Liara couldn't move.
The creature before her — all claw and shadow and flame — stared with eyes that flickered between rage and sorrow. Its growl rumbled through the air, but it did not attack. Not yet.
The flame in her hand had appeared out of nowhere. Soft, golden, and warm — but it didn't burn. It pulsed in time with her heartbeat, as if alive.
"Who are you?" she whispered, voice trembling.
The beast flinched.
Suddenly, the glow faded from her palm, and the forest felt colder. The creature collapsed to its knees, writhing, bones cracking and reshaping. Within seconds, the beast was gone.
In its place lay a man.
His raven-black hair clung to his forehead, damp with sweat. Pale skin, a long tear along his shoulder, and a faint symbol glowing on his chest — a spiral of ancient runes.
Liara stepped closer. She could feel it now. The same presence from her dreams. The same sadness.
"You saw me," he said, voice hoarse but clear.
"I dreamed about you."
His eyes met hers — silver and stormy. "Then you already know… I'm cursed."
---
Later, as the sun began to rise, Elion sat beneath an old pine tree, wrapping cloth around his wound. Liara watched him quietly, sitting a few feet away. Neither of them spoke for a while.
Finally, she asked, "What happens to you when the moon is full?"
Elion chuckled darkly. "I become a monster. A punishment… for something I never did."
He looked at her again. "But when I saw your flame... the pain faded. It's the first time in years I've felt... human."
Liara held out her hand. "Then let's find the truth. About your curse. About this flame. About everything."
Elion hesitated — then took her hand.
From the shadows, something stirred. Far beyond the trees, a pair of glowing blue eyes watched them. And a voice, ancient and cold, whispered—
> "The Flame has awakened. The hunt begins."