The streets of Eldoria were alive, but not in the way Liora had imagined. There was no warmth, no hum of ordinary life—only the quiet thrum of power, the invisible pulse of magic in the air. Every building seemed to hum with it, every stone etched with runes, every shadow twisting with intent. The kingdom was not made for humans, and Liora felt it in the pit of her stomach: she was intruding in a world that had never intended for her to exist.
Kael led her along a narrow street, his steps sure and steady, while hers faltered. The mark on her wrist burned faintly, reacting to the magic of the city. She could feel the eyes of invisible watchers on her, the whispers of spells tracing her movements. Each pulse made her chest tighten.
"This is… overwhelming," she admitted, her voice trembling.
Kael didn't answer immediately. His jaw was tight, eyes scanning the rooftops, the streets, the shadows beyond the glow of lamplight. "You'll get used to it," he said finally, but the words lacked conviction. "Or you'll die trying."
Liora flinched. He wasn't joking.
They turned a corner, and the massive gates of the Court rose before her. Black iron etched with twisting runes loomed overhead, flanked by statues that seemed almost alive, eyes glinting faintly as they tracked her movements. Kael's hand tightened on hers, and for a moment, the protective barrier he offered was the only thing keeping her feet moving forward.
Inside, the Court was vast and suffocating. Shadows clung to the corners, moving of their own accord, and light shimmered unnaturally across the marble floors. Figures in long cloaks moved silently, faces hidden, murmuring incantations Liora couldn't understand. The air smelled of smoke and iron and something sweetly metallic she couldn't place.
Kael led her to a room at the far end, carved with intricate designs that pulsed faintly, almost like the beat of a heart. "You'll stay here," he said, gesturing to a narrow bed draped in deep purple linens. "No one comes in unless I allow it. No one touches you. And you stay out of sight."
Liora nodded, but her mind raced. No one touches me? Out of sight? That sounded more like a prison than a safe haven.
He hesitated at the door, and she noticed the tension in his shoulders, the almost imperceptible flicker in his eyes. "You must understand something," he said finally, voice low, almost a whisper. "There are those here who will try to control you. Those who will see your mark as a weapon. You cannot trust anyone… not yet. Not even me."
Liora blinked. "Not even you?"
Kael's gaze softened for the briefest moment, just enough that her heart thumped violently in her chest. Then the hardness returned. "Especially not me," he said. "Because if you fall, I'll fall with you."
The words made no sense and yet made all the sense in the world. She wanted to ask what he meant, but the sound of footsteps outside the door made her freeze. Kael's hand shot out, silencing her with a brief touch to her arm, and he pressed his ear to the door. The sound of voices—soft, whispering, deliberate—reached them.
"They brought her," a voice hissed. "The girl with the mark. She's here."
Liora's stomach dropped. The footsteps moved closer, and she could hear the soft scuff of boots across the polished floor. Kael's jaw clenched, and his hand on her arm was firm, protective, a tether she didn't want to release.
"They'll try to test her," another voice said. "We need to know how strong she is… and whether she can be controlled."
Liora's heart raced. Controlled? She felt a surge of fear and anger, but it was tangled with something else—a flicker of anticipation she didn't fully understand. The mark on her wrist pulsed, almost like it was warning her, urging her to stay calm, to observe.
Kael pulled her back into the shadows of the room, pressing himself against the wall so the doorframe hid them. "Stay silent," he whispered. "And stay hidden. Whatever happens, do not reveal anything about your powers unless I say so."
Liora nodded, though she could barely breathe. The sound of movement outside the door grew louder, deliberate, measured. And then, abruptly, it stopped. Silence fell, thick and heavy, like a fog settling over her mind. She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
A key turned in the lock. The door creaked open. Liora held her breath, gripping the edge of the bed. Footsteps entered the room—deliberate, slow, deliberate enough to make her feel like time itself had slowed.
A figure stepped into the light—a woman tall, regal, with eyes that glinted violet like a storm at night. Her robes were black and silver, embroidered with symbols Liora couldn't recognize, and in her hand was a staff that thrummed with power. She paused, scanning the room, and then her gaze fell on Liora.
The girl's mark pulsed visibly now, bright enough to cast faint shadows on the walls. The woman's eyes widened slightly, almost imperceptibly, and then narrowed. She took a slow step forward, staff tapping lightly against the floor.
"You," the woman said, voice smooth, low, and dangerous. "You are the one they call the Silent Witness. So this is true… the prophecy begins with you."
Liora's throat went dry. "Prophecy?" she whispered.
The woman's smile was thin, almost cruel. "Oh, it is very real. And very dangerous. You have no idea what you've awakened. And neither does he—" Her gaze flicked sharply to Kael, who had stepped silently behind her. "—nor anyone in this kingdom. But soon, you will."
Before Liora could speak, the woman's staff glowed faintly, and the light shimmered across the room, casting strange, dancing shadows. Liora felt a jolt run through her, a surge of energy from the mark on her wrist, and a whisper in her mind that wasn't her own.
You are not ready.
She gasped and turned to Kael, but he only nodded slightly, eyes tense, jaw tight. "Watch," he murmured.
The woman raised her staff higher. Her violet eyes glittered with knowledge, power, and something darker—something that made Liora's stomach knot.
This is only the beginning, she realized. And yet, she couldn't tear her eyes away. Something about the prophecy, the magic, the danger, and Kael's presence drew her in, held her, made her ache for answers she didn't yet have.
The light from the staff shifted, flickering, and for a split second, Liora glimpsed a vision—an image of fire, blood, and a shadowed figure standing over a throne of bones. She blinked, and it was gone, but the pulse in her wrist echoed it as if her own body had witnessed what her mind could not comprehend.
The woman's lips curved into a smile, just enough to send a shiver down Liora's spine. "Soon, you will understand," she whispered. "And when you do… you will have to choose. Will you obey your fate—or destroy it?"
The shadows in the room seemed to lean closer, and the silence after her words pressed down on Liora like a weight. She swallowed hard, her eyes flicking to Kael, to the staff, to the pulsing mark, to the unknown that now surrounded her.
And deep in her chest, a small, fearful, stubborn spark of curiosity ignited:
What had she really awakened?