chapter eleven: Searching for shadows
231 Words
Lior moved quietly through the village streets, the weight of worry pressing down on him. Every face he passed seemed etched with fear and suspicion. The air tasted heavy, thick with unspoken questions.
His foster mother’s sudden change haunted him. He remembered her gentle hands, now trembling and cold. Something was wrong, something dark and unnatural.
Determined, Lior visited the village elder, a woman known for her knowledge of old tales and hidden truths.
She listened intently as Lior spoke, eyes narrowing.
“There are forces at work,” she said softly. “Forces older than the trees themselves. But to fight them, you must understand their nature and their master.”
Lior’s heart pounded.
“Who?” he asked, voice barely a whisper.
The elder hesitated, then reached beneath her cloak, pulling out a faded parchment.
“Look here. This symbol has appeared at every site touched by darkness.”
Lior leaned in. The symbol was unfamiliar, jagged, almost alive.
“Where did it come from?” he demanded.
“No one knows for sure,” she said. “But it’s linked to a man many fear.... the one they call Malek.”
Lior’s breath caught.
The name stirred something deep inside a shadow, a memory just beyond reach.
He clenched his fists.
He had to find Malek.
He had to stop the darkness before it consumed everything he loved.
- Writer
