The Seeker
538 Words
The riverbank fell silent.
The crowd behind Allyah continued cheering at the meteor shower, unaware of the tension spreading across the grassy field.
Across the river, Ethan stood beneath the shadow of a tall acacia tree. The falling stars reflected faintly in his dark eyes.
Luke stepped closer to the edge of the river.
“Ethan,” he called cautiously.
The boy smiled slightly.
“Long time no see.”
Allyah felt a strange uneasiness in her chest. She remembered Ethan from high school—quiet, intelligent, always sitting in the back of the classroom.
But the Ethan standing before them now felt… different.
Something about him radiated an unsettling energy.
Seren moved beside Luke.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she said coldly.
Ethan laughed softly.
“Oh, Seren. You always did take things too seriously.”
Allyah looked between them.
“You two know each other?”
Seren didn’t answer.
Instead, Ethan stepped forward until the moonlight illuminated his face.
“Of course we know each other,” he said.
“We’re connected.”
Luke frowned.
“Connected how?”
Ethan tilted his head toward the sky.
“Through the stars.”
Allyah’s stomach dropped.
“You can hear them too?”
Ethan’s smile widened.
“Not exactly.”
Luke’s voice hardened.
“What does that mean?”
Ethan lifted his hand toward the sky.
Suddenly, a faint glow appeared in his palm—like a small piece of starlight trapped between his fingers.
Allyah gasped.
“He doesn’t just hear them,” Seren whispered.
“He takes their power.”
The air grew colder.
Luke clenched his fists.
“That’s impossible.”
“It shouldn’t be,” Seren said quietly. “But he found a way.”
Ethan closed his hand, and the glowing light disappeared.
“The whispers aren’t meant to be followed blindly,” he said calmly.
“They’re meant to be controlled.”
Allyah shook her head.
“That’s not what the stars want.”
Ethan laughed again.
“And since when did you become their spokesperson?”
Before anyone could respond, a powerful gust of wind swept across the riverbank.
The meteor shower intensified, bright streaks filling the sky like falling flames.
The whispers returned.
Louder.
Urgent.
"The seeker rises."
"Protect the light."
"Three must stand."
Seren stepped forward.
“You’re disturbing the balance, Ethan.”
He shrugged.
“Balance is overrated.”
Luke’s eyes burned with anger.
“What do you want?”
Ethan’s gaze moved slowly between the three of them.
“You.”
The wind howled louder.
“The Star Listeners together create a bridge between the sky and the earth,” Ethan continued.
“And that bridge can lead to unimaginable power.”
Allyah felt fear crawl up her spine.
“You’re insane.”
“Maybe,” Ethan said calmly.
“But I’m also right.”
Another meteor streaked across the sky.
Ethan took a step back toward the trees.
“Enjoy your little reunion,” he said.
“We’ll meet again soon.”
Then he disappeared into the darkness.
The whispers faded.
And the meteor shower slowly began to quiet.
But Allyah knew one thing for certain.
Their lives had just become far more dangerous.
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- Writer
