The girl they all hunt

*PART 1: BLOOD THAT GLOWS* It was the third hour of the night. The village of *Elari* was dark. Only moonlight remained. *Noor* was 18. Her hands were shaking. Her mother’s last words echoed in her head: _"Daughter, never let anyone see your blood. When you get hurt... it will glow."_ She didn’t understand back then. She did now. This morning she had cut her hand by mistake. And her blood... *it glowed like gold.* Everything changed after that. *The Door Broke* BANG! Her small house shook. Outside, 3 voices spoke at once. *First voice - heavy, royal:* "Open the door! We are the King’s soldiers. Hand over the girl. We’ll pay you in gold." *Second voice - hissing:* "Be quiet. She is our goddess. Her blood will make us immortal. The Wizard Council demands her." *Third voice - cold, dead:* "Eat her... eat her..." That was the ghosts. Noor peeked through the window. 20 soldiers in front. 5 wizards in black behind them. And in the trees... shadows. Moving. She was trapped. *The Fourth Person* Then another voice. Not loud. Not soft. Just calm. "Run." Noor turned. A boy stood behind the wall. 20-21 years old. Black clothes. A scar on his face. Tired eyes. "Who are you?" Noor whispered. "Adnan." he said. "And if we don’t run in 10 seconds... you’re dead." The soldiers broke the door. Adnan grabbed Noor’s hand and jumped through the window. Shouts behind them: "She’s running! Catch her!" *Running Through The Forest* They ran through the forest. Noor was out of breath. "How did you know I was here?" she asked. "Because I was looking for you too." Adnan said. "The difference is, I didn’t come to kill you." "Then why?" Adnan stopped. He looked back. The wizards' lights were getting closer. "Because 7 years ago... my sister’s blood glowed just like yours." His voice was heavy. "And I couldn’t save her." Noor’s heart sank. Suddenly an arrow flew. Adnan pushed her. The arrow hit his arm. "Ah!" Noor cried out. And that’s when it happened. Blood came from her wound. And it *glowed with golden light.* The whole forest stopped. The wizards laughed: "We found her!" The soldiers shouted: "For the King!" The ghosts hissed louder. Adnan looked at the blood. Then at Noor. "Get up." he said. "This just got worse." *The First Choice* They reached a river. Two paths ahead. *Left path* - Toward the mountains. Dangerous. But alone. *Right path* - Toward the city. People were there. But everyone was an enemy. "What do we do?" Noor asked. Adnan held her wounded hand. Her blood’s light fell on his face. "Noor." He said her name for the first time. "Your blood doesn’t just grant immortality. They say whoever has the Earth Heart... can change the fate of the world. The King wants power. The wizards want knowledge. The ghosts want life. But you... what do _you_ want?" Noor wiped her tears. "I... I just want to live." "Like a normal person." Adnan smiled. For the first time. "Then you’ll have to fight." He took out his dagger and cut his own hand. His blood was normal. Red. "Listen." he said. "I’m with you. But on one condition. When the time comes... you’ll have to choose. Will you save yourself... or will you save this world?" Footsteps came from behind. They were close. Noor stood up. Her wound was still glowing. "Okay." she said. "Let’s run." And they both ran toward the *left path*. Toward the mountains. Where there was death. But maybe... freedom too. *Chapter 1 End* In the forest behind them, 3 groups stared at each other. And all of their eyes were on one thing. *The girl whose blood was gold.* --- *End of Part 1*