Chapter 7: The Trial of Light
Kael didn't sleep that night.
Even after the shadows had fled and Eldrin had returned to its deceptive quiet, his mind was ablaze. The figures he had faced, the energy that erupted from his hands, the look of fear in the eyes of those he once called friends… none of it felt real. Or perhaps it was too real.
He sat in the darkness, his back against the cold stone of an abandoned house. The stars above felt distant, cold, alien. Not long ago, he had lived a simple life—hunting, laughing with Mira, helping his mother in the fields. Now? Now, he was something else. Or at least, something the village feared.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of light footsteps.
"Kael?" Mira's voice, soft but steady, broke through the night. Her figure emerged from the shadows, the silver blade sheathed across her back. She sat next to him without a word, understanding in her silence what he needed more than anything: a moment of peace.
For a long while, neither of them spoke. The stars flickered above them, and the soft rustle of the wind through the trees was the only sound.
"I'm scared," Kael said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Mira didn't flinch. "Not because you're weak. But because you know what your power could do."
Kael nodded, his throat tight. "I don't know what I am anymore. I'm supposed to be a protector, not a weapon."
Mira's hand rested on his shoulder. "But you are both. A protector with a weapon. And with that comes responsibility."
A long silence stretched between them. He could feel her eyes on him, not judging, just waiting.
"You know the legends," Kael said finally, his voice full of doubt. "The Sun Mages... they didn't just have power. They had the blood of kings, of gods. And they were all… consumed by it. What if I end up like them? What if I can't control it?"
Mira shifted, her eyes never leaving his. "You're not them. You're you, Kael. The sun doesn't burn bright without being tempered, and the darkness can only stand when it has something to push against. You're both."
The weight of her words settled into him, but only slightly. He wanted to believe her, but the fire that stirred within him was more than he could understand. It was like a beast waiting to be unleashed. And if he couldn't control it, it might consume him. It might consume everyone.
They sat in silence until the first light of dawn broke through the trees. Kael stood first, his body stiff from the cold. "We need to go," he said, his voice firming. "I can't stay here any longer. If they know the power I have… they'll come for me. And I don't think they're just after me anymore."
Mira stood, her eyes narrowing. "Who? Who are you talking about?"
Kael turned toward the distant horizon, where the sky began to take on a dark red hue. He could feel it—an ancient presence, stirring, waiting.
"The ones who awakened the power in me," he said quietly. "The ones who have been waiting for the Sun Mages to return. The ones who want to bring the darkness back."
Chapter 8: The Hunt Begins
The days that followed were the longest Kael had ever endured. Every morning, the sun rose higher in the sky, but Kael's thoughts were clouded by shadows. As he and Mira traveled east, the weight of his new destiny bore down on him like an invisible chain. Each step he took felt like it pulled him further from the life he knew—and closer to a future he couldn't control.
Mira was by his side every step of the way, her presence a steadying force. But even she couldn't fully understand the storm that raged inside him. No one could.
They traveled in silence, passing through dense forests and across mountain ridges, stopping only when necessary to rest or gather supplies. There was an urgency to their journey now, a quiet understanding that they were being hunted—not just by the shadows that Kael had faced, but by something much older and much more dangerous.
The night came too quickly, and with it, more unease. As they made camp in a small clearing near the base of a mountain, Kael could feel it—a disturbance in the air. It was subtle at first, just a flicker of heat in the distance, like a flame about to ignite.
Mira noticed it too. Her hand rested on the hilt of her dagger as she scanned the surrounding darkness.
"Something's not right," she whispered.
Kael didn't need to answer. His senses were alive, heightened by the mark on his chest. The shadows were moving, not just in the woods around them, but inside him as well. A whisper in his mind, calling to him. The flame was growing.
Suddenly, the air grew thick with tension, as if the entire world held its breath. Then, just as quickly, the silence was shattered.
From the edge of the forest, figures emerged—dark, cloaked, and with eyes that gleamed like molten gold. Kael's heart skipped a beat.
They were here.
L'auteur:
Abdelali Aitali