The sun hung low in the sky, casting golden light through the thick canopy as Taryn and Elara moved through the dense forest. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of damp earth and pine. Birds fluttered between the branches, filling the silence with their calls.
Elara walked steadily beside Taryn, her body finally regaining its strength after days of rest. But despite her physical recovery, her mind churned with questions she couldn't ignore any longer.
What had happened to her back in that clearing?
She had known about the strange light in her hand—it had happened before with Grams. But floating? The blinding radiance that had erupted from her entire being? That was new. That was terrifying.
The more she thought about it, the more she knew she needed answers.
And then there was Taryn.
Elara had seen it with her own eyes—Taryn's daggers had moved on their own, striking their targets without her touching them. It wasn't coincidence, nor was it simple sleight of hand. It was magic.
But when? How? Taryn had never mentioned being a mage, and she carried herself like someone who preferred to keep secrets.
Elara chewed on her lip before finally breaking the silence. "Taryn."
Taryn, who had been idly tossing a twig between her fingers, glanced at her. "Yeah?"
"Back in the forest… the daggers. You moved them without touching them."
Taryn raised an eyebrow, twirling the twig once more before tossing it aside. "You sure you want to be asking that? You're the one who turned into a damn sun back there."
Elara frowned. "I know what I did was… strange. But I've seen the light in my hand before. I've never floated, though. I've never—" She hesitated. "I don't know what's happening to me."
Taryn studied her for a moment before sighing. "Yeah. Well, you're not the only one with magic problems."
They walked in silence for a while longer until they reached a clearing just as the sun began to dip below the horizon. It was a quiet, open space with a small creek running along the edge. Deciding it was a good place to rest for the night, Taryn set to work gathering firewood while Elara cleared the area of fallen leaves.
Once the fire was crackling between them, Elara finally spoke again. "Tell me about your magic."
Taryn exhaled sharply and leaned back against a fallen log, running a hand through her hair. "It's not something I talk about."
Elara hugged her knees to her chest, watching her. "I want to understand. Please."
Taryn was quiet for a long moment before finally speaking. "I wasn't supposed to have magic. At least, not the kind that makes knives fly through the air." She picked up one of her daggers, turning it over in her hands. "It started when I was young. Just little things at first. A cup sliding across the table without me touching it. A door closing on its own when I got angry."
Elara listened intently as Taryn continued.
"My family… let's just say they weren't thrilled. Magic didn't belong in their world. So they had me trained—to suppress it, to hide it." Taryn gave a humorless chuckle. "Didn't really work."
She flipped the dagger in her palm before setting it down beside her. "The night my family was killed, I lost control. My magic took over, and for the first time, I didn't hold it back." Her voice lowered, eyes darkening with old memories. "I survived because of it. But ever since then, I've tried not to use it. The daggers…" she gestured toward them. "It's not something I do often. Only when I have to."
Elara let the weight of Taryn's words settle between them before finally speaking. "I think you're stronger than you realize."
Taryn snorted. "Yeah, well. Strength doesn't mean much when you don't know what to do with it."
Elara nodded slowly. She understood that feeling all too well.
"What about you?" Taryn asked. "What's your story?"
Elara hesitated. She knew she couldn't tell Taryn everything. Saying her parents were gods wasn't exactly an easy conversation starter.
"I grew up in a village called Eldoria," she said instead. "I lived with my grandmother. She… she was special. She taught me a lot. About life. About power."
Taryn listened, nodding occasionally.
"One day, I—" Elara stopped herself. She couldn't say escaped. Not without raising more questions. "—left. And now I need to find answers."
Taryn's expression didn't change, but something in her eyes sharpened.
"Eldoria, huh?" she said after a moment. "Never heard of it."
Elara blinked. "What?"
"I've been through a lot of places, Elara. But I've never heard of a village called Eldoria."
Elara frowned. "That's impossible. It's near the eastern ridge, past the river valley."
Taryn's expression darkened. "I've passed through that area. There's nothing there."
Silence fell between them, thick with confusion.
Elara felt something cold settle in her chest. No… that couldn't be right. Eldoria had been real. She had lived there. She had memories—Grams, the fields, the scent of herbs drying by the window.
Hadn't she?
Taryn shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe you got the name wrong. Maybe it's just some forgotten place no one talks about."
Elara shook her head. "No. It was real. It has to be."
