Smoke clung to the air like a living thing, stinging Serenya's eyes as she and Kaelen descended into the valley.
The village was little more than a scattering of wooden houses and market stalls, but now most were charred skeletons, their roofs collapsed into embers. The smell of burnt flesh turned her stomach.
Kaelen raised a hand, stopping her. "Stay behind me," he murmured.
Movement flickered at the edge of her vision—a blur of black darting between the ruins. At first, she thought it was smoke, but then she saw them clearly.
They were shaped like men, but wrong.
Their limbs were too long, their skin glistening as if soaked in oil. Empty hollows stared where eyes should be, and their mouths split too wide, revealing rows of jagged teeth. Shadows clung to them like cloaks, flowing and writhing without wind.
"Hunters," Kaelen said under his breath. "Three of them."
Serenya's pulse quickened. "The same as last night?"
"Worse," Kaelen replied, drawing his dagger. "These feed on fear."
The nearest hunter turned toward them, head tilting unnaturally far to one side, as if curious. It let out a sound like tearing cloth and rushed forward, its body melting into the ground like liquid shadow.
"Move!" Kaelen shoved Serenya aside just as the hunter erupted from the earth where she had been standing. His dagger flashed, slicing through its shoulder, and black smoke hissed from the wound. The creature shrieked, retreating into the shadows.
Another hunter lunged from behind, its clawed hand aiming for her throat. Serenya stumbled back, heart pounding so loud it drowned out thought. Her fingers burned—heat spiraling up her arms.
The flame.
It surged without warning, a silver blaze spilling from her palms. The nearest hunter froze mid-step, its shadow cloak writhing violently as the light struck it. The silver fire spread along the ground like quicksilver, and where it touched the creature, its form blistered and cracked.
The hunter screamed—high and piercing—before collapsing into ash.
Serenya gasped, staring at her hands. The light flickered wildly, as if alive and angry.
"Control it!" Kaelen's voice cut through the chaos. "Or it will burn you next!"
The third hunter lunged for Kaelen, forcing him into a close, brutal fight. His movements were precise and fast, every strike aimed to cripple, but the creature's unnatural speed matched him blow for blow.
The surviving wounded hunter turned on Serenya, limping but still deadly. She tried to summon the flame again, but it sputtered—her chest ached, and cold sweat beaded on her skin.
The creature rushed her. Instinct overruled thought. She thrust out her hand, not with force, but with fear.
The flame exploded.
This time, it wasn't just light—it was heat, blinding and absolute. The blast threw the hunter backward into a burning wall, where it thrashed before dissolving into nothing.
The sudden silence rang in her ears. She swayed, the edges of her vision darkening.
Kaelen finished the last hunter with a slash across its throat, then turned to her. "You're bleeding."
She looked down, realizing a shallow gash stretched across her forearm, oozing red. She hadn't even felt it.
"That power," Kaelen said, his tone unreadable, "will kill you if you don't learn its cost."
They searched the village but found no survivors. Only ash, smoke, and the faint echo of screams that the wind carried away.
As they prepared to leave, Serenya paused at the edge of the village well. Something shimmered in the water below—faint, gold light swirling beneath the surface.
"Kaelen…?" she began.
But the water moved.
A shape rose from the depths—a pale, almost human face, eyes glowing like molten gold. Its voice was soft, almost gentle, yet it carried like thunder.
"Child of the Starfire," it said. "The Covenant is not your only enemy."
Before she could react, the vision vanished, leaving the well dark and still.
Kaelen was already moving toward her, his expression grim. "We leave. Now."