Chapter 3 – Eyes That Burn
467 Words
Zira had barely closed her eyes when the door groaned open again. She didn’t bother to stand. Her body ached, her spirit heavier than stone. But the moment the cold crept in, she knew it was him.
Prince Kale.
He stepped in silently, his silver hair glowing faintly in the torchlight. His gaze landed on her, then dropped to the iron cuffs around her wrists.
Without a word, he moved toward her. Zira flinched instinctively, but his hand paused, hovering inches from her skin.
"I won’t hurt you," he said.
His voice was quiet. Not soft, not warm—but not cruel either. Controlled. Careful. Like he feared his words could shatter something fragile.
“Why are you helping me?” she whispered.
“I don’t know yet,” Kale replied. Then, kneeling beside her, he gently reached for her wrist.
The moment his fingers touched the iron, a strange pulse surged through her. Her eyes widened as heat spread from within her chest—fierce, wild, *alive*. But Kale's fingers remained cold, the contrast making the sensation sharper.
The cuffs clinked, then cracked, falling to the ground with a strange hiss of steam. Kale recoiled slightly, staring at her wrist.
A glowing sigil pulsed beneath her skin—faint but there. Circular, ancient, and unlike anything she had seen before.
Zira gasped, yanking her hand back. “What... what is that?”
Kale stood slowly, eyes fixed on her like he was seeing her for the first time.
“This shouldn't be possible,” he murmured. “That mark... it only appears to those tied to the prophecy.”
“What prophecy?” Zira demanded, standing now despite the tremble in her legs. “Why do I have this? What does it mean?”
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice tense. “But it means you’re in danger. More than you already were.”
Zira’s heart thudded. The cold wasn’t just around Kale now—it was in the room, crawling along the walls, whispering secrets in the shadows.
“I’m taking you out of here,” he said suddenly.
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“You can’t stay in the Icy Frost. If they see that mark... they’ll kill you.”
She hesitated. “And you won’t?”
Kale paused. “No. I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.”
For a moment, they simply stared at each other. His eyes, sharp and glacial, locked with hers—dark, blazing, unknowingly ancient.
Something passed between them. Not words. Not touch. But a feeling. Deep. Old. Binding.
“Come,” Kale said finally, turning. “Don’t speak. Don’t look back.”
And without understanding why, Zira followed.
But deep inside
her, the fire stirred. It knew.
She was awakening.
- Writer
