Episode 8: "The Frozen Edge"
The next morning, the village awoke to frost.
Not cold winds.
Frost.
In the heart of summer.
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The Stream Runs Silent
Villagers gathered at the stream, murmuring nervously. Its flow had slowed to a crawl. Ice crystals shimmered at its edges—delicate, unnatural.
Lyra stood near the bank, wrapped in her shawl, hands trembling.
"I didn't mean to," she whispered.
Kael stood beside her, calm. Protective.
"I know."
"I just… felt scared last night. After that man… and then I woke up, and—"
"You're not losing control. Something is trying to wake you up. Too fast."
Lyra looked at him, voice low. "Am I dangerous?"
Kael didn't lie.
"You could be."
"But I won't let you be."
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Kael's Eyes
He'd seen this before.
In war.
When power came too early—too violently—it didn't bloom.
It shattered.
He couldn't let that happen to her.
He wouldn't.
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Flickers of Flame
As Kael repaired the village fences later that day, his eyes caught something in the forest.
A flicker of red light.
Then gone.
He dropped his tools.
The next second, he was gone too.
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Forest Encounter
Deep in the trees, he found them.
Two figures cloaked in black, their faces hidden beneath bone-like masks. They were drawing symbols on bark, in crimson ink that shimmered unnaturally.
They didn't belong here.
Kael stepped on a branch—deliberately.
The masked figures turned, one speaking in a voice like gravel.
"This land is marked. Leave."
Kael's voice was calm. Cold.
"She is under my protection."
They looked at each other.
Then one whispered, "So the shadow from the war still lives…"
Kael's eyes narrowed.
And in that breath—everything changed.
The wind exploded outward.
Trees cracked.
The earth trembled.
But only for a moment.
He pulled it back.
Buried it.
The strangers staggered, disoriented, and disappeared in a veil of black smoke.
Kael stood alone again… breathing heavily.
His hand shook.
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Lyra's Choice
Later that night, Lyra sat near the fire, staring into the flames.
Kael returned quietly, dirt on his cloak.
"You're hurt," she said, noticing the torn edge.
"I'm fine."
"…They were here for me, weren't they?"
He nodded once.
She looked into the fire again. "Then I need to be stronger."
Kael didn't argue.
She turned to him.
"I want to go to the Academy."
Kael was silent for a long time.
Then: "Then I'll go with you."
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The Arrival
That same night, as thunder rumbled low in the horizon, a silver carriage stopped at the edge of the village.
A tall man stepped out—robes lined in deep blue, a long staff glowing faintly at his side. His eyes scanned the frost-covered ground.
The Academy Principal had arrived.
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End of Episode 8