Silence settled after I whispered that word. But it wasn't just a word—it was a symbol of something deeper, something that had been there for a long time. I felt like I had regained a part of my strength, but it wasn't the power I was used to. It was older… and much darker.
I leaned against the tree trunk, trying to steady my breath as the pain in my shoulder intensified. The arrow I had removed hadn't just left a physical wound—it had stolen a part of what made me who I am.
"Now… how will I get back what I lost?"
A question I didn't have an answer for yet. But I knew that staying in this state wouldn't change anything.
I rose slowly. My body felt heavy, as if the chains Lilen had placed on me were still tightening around my soul. I looked at the city in the distance; its lights flickered through the trees, as if watching me with unrelenting eyes.
But I hadn't come here to retreat.
At that moment, I heard a faint sound behind me. Stealthy footsteps, barely audible. I didn't turn, but I was certain I wasn't alone anymore.
"How long will you stay here?" The voice was soft, yet sharp enough that my ears didn't miss it.
I slowly turned my head. She stood at the edge of the tree's shadow, her black cloak fluttering with the cold wind. She wasn't Lilen. But she certainly wasn't an ordinary person.
"Who are you?" I asked, my tone calm despite the tension beneath it.
She stepped forward, her features emerging in the moonlight. Silver hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her eyes were the color of the night itself.
"Who cares? The real question..." She paused, then tilted her head slightly, "How do you intend to regain your power after Lilen took your essence?"
A tightness gripped my chest at her words. It wasn't surprising that she knew what had happened, but the way she spoke... as if she had been watching me from the beginning.
"And do you have an answer to that question?"
She smiled a cold smile. "Maybe."
She took another step forward and stood right in front of me. Despite my weakened state, I felt that her presence wasn't just a coincidence.
"You know something." I said, narrowing my eyes.
"I know more than you can imagine." She replied, her voice calm but weighed down by knowledge. "Your power wasn't meant to be taken so easily… but it also doesn't belong entirely to you."
A pang tightened in my chest. I had always wondered about the source of the power that had made me an outcast in my childhood. And now… it seemed there was someone who knew the truth.
"Speak." I commanded, my voice betraying a sharp edge of anger.
"Not here." She gestured to the dense shadows behind her. "Come with me, and I will tell you everything."
For a moment, I hesitated. I wasn't used to trusting anyone. But something in her tone... and the way she looked at me... made me decide to follow her.
Because if I wanted to regain what was mine, I had to face the truth.
I took another step forward, but she stopped at the edge of the shadow, as if she knew that getting any closer might ignite the last remnants of my anger.
I looked at her coldly, trying to hide the turmoil her words had caused within me. "Why should I believe you? I barely know who you are."
She raised an eyebrow slightly, as if she had expected my question. "Caution is well-placed." She said calmly, then crossed her arms over her chest. "But if I wanted to exploit your weakness, I would have done so while you were lying on the ground just a moment ago."
I didn't like her evasive answers. "That doesn't answer my question."
She sighed lightly, as if dealing with a stubborn child. "My name is Linor." She paused before continuing, "I'm not from this world. And just like you… I'm searching for something that was taken from me."
Despite the simplicity of her words, I felt that they were more complex than she was letting on. It wasn't just her appearance or her confidence that made me suspicious—it was the calmness in front of me, knowing exactly what I could do.
"And what's your connection to what's happening to me?" I asked, keeping my distance.
"My connection?" She smiled a small smile devoid of warmth. "Let's just say your power... isn't as unique as you think."
Her last words stirred something dark inside me. All my life, I had believed that the curse I was born with made me something rare—something everyone feared. But if I wasn't the only one...
"What do you know about my power?" I pressed my words, while the pain in my shoulder began to dull slightly, but curiosity started to take its place.
She tilted her head slightly, as if assessing whether I was ready to hear the truth. Then she spoke in a low voice:
"I know that what you lost… can be regained. But not in the way you think."
And despite all the doubts that filled my head, I couldn't ignore one possibility:
Maybe she really knew how to get back what was mine.
And maybe… this was the beginning of the answers to the questions I had been running from all my life.