The Path to the Temple
1518 Words
Malikye’s POV
We didn’t speak for a long time after the Blood Knight vanished.
Not because there was nothing to say.
But because none of us liked what had just happened enough to put it into words.
The forest stretched endlessly around us, dense and shadowed, the kind of place where light didn’t belong for long. Moonlight filtered through the branches in thin, fractured beams, casting long, shifting shadows across the ground. Every step felt heavier now, not just from exhaustion, but from the weight of knowing something far worse than the Hollow had found me.
And worse—
It had chosen not to kill me.
I walked a few paces behind Kael and Selene, my eyes drifting between the trees, my senses sharper than they had ever been before. Every sound stood out now—the crunch of leaves beneath our boots, the distant call of night birds, the low whisper of wind moving through the branches.
And beneath it all…
That pull.
Stronger than before.
The mark in my palm glowed faintly, steady now, like it had settled into itself after the chaos of earlier.
I flexed my fingers.
It didn’t hurt anymore.
It felt… connected.
I didn’t like that.
Finally, I broke the silence.
“So,” I said, my voice low but steady, “the Blood Knight didn’t kill me when he had the chance.”
Kael didn’t slow.
“No.”
“That seems like an important detail.”
“It is.”
I frowned slightly.
“That wasn’t an explanation.”
Selene glanced at me over her shoulder, her expression thoughtful.
“He wasn’t sent to kill you,” she said.
I stopped walking.
“What?”
Kael halted a few steps ahead, turning slightly.
Selene faced me fully now.
“Damon needs you alive,” she said gently.
I let out a slow breath.
“Yes, I remember that part. The ritual. The power. Very unpleasant.”
“This confirms it,” she continued. “The Blood Knight would not disobey Damon’s orders.”
I resumed walking, slower now.
“So instead of killing me, he’s going to… what? Drag me back?”
“Yes,” Kael said bluntly.
I grimaced.
“That sounds worse.”
“It is.”
We continued deeper into the forest.
The terrain began to change gradually. The ground sloped upward, roots twisting through the soil like veins, forcing us to step carefully. The trees grew taller here, older, their trunks thick and their branches reaching high enough to block most of the sky.
The air felt colder.
Heavier.
I wrapped my arms slightly around myself.
“Does this forest have a name?” I asked.
Selene nodded.
“The Veilwood.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“It is.”
I nodded slowly.
“Of course it is.”
Kael spoke without turning.
“This forest hides many things.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better.”
“It’s not meant to.”
I sighed.
“You two are remarkably consistent.”
Selene’s lips curved faintly.
“You will come to appreciate that.”
“I doubt that.”
We walked in silence again.
But this time, it wasn’t just tension filling the space.
It was something else.
Awareness.
The deeper we went, the more I felt it.
Not the same presence as before.
Not the Blood Knight.
Something older.
Quieter.
Watching.
I slowed slightly.
Selene noticed immediately.
“You feel it,” she said softly.
I nodded.
“It’s different.”
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
She glanced around the forest.
“The Veilwood is… alive, in a way most forests are not.”
I blinked.
“That’s vague and concerning.”
Kael added quietly, “It responds to magic.”
I looked down at my hand.
The mark pulsed faintly in response.
“That explains why it feels like it’s watching me.”
Selene’s voice softened.
“It is.”
I stopped again.
“I’m going to need you to elaborate on that.”
She stepped closer.
“The Veilwood was once a sacred place for the lunar spirits,” she explained. “Magic here runs deeper than most places in the world.”
“And it can sense me?”
“Yes.”
“That’s… comforting. In a terrifying way.”
Kael turned slightly.
“It may also protect you.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“May?”
“It depends on how it sees you.”
I stared at him.
“That’s not reassuring.”
We continued walking.
The forest thickened further, the path narrowing until it was barely visible beneath the roots and fallen leaves. Strange, faint lights flickered deeper between the trees—small, glowing orbs that hovered just above the ground before vanishing again.
