Chapter 4:
The morning sun shone with a pale golden light through the trees as Kael, Jorin, and Lyra journeyed forward. The deep forest around them was eerily silent—no birds, no rustling leaves, just an unnatural stillness that sent chills down Kael's spine.
He had spent most of his sleeping hours trying to process everything Lyra had said to him. The Eclipse Sigil. The Shadowborn. The fact that he was supposedly the last of his kind, how worried he was.
It felt like fiction. Just days ago, he had been a simple villager. Now, people want him dead because of something he didn't even understand.
His hand subconsciously moved to his shoulder, tracing the sigil underneath his shirt. He could still remember the way it had felt when his power had first awakened—the flowing of energy, the crackling force that had come out from him. It had felt like something inside him had been waiting, desperate to be realized into the wild.
He stared at Lyra, walking a few steps ahead. She was still a mystery. She obviously knew more than she was saying, but Kael wasn't sure if he trusted her yet.
Jorin, on the other hand, had an entirely different aura around her.
"So, what's the plan, oh brave leader?" she asked, shooting Lyra a smirk. "Are we really going to reach this so called legendary outpost, or are we just wandering through the forest hoping we don't get killed?"
Lyra didn't react. "We'll reach it by night time if we keep at it."
Jorin sighed extremely. "Great. Love a good death march."
Kael looked between them. "How do you two even know each other?"
Jorin smirked. "Oh, me and Lyra? We go way back."
Lyra gave her a warning glare. "We worked together. Temporarily."
"Temporarily huh?" Jorin teased. "She likes to pretend we weren't best buddies."
Lyra ignored her.
Kael was intrigued . "What type of work?"
Jorin moved the dagger between her fingers. "Let's just say we weren't exactly the good citizens."
"You were thieves?"
"Freelancers," Jorin corrected. "Smuggling, info gathering, some assassination—"
Lyra gave her a sharp look, and Jorin chuckled. "Okay, okay, mostly info gathering."
"So, you're both criminals."
Jorin gasped drastically . "Criminal is such an ugly word. I prefer 'Agent.'"
Kael wasn't sure if she was kidding or not.
Lyra, however, was seriously serious. "We did what we had to. The Shadowborn didn't play by the rules, so neither did we."
The mention of them sent a fresh wave of creeps through Kael. "What are the Shadowborn, exactly? I mean, I know they're hunting me, but who exactly?"
Lyra's expression changed. "A cult. A powerful one. They've lived for millenials, always looking for ways to unseal ancient power. The Eclipse Sigil is one of their greatest keys."
Jorin crossed her arms. "They think it's some kind of key to breaking the barrier between realms. Or calling upon an old god. Or whatever mad theories they're running with these years."
"And you're sure I'm the only one alive?"
Lyra waited before nodding. "If there were others, they're either dead or in hiding so deep that no one can find them."
"So if they catch me…"
Lyra's eyes locked with Kael's. "They won't."
Something about the way she said it sent a chill down his spine. There was no doubt in her voice. No doubt.
Just then, the silence around them halted.
A low, gutter like growl moved through the trees.
Kael tensed.
Lyra and Jorin instantly went for their weapons.
"Tell me that was just the wind," Jorin said.
Lyra shook her head. "We're not alone."
The shadows between the trees twisted strangely. The air grew thicker, heavy, like something strong was pressing down on them.
Then, from the darkness, they appeared.
Dark figures with shining red eyes, their bodies wrapped in shifting smoke. Their forms moved between solid and ethereal, as if they were only here in spirit.
Kael's breath caught in his throat. He had never seen anything so unreal.
Jorin cursed. "Shadow Wraiths here. That's just fantastical."
Kael swallowed hard. "What are we going to do?"
Lyra's tightened her grip on the handle of her sword. "We battle."
The first wraith dashed foward.
Lyra moved like lightning, her blade cutting through the air. The steel met the wraith's form, and for a small moment, it solidified—just long enough for her sword to slice through. The wraith let an ear-piercing shriek out before dissolving into thin air.
Jorin was already on the move, daggers shining. She ducked under a swooping claw, spun, and then drove her blade into another wraith's chest. The creature shrieked before vanishing in a puff of black smoke.
Kael froze. His pulse pounded in his body.
Then, one of the wraiths turned its glowing red eye to him.
The sigil on his shoulder burned.
Pain moved through his entire body, and suddenly, he felt something—something deep inside him, waiting, waiting.
The wraith dashed.
Instincts kicked in.
Kael raised his hands, and the aura within him surged to life. A pulse of blue light erupted from his chest, slamming into the wraith like a shockwave.
The creature let out a tortured shriek as the aura teared through it.
Then—silence.
Kael stood there, his breathe ragged, his hands still flowing with power. The forest around them was still once more. The wraiths were defeated.
Jorin let out a whistle. "Okay. That was something else."
Kael looked at his hands. The aura was already fading, but he could still feel it, under his skin, flowing like an untamed force.
Lyra was looking at him closely. "You're getting stronger."
Kael met her gaze. "I don't even know how I'm doing it."
"But you will."
Jorin applauded him on his win. "Well, at least we know you're not useless in a fight."
Kael let out a breathless laugh. "Yeah. That makes one of us."
Lyra turned back toward the road. "Let's go. We're running out of time."
Kael took one last look at the spot where the wraiths had vanished.
Something told him this was only the beginning.