Beneath the Silver Sky

The night the stars disappeared began like every ordinary night in the village of Elmridge. Soft rain fell from the dark sky while lanterns glowed warmly outside small houses lined along stone roads. Wind moved gently through trees surrounding the village, carrying the smell of wet grass and flowers through the air. Nothing felt unusual. Nothing felt different. At least, not at first. At the far end of the village, separated from the other houses by fields of white flowers, stood a small wooden home with vines climbing along its walls. Inside sat a girl with dark hair leaning lazily against a wooden table. Her name was Lira Vale. At seventeen years old, Lira had reached an important conclusion in life: Life in Elmridge was painfully boring. Very boring. Unbelievably boring. She stared blankly at the old book in front of her. "'The medicinal properties of moonleaf herbs increase under winter conditions...'" Silence. Lira slowly closed the book. Then dropped her forehead onto the table. "Wow," she muttered dramatically. "My life is truly exciting." Across the room, her grandmother looked up while sorting dried herbs. "You've sighed seventeen times in the last ten minutes." Lira raised her head. "You counted?" "I had nothing better to do." Lira looked offended. "Grandma..." "What?" "You just proved my point." Her grandmother shook her head with amusement. Lira stood and walked toward the window. Rain rolled slowly across the glass. Outside, the village remained peaceful. People were returning home. Children ran through roads while laughing. Merchants closed their shops. Everything felt normal. Too normal. Lira rested her chin against her hand. Ever since she was little, she'd loved stories. Not stories about princes and princesses. Not stories about fancy balls and noble families. She loved stories about forgotten kingdoms. Ancient magic. Hidden places. Creatures that no one had seen for centuries. Adventures. Real adventures. Unfortunately, Elmridge had absolutely none of those things. The most exciting thing that happened last week was Mr. Doran accidentally falling asleep beside his vegetable cart. Lira sighed again. Then— Darkness suddenly swallowed the sky. Lira blinked. "...What?" She looked outside. Then froze. The stars were gone. Every single one. The sky had become completely black. For a moment the entire village became silent. Then chaos erupted. People screamed. Doors opened. Children cried. "The stars!" "What happened?!" "Look up!" Lira rushed outside. Villagers had gathered along the streets. Everyone stared upward. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Then suddenly— A light appeared. High above the clouds. Silver. A single silver star glowed within the darkness. Lira stared. It looked beautiful. But strangely... Not beautiful in a normal way. Its light felt alive. Soft silver light spread slowly across the sky. The villagers whispered nervously. "What is that?" "I've never seen anything like it." "Is it magic?" Lira couldn't look away. Her heart suddenly beat faster. For some reason— Something felt strange. Something felt familiar. Then the silver star moved. Gasps spread instantly. Stars didn't move. Everyone knew that. Yet this one crossed the sky slowly while leaving silver particles behind it. The silver dust looked almost like snow. Lira stared with wide eyes. Then suddenly— FLASH. The silver light exploded. Something fell from the sky. A bright silver object shot toward the distant forest beyond Elmridge. BOOM. The ground shook violently. People screamed. Birds flew from trees. Silence followed. Then panic returned immediately. "It's a curse!" "A disaster!" "Everyone get inside!" Lira stared toward the dark forest. The Silver Forest. A dangerous place surrounded by stories and legends. Her eyes narrowed. No. Absolutely not. There was no chance she was ignoring that. A hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. Lira nearly jumped. "Grandma!" Her grandmother stared at her suspiciously. Lira stared back. "...Why are you looking at me like that?" "You want to go." "I don't." "You do." "I don't." "You do." Lira crossed her arms. "...Maybe a little." "No." "But—" "No." "What if it's treasure?" "No." "What if it's ancient magic?" "No." "What if it's a handsome cursed prince?" Her grandmother stared at her. Lira stared back hopefully. "...Still no." Hours later the village finally became quiet. Rain stopped. Lights slowly disappeared from windows. Everyone had gone to sleep. Everyone except one person. Lira quietly opened her bedroom window. She climbed outside carefully. Her feet landed softly on grass. She looked toward her room. "Sorry, Grandma." She paused. "...Not really." Then she ran. Cold air brushed against her face. The deeper she moved toward the forest, the quieter everything became. Trees towered overhead. Moonlight barely reached the ground. Then Lira slowed. Because something was wrong. The forest was glowing. Tiny silver lights floated between branches. Like stars trapped among leaves. Lira swallowed. "...Okay." She gripped her lantern tighter. "That's actually terrifying." But curiosity had always been stronger than fear. So she kept walking. Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen. Then— She stopped completely. A massive crater stood before her. Silver light spilled from it. Flowers surrounding it had transformed into crystal-white petals. The trees shimmered. Everything looked unreal. Lira slowly approached. Step. Step. Step. Then she saw him. Someone lay unconscious inside the crater. A boy. No— A very beautiful boy. Dark hair rested against his forehead. Silver markings glowed faintly across his skin. But that wasn't what made her freeze. Behind him— Wings. Large silver wings. Lira stared. "No way." She rubbed her eyes. Still there. "No way." She crouched beside him. "No way!" The boy suddenly moved. Lira jumped backward. Slowly— His eyes opened. Silver. Actual silver. For a moment neither moved. Neither spoke. The wind itself seemed to stop. He stared directly at her. Confusion crossed his face. "...Human?" Lira pointed at herself. "Uh... yes?" He slowly sat up. Then suddenly froze. His eyes widened. He stared at her face. Shock appeared. "No." Lira blinked. "What?" "Impossible." "What is impossible?!" He slowly raised his hand toward her face. Lira narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "If you poke my forehead—" ROOOOOAR. The sound shook the entire forest. Birds exploded into the sky. The ground trembled violently. The boy's expression changed instantly. Fear. Real fear. He looked toward the darkness. "...No." Lira looked around. "No what?" His breathing became uneven. "They found me." "...Who found you?" Then— Two glowing eyes appeared between trees. Then four. Then eight. Then dozens. Branches cracked. Shadows moved. Large shadows. Very large shadows. Lira slowly looked around. "...Oh." Pause. "...OH." Something stepped forward. Silver eyes. Black fur. Huge claws. A creature almost twice the size of a horse emerged from the darkness. Then another. Then another. Lira's face slowly lost color. "...Why," she whispered weakly, "are they so big?" The boy immediately stood despite nearly falling. Lira caught him. For a moment they froze. Very close. Way too close. Silver eyes met hers. For some reason— Her heart skipped unexpectedly. Then he grabbed her wrist. "We need to run." "...RUN FROM WHAT?!" "EVERYTHING!" The creatures roared. And together— They ran into the darkness of the Silver Forest. To be continued...