Pain.
That was the first thing Lysandra felt when she drifted back to consciousness. A searing, burning pain radiating from her side, making every breath a struggle.
Her fingers twitched against cold stone. The scent of damp earth and old moss filled her lungs.
Where am I?
Memories crashed into her mind—the tunnel, the betrayal, the dagger sinking into her flesh. Aldric's reach was longer than she had thought.
She forced her eyes open. Darkness.
No torches. No signs of Maren or the others.
She was alone.
Or so she thought.
A faint rustling echoed through the cavern.
Then—a voice. Low. Ancient.
"You are late."
Lysandra's heart clenched.
Slowly, she turned her head.
And there, standing at the far end of the cavern, was a figure wrapped in shadows.
The Forgotten God
Her breath caught.
Even in the dimness, she could see its eyes—glowing, unnatural. A flickering of power wove around its form, shifting between man and something... else.
The air was thick with something old. Something powerful.
Lysandra swallowed. "Who are you?"
The figure chuckled—a sound like rustling leaves and distant thunder.
"You already know."
She did.
The whispers. The dreams. The pull of darkness inside her.
It was him.
The forgotten god.
The one her people had cast aside.
The one who had cursed her.
Her fingers curled into fists. "Why have you brought me here?"
The god stepped closer, his form shifting as he did. Man, beast, shadow.
"Because your time is running out."
A Bargain with the Dark
Lysandra struggled to push herself upright, her body protesting with pain. "I didn't ask for any of this."
The god tilted his head. "Didn't you?"
The words sent a chill through her.
She hadn't chosen this power. Hadn't chosen to be cursed.
But deep down, she knew.
She had always been drawn to the dark.
Always heard its whispers.
The god watched her closely. "You stand at the edge of fate, Lysandra. You can run from it, or you can embrace it."
She clenched her jaw. "And what happens if I embrace it?"
The god smiled.
And the cavern trembled.
"Then you will no longer be the hunted." His voice curled around her like smoke. "You will become the hunter."
A shiver ran down Lysandra's spine.
She should have been afraid.
But instead—
She felt power stir in her veins.