The forest hummed with unseen dangers as Liora crouched beside a gnarled root, her stomach growling. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and something faintly metallic—like old blood.
Kael's voice flickered in her mind, weaker than before but still laced with dry amusement.
*"I think you don't like me because I'm a jinn,"* he mused. *"I can't convince you otherwise, can I?"*
Liora rolled her eyes. *"I don't *dislike* you. I just don't *trust* you. There's a difference."*
*"Ah. Progress."*
She ignored him, scanning the shadowed undergrowth. *"Do you at least know which way we should go?"*
A pause. Then, reluctantly: *"No."*
Liora groaned.
*"But,"* Kael added, *"if you climb one of these trees, we might get a better view. Though it'll be dangerous. You need food and shelter first."*
*"And how do we find those?"*
*"I'm working on it."* His presence shifted, like a ripple in still water. *"Don't kill the mosquitoes."*
*"What?"*
Before she could protest, a swarm of mosquitoes descended—but instead of biting, they hovered around her in a strange, orderly cloud.
*"I've… persuaded them,"* Kael said, strain coloring his voice. *"They'll scout ahead. Lost a hundred already avoiding predators, but the remaining ones found a path. For now."*
Liora shuddered. *"That's horrifying."*
*"Also useful."*
The mosquitoes dispersed, and moments later, Kael's energy spiked. *"There. A rat. Small, but it's food. Follow it."*
Liora grimaced but obeyed, trailing the skittering creature through the underbrush until it vanished into a narrow crevice in a rocky hillside.
*"A cave,"* Kael confirmed. *"But be careful. It's home to bats. A hundred, maybe more."*
Liora peered into the darkness. *"And how do we hunt them? You can barely hold mosquitoes together."*
*"I'll need your magic,"* he admitted. *"Just a spark. Enough to stun them."*
She hesitated. *"You're sure?"*
*"Unless you'd rather starve."*
With a sigh, Liora reached for the well of power inside her—the one Kael had tapped into earlier. This time, she *let* him guide it, his presence a warm hand over hers as violet fire kindled in her palm.
*"Ready?"* Kael murmured.
She stepped into the cave.
---
**Chapter 4: The Bat Hunt & the Fading Jinn**
The cave swallowed them whole.
Liora's breath came in shallow gasps as she pressed forward, the violet ember in her palm casting flickering shadows on the damp walls. The air smelled of musk and something faintly sour—bat droppings, old and fresh.
*"There,"* Kael whispered in her mind, his voice thinner than before. *"Above you."*
She looked up.
**Hundreds of bats** clung to the ceiling, their tiny bodies packed together like living shingles. Even in the dim light, she could see their beady eyes glinting.
*"I need you to focus,"* Kael said. *"Channel your magic—just a pulse. Enough to knock them senseless."*
Liora swallowed. *"And if I miss?"*
*"Then we're dinner."*
She gritted her teeth and raised her hand. The violet flame sputtered, then flared as Kael's will wrapped around hers.
**"Now!"**
The magic **lashed out** like a whip, cracking against the stone ceiling. Bats shrieked, their wings flapping madly as the shockwave rippled through them. Dozens **dropped like stones**, stunned.
Liora lunged, grabbing as many as she could before they recovered.
*"Got them!"*
Kael's presence flickered—a candle guttering in the wind. *"Good… good. Now get out. Before the rest wake up."*
She didn't argue.
---
### **The Fire and the Fading**
Outside, Liora built a small fire with trembling hands. The bats roasted slowly, their skins crisping over the flames.
*"You should eat,"* Kael murmured. *"You'll need strength."*
She tore into the first bat, the meat gamey but filling. *"What about you?"*
A weak chuckle. *"Jinn don't eat, little queen. We devour other things. Magic. Promises. Souls."*
Liora paused. *"Is that what you're doing to me? Devouring me?"*
Silence. Then—
*"Not in the way you think."*
His voice was so faint now, she almost missed it.
*"Kael?"*
No answer.
Panic clawed up her throat. She reached for their bond—and **felt nothing**. Just emptiness.
