The morning arrived with a muted hush, sunlight barely breaking through the dense canopy of the Wildlands. It bled softly into the forest floor, dappled and thin, as if the sun itself were cautious of this ancient place. Eira stirred where she lay beside the dying embers of last night's fire, her body stiff and her thoughts no more rested than the night before.
She hadn't truly slept. Her eyes had closed, but her mind had remained alert, caught in the sway between dream and fear. Every gust of wind that tugged the leaves, every branch that creaked overhead had made her flinch. The world felt different now. Bigger. Wilder. As if she'd fallen into a story she hadn't been meant to read.
The others were already awake. Torin packed their gear in silent efficiency, each movement spare and practiced. Lena crouched nearby, sorting herbs into small cloth bundles, her touch gentle even with the most fragile sprigs. Kaela stood apart from them, leaning on a staff Eira hadn't seen her use before. Her dark eyes were fixed not on the trees, but on Eira.
Eira sat up slowly, her limbs aching from the cold ground. The warmth inside her, whatever strange fire had awakened the night before still simmered low in her chest. It pulsed with her heartbeat, like something alive.
Kaela approached, her steps barely stirring the underbrush. She extended a small leather pouch to Eira without a word.
"Drink this," she said simply. "It will help you focus."
Eira stared at the pouch. Inside, the liquid shimmered with a soft, silvery glow that shifted with the morning light. Her fingers closed around it, hesitant.
"What is it?" she asked.
"A tonic," Kaela replied. "It will quiet the storm inside you."
That word again: storm. That's what they saw in her. Something dangerous. Something unpredictable. She wondered if they feared her. Or if they pitied her.
Eira uncorked the pouch and swallowed the contents in one gulp. The taste was sharp and metallic, like iron soaked in river water, and it chilled her throat on the way down. But the effect was almost immediate. Her breath slowed. The restless heat inside her eased.
"Better?" Kaela asked.
Eira nodded, though she still felt unsure. "Yes. Thank you."
There was no smile from Kaela, but her gaze softened, just a little. She looked at Eira for a moment longer, as though searching for something in her eyes, then turned away.
"We leave soon. Be ready."
Eira wrapped her arms around herself, gazing into the woods beyond. The trees loomed high, their trunks thick with moss, their shadows deep and whispering. This forest had lived long before she had been born, and it would outlive her too. She felt small in its presence. Insignificant.
But not powerless.
"Where are we going?" she asked quietly.
"To the Ruins of Ascarith," Kaela replied, fastening her cloak. "That is where your training begins."
"Training for what?" Eira's voice caught in her throat.
Kaela did not look at her this time. She spoke to the wind.
"For survival. For understanding. And for when the Veil comes looking for you."
Those words planted a cold knot in Eira's stomach. She had barely understood what she was, what she could do, and now there was talk of enemies hunting her. The Veil. That name carried weight. Even the trees seemed to hush when Kaela said it.
Lena came to stand beside her, offering her a canteen of water.
"We don't linger long in one place. It draws attention," she said.
Lena's calmness was like a balm. Her voice always seemed to carry some unspoken kindness, a steadiness that made Eira feel less alone. Her hands bore the stains of herbs and roots, and her eyes always seemed to be measuring pain.
"You've done this before," Eira said softly. "Run. Hide."
Lena paused, then nodded. "I've helped others. Not everyone makes it out."
There was a truth there, heavy and quiet. Eira didn't press further. She just accepted the water and drank.
Kaela moved to the front, her staff tapping lightly against the ground.
Torin followed beside her, ever watchful, his expression unreadable. Eira noticed how his hand always hovered near the hilt of his blade. Even now, with no enemy in sight, he stayed ready.
They walked in silence, the forest path barely a path at all. Roots reached like fingers across the ground, and brambles snagged their clothes. Birds called from the high branches, warning or welcoming, Eira couldn't tell. With every step, she felt the world deepen around her. There was a pulse in the air here, a quiet rhythm that matched her own.
Hours passed. The sky above had shifted to a pale blue through the green canopy when Eira finally asked, "How much farther?"
"Not long," Kaela answered without turning. "Ascarith is veiled by more than trees. We'll reach it before dusk."
"Is it… safe?"
Kaela smiled faintly. "Nowhere is truly safe. But it is hidden. That is enough."
Eira swallowed. The idea of learning to control her magic filled her with dread and longing in equal measure. She'd lived so long without knowing what she was, how could she now become something new? What if she wasn't strong enough?
She didn't speak these fears aloud, but Lena must have seen them. She reached out and gently touched Eira's shoulder.
"You're not alone in this," she said.
It was a simple thing. But it rooted Eira, gave her a place to stand. Someone had seen her.
The path narrowed. The forest deepened. The trees seemed older here, their trunks split and scarred by time. The light faded even though the sun was still high. Eira began to feel the weight of the place settle into her bones. There was history here. Forgotten stories, lost voices.
Then Torin stopped, raising a hand.
The others froze.
"What is it?" Kaela asked, voice low.
Torin's eyes were sharp, scanning the trees. "Something's moving. We're being watched."
Eira's blood ran cold. She gripped the knife at her side. It was small, barely a weapon, but it was all she had. Her heart thudded in her ears.
Kaela turned to her, her voice quiet and firm. "Stay close. No matter what happens, don't let them separate you from us."
"Who are they?" Eira asked, barely above a whisper.
Kaela looked past her, eyes narrowing. "The Veil. They've found us."
Before Eira could react, the forest exploded into motion.
From the trees above, shadows dropped like falling stars. Figures clad in black and gray, faces hidden behind smooth, blank masks. They moved without sound, weapons gleaming in their hands.
Steel met steel as Torin drew his blades in a single breath. Kaela stepped in front of Eira, her staff pulsing with light. Lena shouted something, but it was lost in the clash.
Eira stood frozen, her feet rooted in terror and awe.