THE STRANGE LIGHT
The forest did not feel right that night.
Lira walked slowly between the tall trees, holding her small basket. Her wings moved softly, but not with their usual calm rhythm.
Something was wrong.
The forest was always full of life. Soft lights floated in the air. The trees whispered gently. It was a place every fairy felt safe.
But tonight, the forest was too quiet.
Even the glowing insects moved away from her path.
Lira stopped walking.
“This is strange…” she said softly.
She thought about turning back. The flowers she came for could wait.
But Lira was not the kind of fairy who gave up easily.
She had always been curious. Always the one to go a little farther than the others.
“I will just look,” she said. “Then I’ll go home.”
She walked deeper into the forest.
The trees grew bigger and older. Their branches blocked the sky. The air felt colder.
Then she saw it.
A light.
Not soft like the others. Not gentle.
This light was bright and sharp. It flickered like it was calling her.
Lira’s heart began to beat faster.
“What is that…?” she whispered.
She knew she should not follow it.
But she did.
Step by step, she moved closer. The forest grew silent behind her. No wind. No sound.
Only the light.
She entered a small open space.
And there, on the ground, she saw it.
A stone.
It was not big. But it was beautiful.
It glowed with many colors—blue, gold, and soft purple. The light moved inside it, like it was alive.
Lira slowly walked closer.
“I’ve never seen anything like this…” she said.
She knelt down. Her hand shook a little.
“Maybe I should leave it…”
But she didn’t.
Very gently, she touched the stone.
At once—
A bright light burst out.
Lira gasped.
Her whole body froze.
Images filled her mind. Fast and confusing.
Dark shadows moving across the sky.
Wings—large and powerful, not like fairy wings.
A deep voice calling from far away.
“Find me…”
Lira pulled her hand back quickly.
The light disappeared.
She fell back slightly, breathing hard.
“No… no… what was that?” she said.
Her heart was racing now.
The stone still glowed, but softer… calmer.
Like it knew her.
Lira stared at it in fear and wonder.
Then—
A sound.
A footstep.
Lira froze.
She was not alone.
Another step.
Closer.
Her wings lifted, ready to fly at any moment.
“Hello?” she called, her voice shaking.
No answer.
The shadows between the trees moved.
“Who’s there?” she said again, louder this time.
Then she saw him.
A figure stepped out of the darkness.
Tall.
Still.
Watching her.
Lira’s breath caught in her throat.
He was not a fairy.
He had no wings.
The air around him felt heavy, like the forest itself was afraid.
Lira took a step back.
“Stay away from me,” she said, though her voice was not strong.
The stone in her hand suddenly began to glow again.
Brighter than before.
The light spread across the clearing, shining on both of them.
For the first time, she saw his face.
And his eyes—
They were not normal.
They glowed.
The man looked at her… then at the stone.
“You found it,” he said quietly.
Lira’s heart pounded.
“Who are you?” she asked.
He took one step closer.
And the light from the stone flared wildly.
“You don’t know what you’re holding,” he said.
The ground beneath them trembled slightly.
Lira tightened her grip on the stone.
Fear rose inside her—but she did not run.
“Then tell me,” she said.
The man’s expression darkened.
“You should have never touched it.”
The light exploded around them—
And the forest screamed.