Neither of them spoke after that.
The fire crackled between them as they both sat there, lost in thought, rummaging through the weight of the information they had just shared.
Elara sat cross-legged by the fire, the flickering light casting shifting shadows across her face. She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, her voice quiet but firm.
"I've been having dreams."
Taryn, who had been idly tossing a small stone between her fingers, glanced up. "Dreams?"
Elara nodded. "Not just any dreams. They feel... different. Almost like memories that don't belong to me. Or visions. I don't know how to explain it, but it's like something is calling to me—something I need to find." She exhaled, staring into the fire. "But I have no idea where to start. Or even what I'm looking for."
Taryn leaned back, arms resting on her knees. "Sounds frustrating."
Elara let out a humorless chuckle. "You have no idea."
She picked at a loose thread on her sleeve, her mind turning over the thoughts that had been plaguing her since she had woken up. "What lies ahead of me is uncertain. And it's dangerous. Those hooded men will come for me again—I can feel it."
Taryn's expression darkened slightly. "You still don't know who they are?"
Elara shook her head. "No. But I know they're connected to whatever I'm supposed to find. They wouldn't have attacked otherwise."
The silence stretched between them for a few moments, broken only by the crackling of the fire. Then, Taryn smirked slightly and nudged Elara's boot with her own.
"Well, lucky for you, I don't scare easy."
Elara looked at her, confused.
"You're not alone in this, Elara," Taryn continued. "Whatever's going on, whatever you're supposed to find, we'll figure it out together. And those bastards in the hoods? They'll have to go through me first."
Elara studied Taryn's face, searching for any hesitation, any doubt. She found none.
"Thank you, Taryn," she said sincerely.
Taryn just shrugged, but there was a warmth in her eyes.
They continued talking for a while, letting their thoughts wander, though neither of them had any real answers. At some point, as exhaustion weighed heavy on their limbs, they settled into sleep.
But this time, it was Taryn's turn to dream.
She was back there.
The night the flames devoured everything she had ever known.
Taryn stood in the middle of the burning estate, the acrid scent of smoke filling her lungs, her heart pounding as she watched the bodies of the only family she had ever known lying motionless on the ground.
She had been cornered. A blade had been at her throat. And then—
Then the magic had come.
She had unleashed it without thought, without control. A blinding pulse of emerald light had exploded from her, sending her attackers flying, their lifeless bodies hitting the ground with dull thuds.
Her breathing had been ragged, her hands trembling, her mind barely comprehending what had just happened. And then—
"You did well."
Taryn spun around, her pulse spiking at the voice.
A man stood before her, untouched by the chaos surrounding them. He was tall, draped in a long, dark coat that billowed slightly in the heat of the fire. His hair was the color of silver moonlight, and his eyes—his eyes were the deepest shade of green she had ever seen, glowing faintly in the night. He radiated an air of calm, of quiet power, but there was something else. Something ancient.
"Who—" Taryn had started, but her voice caught in her throat.
"No time for introductions, little one," the man said smoothly, stepping closer. "We need to leave before more of them come."
Taryn had wanted to argue, had wanted to demand answers. But the heat was unbearable, the estate collapsing around her. She had no choice but to follow him into the night.
For the next few days, he had stayed with her, guiding her through the wilderness, tending to her wounds, and—most importantly—teaching her about the magic she had spent her whole life suppressing.
"You can't run from what you are," he had told her one evening as they sat by a quiet riverbank. "But you can control it. The more you fight it, the more it will fight back."
Taryn had listened, absorbing every lesson, every warning.
Before he left, he had placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her with an intensity that made her breath catch.
"Keep going," he had said. "Survive, no matter what. One day, you will meet an Eldorian girl who needs protection. When that time comes, do not walk away."
And then he was gone.
Taryn had moved on, buried herself in a life of secrecy, of survival. She had almost forgotten him.
Until now.
Taryn woke with a sharp inhale, her heart hammering against her ribs. The fire had burned low, casting faint embers into the night.
She turned her head slightly and saw Elara sleeping soundly a few feet away.
An Eldorian girl.
Taryn swallowed hard, rubbing a hand over her face. How had she forgotten? How had she pushed that memory so far back that she hadn't even recognized what was happening?
Her fingers curled into the dirt. Who was that man? How did he know?
And if Elara was the girl he had spoken of…
Then what the hell was she protecting her from?