I slowed, watching one drift past.
“Did you see that?”
Selene nodded.
“Spirit lights.”
“Of course they are.”
“They are drawn to you.”
“Everything is drawn to me tonight,” I muttered.
Kael stopped suddenly.
His hand lifted slightly.
We froze.
“What is it?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Then—
“Listen.”
I held my breath.
At first, I heard nothing.
Then—
A faint sound.
Footsteps.
Not one.
Several.
My stomach dropped.
“They found us again?”
Kael shook his head slightly.
“No.”
Selene’s expression shifted.
“Not Hollow,” she said quietly.
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
Then—
Figures emerged from between the trees.
Not creatures.
People.
Four of them.
They moved carefully, their steps controlled, their eyes sharp as they scanned the forest. They wore dark clothing, fitted and practical, with light armor across their shoulders and arms. Each of them carried weapons—blades, bows, and something that looked distinctly magical.
They stopped when they saw us.
Tension snapped into place instantly.
One of them stepped forward.
A woman.
Tall.
Strong.
Her dark hair was pulled back tightly, her posture confident, her gaze sharp and assessing as it moved between Kael, Selene… and then landed on me.
She stilled.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she spoke.
“Kael.”
Her voice was calm, but there was recognition there.
Kael relaxed slightly.
“Lyra.”
I glanced between them.
“You know each other?”
Lyra’s gaze shifted back to me.
“Is this him?” she asked, her tone measured but curious.
Kael nodded.
“Yes.”
Her eyes dropped to my hand.
The mark.
It glowed faintly.
Recognition flashed across her face.
“Well,” she said quietly, a small, impressed smile forming. “That explains the disturbance we felt.”
I blinked.
“Disturbance?”
She looked back at me.
“You lit up half the Veilwood,” she said, her tone almost amused. “Hard to miss.”
I winced.
“That wasn’t intentional.”
“It rarely is,” she replied.
Selene stepped forward.
“We don’t have time for introductions.”
Lyra’s expression shifted immediately.
“Why?”
Kael answered.
“The Blood Knight.”
The reaction was instant.
Lyra’s smile disappeared.
The others behind her straightened, their grips tightening on their weapons.
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She exhaled slowly.
“That changes things.”
I looked between them.
“I’m sensing he’s not popular.”
“No,” Lyra said flatly. “He’s not.”
She studied me again.
“So you’re the one he’s hunting.”
“Yes,” I said. “I’ve gathered that.”
Her gaze softened slightly.
“Then you’re in more danger than you realize.”
I sighed.
“That has also been established.”
Despite the tension, one of the men behind her huffed a quiet laugh.
Lyra ignored him.
“We were sent to find you,” she said.
I blinked.
“You too?”
She nodded.
“The Night Seers are gathering forces.”
Kael stepped closer.
“Then you know where we’re going.”
Lyra’s gaze shifted briefly to Selene.
Then back to me.
“The Silver Temple.”
I exhaled slowly.
“Everyone seems very confident about that destination.”
Lyra’s expression turned serious.
“Because it’s the only place Damon cannot reach you.”
Selene nodded.
“And the only place you can learn to control what you are.”
I looked down at my hand again.
The mark glowed softly.
Then I looked back at them.
Kael.
Selene.
Lyra.
Strangers.
All of them.
And yet somehow…
They knew more about me than I knew about myself.
I let out a slow breath.
“Alright,” I said.
Lyra tilted her head slightly.
“Alright?”
I met her gaze.
“Then let’s go find this temple.”
Her smile returned.
Small.
Sharp.
“Good,” she said.
Then she turned.
“Because if the Blood Knight is already moving…”
Her voice dropped slightly.
“…we don’t have much time.”
And for the first time since this all began—
I felt it clearly.
This wasn’t just a journey anymore.
It was a race.
- Writer
