone floor, in what seemed like a throne room. The space was vast, illuminated only by the flickering light of torches mounted on the walls, casting eerie shadows on the black pillars. In front of her, a man sat on a throne. Or rather, a figure.
He was shrouded in darkness, his face hidden by a silver masck adorned with intricate designs. The eyes that watched her through the mask wew cold, expressionless, yet piercing, Kael.
Elara tried to speak, but her throat was dry. He stood slowly, each movement laced with a deadly grace. His figure was tall, imposing, and the dark cloak he wore seemed to swirl around him as if it were alive.
" You are the healer." His voice was deep, cold, and cut through the air like a knife.
Elara swallowed but found the courage to answer. " If you think I will help you, then you are wrong. I have no intention of aiding a monster like you."
For a moment, there was absolute silence in the room. Them, Kael slowly approached, stopping just a few steps away. He leaned forward slightly, bringing his masked face close to hers.
"A monste, you say?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "We'II see how long your courage lasts. Here, no one dares to speak to me like that."
Their hands brushed briefly as he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. It was like an explosion.
Elara held her breath as a surge of intense emotions flooded through her: pain, rage, loneliness... and something deeper, hidden beneath layers of darkness. She recoiled sharply, as though burned.
Kael stared at her, the silence between them growing heavy. "Interesting," he finally said, his voice low, filled with something Elara couldn't quite decipher. "Perhaps you're not as useless as I thought."