Far to the east, beyond the lowlands and river valleys, the capital city of Virelith shimmered with golden spires and black secrets.
In the depths of the Citadel's forgotten tower, the Red Mage stirred.
His real name lost to time, he had been sealed in slumber for a century after the War of the Roots — a war that had nearly destroyed Elmaria's balance. Now, his eyes opened, sensing the ancient mark once more pulsing in the world.
"The forest breathes again," he murmured, voice like ash.
He stood slowly, long red robes trailing like blood. Around him, withered scrolls cracked, and stone walls groaned. With a wave of his hand, a dark mirror lit with Kael's image.
"A boy…" he growled. "The forest chose a child?"
But then he paused.
The girl.
The wind-born one.
His gaze narrowed. "She lives?"
***
Meanwhile, Kael couldn't sleep. That night, the wind carried voices — real voices, not dreams.
Whispers from the roots.
"He knows."
Kael sat up, breathing hard. The mark on his palm glowed again — brighter now.
He stepped outside. The earth underfoot pulsed faintly. Trees on the far edge of the fields trembled, though there was no wind.
***
In the forest, Lyra jolted awake.
The spirits were already circling her.
"He has seen you," they said. "The Red Mage watches."
Her heart sank.
"He was supposed to stay sealed…"
"He won't remain so. Not now. Not with the boy alive."
She looked toward the open sky.
"We must warn Kael."
***
Far away, the Red Mage placed his hand on the dark mirror.
"Come find me, child," he whispered. "Let me show you what the forest forgot."
And with a flick of flame, he vanished into the night — headed west.
Toward the Whispering Forest.
Ash in the Wind
Kael woke at dawn to silence — not the calm kind, but the heavy, unnatural stillness that made birds refuse to sing. His palm itched. The mark glowed brighter now, warm and urgent.
He stepped outside. A thin trail of ash floated in the breeze from the east.
The villagers hadn't noticed. They smiled at him, greeted him as the boy who saved his sister. But he felt it — like something in the air had turned sideways.
***
Miles away, Lyra was already moving.
She ran barefoot through the trees, wind swirling at her heels. The spirits followed, whispering warnings.
"He comes wrapped in flame."
"He seeks the boy, and the bloom's last memory."
Lyra pressed her hand to a tree. "Then I have to get there first."
The forest shivered in agreement.
***
Kael's sister, Lira, sat up in bed that morning, stronger than she had been in weeks. She smiled at her brother.
"You look worried."
"I'm fine," he lied.
But the ash kept falling.
Suddenly, his mark flared.
A voice — not his, not human — whispered in his mind:
"Find the old watchtower. Before he does."
He froze. "Who said that?"
No answer.
Just the rustling of wind through dead leaves.
That night, Lyra reached the forest's edge.
But she was too late.
Fire glowed faintly on the horizon — not from homes or torches, but from something older, crueler. The Red Mage had crossed the threshold.
And Kael was already marked in his mind.
The Watchtower's Secret
Kael stood at the edge of the northern hills, staring at the silhouette of the Old Watchtower. It had crumbled long ago, a relic from the forest wars, overgrown with ivy and silence. But now… something called to him from within.
His mark pulsed in rhythm with the wind — guiding him, urging him forward.
Behind him, his sister had followed.
"You said you'd come back," Lira said softly. "But you're leaving again, aren't you?"
Kael nodded. "There's something I have to find. Something important. I'll come back again. I promise."
She reached out, then hesitated. "Be careful. The people in the village… they say there's a shadow in the forest now."
Kael smiled faintly. "There always has been."
***
Inside the tower, Kael found a spiral staircase mostly collapsed, but the path down was still intact. He descended carefully, deeper into the hidden chamber below — guided by the symbol glowing faintly on the wall: the same as the one on his palm.
There, in a circle of stone and roots, stood a pedestal. Upon it, an ancient seed — wrapped in glass and vines.
The moment Kael stepped close, a voice echoed in his head:
"Guardian of the mark. This seed holds the last echo of the forest's soul."
Kael reached out, his fingers trembling. As he touched it, memories exploded in his mind — Lyra as a child, raised by wind spirits… the burning of the old trees… the Red Mage's betrayal…
Then: fire.
A flash of red filled the chamber, and Kael was thrown back. Standing in the entrance, his eyes glowing like coals—
The Red Mage.
"Well done, boy," he said, voice like cracking wood. "You found what I needed."
Kael stood slowly, clutching the seed.
"You're not taking it."
The mage smiled. "You're brave. Just like your ancestors."
From the shadows behind him, Lyra's voice rang out:
"And just as doomed."
---
Roots and Flame
The chamber shook as Lyra stepped into the torchlight, her silver eyes glowing faintly. Wind curled around her feet like smoke, stirring dust and broken leaves.
The Red Mage turned slowly. "Ah… the girl who whispers to trees. Still clinging to a forest that should've died."
Lyra didn't blink. "You killed it once. You won't do it again."
Kael moved closer to her, the ancient seed still glowing in his hands. "What does he want with this?"
Lyra's jaw tightened. "That seed contains the last pure memory of Elmaria's lifeforce. If he takes it… he can rewrite the forest's magic — bend it to his will."
The Red Mage raised a single finger. "Correction. I will restore it — as it was before the spirits locked it away. Magic was never meant to be tamed. It was meant to be ruled."
The ground cracked.
Roots rose like spears, twisting toward Kael and Lyra. She lifted her hands, forming a wall of wind that scattered the roots midair.
"Run," she said to Kael.
"I'm not leaving you."
She glanced at him. "You're the forest's chosen. If you fall, it falls."
Kael clenched his jaw, then reached into his satchel and touched the seed to his palm mark.
A blinding green light burst outward. The ground pulsed. The air shimmered with ancient magic.
The forest awoke.
From beneath the tower, hundreds of glowing vines surged upward — not attacking, but protecting. They wrapped around Kael's body like armor, filling him with memory, pain… and power.
Lyra gasped. "The Grove accepted him."
The Red Mage snarled, raising both hands. "You think you can stop me, boy?"
Kael stepped forward, eyes glowing bright green, his voice no longer just his own.
"You don't belong here anymore."
The roots surged.
Flame clashed with wind and earth as the chamber exploded into a storm of light and shadow.
The battle for the soul of Elmaria had begun.