The next day, Aiden could barely think. The image of Lyra — silver hair, deep eyes that reflected the sky — haunted him. Every glance at the horizon pulled him back to the forest, back to the fleeting warmth that had surged when their hands touched.
"You cannot let this happen," Elder Kaelen warned, appearing as if from nowhere. His eyes were grave. "The girl carries power — the kind that can shift the balance of this realm. And you, Aiden… your mark will either protect her or destroy her."
Aiden clenched his fists. "I don't even know her. I've never… felt anything like this. And yet… I can't let her go. I don't want to."
Kaelen's expression softened for a moment. "The stars have chosen both of you. But so has the darkness."
Meanwhile, Lyra wandered through the village outskirts, trying to piece together who she was and why the forest seemed to call her name. She remembered flashes — dreams of fire, of a boy in pain, of a mark glowing on someone's arm. She shook her head, trying to focus, but a sense of urgency clawed at her chest.
That evening, as the sun dipped beneath the mountains, Lyra felt it again — the pull toward the forest. Something was coming, something she could not see but could feel. She moved cautiously, and there — a faint shimmer between the trees — she saw him again. Aiden Vale.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world seemed to pause. The wind stilled, the leaves held their breath. They were drawn to each other by an invisible thread neither understood, yet both could not ignore.
Suddenly, a sound behind them made Lyra spin — a low, whispering voice that carried through the leaves.
"Find her… before he does," it hissed. But there was no one there.
Aiden tensed, stepping in front of her. "Did you hear that?"
Lyra nodded, fear mixing with anticipation. "Yes… and I think it's dangerous."
Before they could react further, a shadow flitted across the trees. Quick. Silent. Watching. Waiting.
Cliffhanger: In the distance, the faintest shimmer of black smoke rose from the treetops — a sign that their meeting had not gone unnoticed. Something dark, ancient, and relentless had begun its pursuit.