*"KAEL!"*
A whisper, barely there: *"Tired…"*
Liora's chest tightened. She'd mocked him, resisted him—but the thought of him **gone** sent a sharp pain through her ribs.
*"Hold on,"* she begged, gripping the talisman at her neck—the last one still humming with power. *"Take this. Take all of it."*
She **slammed the charm into the ground**, unleashing every last spark.
Violet fire **erupted**, swirling around her—and for a heartbeat, she felt him again. Warm. Close.
*"…Stubborn woman,"* Kael rasped, his voice frayed but *there*. *"Wasting your magic on me."*
Liora smiled through gritted teeth. *"Ten years, jinn. You don't get to leave early."*
---
**Chapter 5: The Starblossom Hunt Begins**
Kael's voice, though weak, carried a flicker of dry amusement. *"I appreciate the dramatics, Liora, but I'm not dying. Just... embarrassingly weak."*
Liora scowled at the empty air. *"You *vanished*. What was I supposed to think?"*
*"That I was conserving energy?"* A pause. *"Though your little magic outburst *was* touching. Reckless, but touching."*
She rolled her eyes, but her chest felt lighter.
Then—a **rat** scurried up to her foot, its beady eyes glowing faintly violet.
Liora yelped and nearly kicked it.
*"Relax,"* Kael's voice echoed from the rodent's mouth. *"It's just me. And a few thousand insects. They make decent scouts."*
The rat twitched its nose, then abruptly collapsed. A moment later, a **mosquito** landed on her wrist, buzzing with Kael's presence.
*"Bodies don't last long,"* he grumbled. *"Too small. Too fragile. But they'll help us find the Starblossom."*
Liora frowned. *"You're draining yourself controlling them."*
*"I don't have a choice. Unless..."* The mosquito hesitated. *"You let me borrow a trickle of your energy. Not devour it—just share it. It would speed things up."*
She crossed her arms. *"How do I know you won't take too much?"*
The mosquito let out a tiny, incredulous buzz. *"After you *set fire to your last talisman* for me? I think we're past that."*
Liora flushed. *"...Fine. But a *trickle*."*
---
### **The Hunt**
With Kael's insect scouts fanning out, they moved deeper into the Wandering Woods. The trees grew taller, their roots twisting into archways that pulsed with faint bioluminescence.
*"The Starblossom grows where magic is thickest,"* Kael explained, his voice now coming from a **firefly** dancing ahead of her. *"Near the heart of the forest. But it's guarded."*
*"By what?"*
*"Things that don't like sharing."*
As if on cue, the firefly suddenly **dropped dead**.
Liora froze. *"Kael?"*
A new voice slithered through the trees—**harsh, guttural, and very much not Kael's.**
*"Little human,"* it rasped. *"You tread where you are not welcome."*
The shadows **melted**, forming into a **wolf-like creature with six eyes and a mouth too wide for its face.**
Liora's blood turned to ice.
Then—
A **swarm of beetles** erupted from the undergrowth, attacking the creature's eyes. At the same time, Kael's voice shouted in her mind:
*"RUN! FOLLOW THE LIGHT!"*
A path of **glowing ants** surged ahead, forming a trail.
Liora ran.
Behind her, the creature howled.
---
### **The Choice**
She didn't stop until the ants led her to a **clearing**—and there, in the center, stood a single **crystalline flower**, its petals shimmering like captured starlight.
**The Starblossom.**
*"Take it,"* Kael urged, his voice strained. *"Quickly."*
But as Liora reached out, the ground **trembled**.
The creature from before emerged from the trees—**wounded, but furious.**
*"Mine,"* it snarled.
Liora's hand hovered over the blossom.
Then Kael said quietly: *"Take it. I'll hold it off."*
She turned. The **mosquito** from before was gone. Instead, a **shadowy figure** flickered at the edge of the clearing—**Kael's true form**, barely visible.
*"You can't fight like that!"*
*"I can distract."* His silhouette wavered. *"But you'll need to share your energy *now*."*
The beast lunged.
Liora didn't hesitate. She **grabbed the Starblossom**—and at the same time, **reached for Kael's fading presence.**
*"Take it,"* she whispered. *"All of it."*
Light **exploded**.
---