Chapter Three: An Unexpected Return
Only hours had passed since Nathan's departure, yet the forest was no longer the same.
Elara felt it before she saw him—a faint tremor in the air, a disturbance in the magic she was accustomed to keeping calm.
She stopped at the edge of the stone circle and placed her palm against the trunk of an ancient tree.
The magic was unsettled… angry.
"Not now,"
she murmured, clenching her fist.
Then she heard it.
Unsteady footsteps. Ragged breathing.
She turned quickly and saw him staggering out from the shadows of the trees.
Nathan.
His face was pale, his sleeve torn, and on his forearm was a dark burn mark that had not been there before.
"I told you—"
she began sharply, then stopped when she met his eyes.
There was no defiance in them this time… only pain.
"I didn't go far,"
he said quietly. "The path… wasn't as you promised."
She moved toward him without thinking, raised her staff, and examined the wound.
The mark was more familiar than she would have liked.
"Tracking magic,"
she said with forced coldness. "Who touched you?"
He shook his head.
"I didn't see anyone."
Her jaw tightened.
That was worse.
"Staying here is no longer an option,"
she said, gripping his arm.
He stiffened at the touch, but she didn't withdraw her hand.
"Where to?"
he asked.
"To a place you were never meant to know,"
she replied quickly, then added in a softer tone, "but I don't have time to explain."
He walked with her with difficulty, leaning on her more than he wanted to.
She felt his weight, his silent trust—and that unsettled her more than the wound itself.
"Why are you helping me?"
he asked suddenly.
She hesitated.
"Because you stepped into land that shows no mercy."
Then, more quietly:
"And because the mistake… must be corrected."
He did not argue.
When they reached a small shelter hidden among the rocks, she sealed the entrance with a swift spell.
The air here was still, protected.
She sat before him and began treating the wound.
Her magic brushed against his skin; he tensed, then relaxed.
"Does it hurt?"
she asked without looking at him.
"Less than I expected,"
he said. "Perhaps because you're here."
Her hand paused for a moment.
She lifted her eyes to him and found him watching her calmly—without demand, without pressure.
"Don't misunderstand,"
she said quickly. "This means nothing."
He smiled faintly.
"I know."
Then he added,
"But I'm grateful… all the same."
She returned to her work in silence.
But her heart was no longer quiet.
Outside, magic was moving, searching for them.
And inside, Elara realized—for the first time—that saving him might be the beginning of something far more dangerous than losing him.