CHAPTER 2
994 Words
KAEL THORNE
She was ten years old when she destroyed everything.
The sky was dark that night, but not because of clouds. It was the smoke.
I remember the feeling of soot in my eyes as I ran to save my little sister.
Lyra was screaming for help.
And I was too slow.
The whole village burned like paper in the wind.
Houses collapsed in embers.
Children burned in silence. My parents... my sister...
Dead.
All of them.
Because of her.
Aurora Dareth.
The cursed princess.
The forbidden daughter of fire and darkness.
And today, after eleven years...
I found her.
She runs through the forest like hell itself is behind her — and in a way, it is.
She’s faster than I expected. Tougher.
More stubborn.
But I was trained for this.
My lungs burn, but I don’t stop. I can’t.
Her blood is boiling, and the forest responds to each step with sparks and shadow.
“Stop running!” I shout.
She doesn’t stop.
With a push, I leap and tackle her to the ground.
The impact is hard.
We fall together, my body pinning hers against the earth.
She struggles beneath me, her red eyes blazing with fury and fear. She tries to punch me, but I dodge and grab her tightly.
“GET OFF ME, YOU i***t!” she screams, spitting human words like knives. “HELL PSYCHOPATH! ARMORED LUNATIC!”
She hits my shoulder with her elbow and squirms.
I try to hold her arms, but she shoves me hard, almost knocking me off, but I grab her wrist before she can escape. She screams again and... hits me right between the legs.
I groan loudly, staggering reflexively, the pain shooting up my spine like fire.
I drop to my knees, wanting to make her pay for that.
“b***h,” I mutter through gritted teeth, grabbing her again, furious.
“YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’VE DONE!”
She tries to run again.
I yank her back roughly and slam her to the ground once more.
But this time, I pin her wrists beside her head, using my weight to keep her from escaping.
She’s panting, her fiery eyes locked on mine. Her face is sweaty, dirty, her hair stuck to her forehead.
She’s a beautiful girl, but extremely dangerous, and I have to be very careful with her. She grew up among humans, which means she has no idea of the power she carries.
“M-Monster,” she growls. “You’re a damn psychopath dressed like a knight. I hope you die poisoned by a leaf!”
“Stupid dragon princess,” I whisper, staring closely at her face. “You have no idea what the real world is like.”
She screams again and spits in my face.
That’s enough.
“Let me go! I’ll scream!”
I pull the small vial from my belt, open it, and scatter the sleeping star-dust directly over her face.
A soft glow surrounds her skin. Her eyes begin to close, her body surrendering.
“No…” she murmurs, her arms weakening.
And then, she passes out in the grass.
Finally.
I stare at her for a few seconds, feeling the weight of the moment.
She looks so fragile sleeping like this. Like any other girl. Like... a victim.
But she’s not.
She is the daughter of the curse.
And her blood is soaked in death.
I lift her into my arms, gently, even if I don’t want to admit it.
She’s light. Warm. Like she’s made of fire and silk.
Her heat burns through my armor, but I ignore it.
I won’t fail now.
I find an ancient, cursed tree — one of those that absorbs raw magic.
I tie her wrists with enchanted chain, fastening the links around the trunk. She’s not getting out.
I kneel. Close my eyes.
And connect to the Ancestral Mind — the channel used by hunters to communicate with the High Council.
“I’ve got the girl.”
Silence. Then, a reply — cold, female, cruel.
“She must die, but bring her alive. The King of Night needs her before her heart stops beating. The eclipse is coming. Her blood cannot be spilled at the wrong time.”
I open my eyes and exhale, returning to reality.
For so long I hunted her, was assigned to kill her, but it seems the King of Night has other plans for the girl, and I have to do my job.
I grab my sword and stand — then I hear a soft groan.
I look at the girl and see her eyes slowly opening, and this time, they look normal — no flames inside.
She seems confused, trying to understand where she is, and then her eyes find mine and her expression shifts to pure rage.
She struggles against the chains, pulling, trying to break free.
“YOU!” she screams. “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?! LET ME GO!”
I don’t say a word.
She screams louder, pulling on the chains hard enough to make the tree shake.
“WHAT ARE YOU?! AN EXECUTIONER?!”
I remain silent, just watching her.
She exhales sharply, biting her lip hard. She’s very beautiful, but her beauty is a curse.
She lets out a humorless laugh, desperate, sweaty, and breathless.
“Of course. The armored hero who ties girls to trees. How noble, huh? What are you going to do now? Cut me into pieces? Throw me in the fire? What do you want from me?”
My hands clench into fists.
“You burned my family,” I whisper, finally. “I’m just... justice.”
She freezes. The rage in her eyes falters. For a second, all I see is confusion.
Then she speaks, softly:
“…I don’t remember that.”
“Of course you don’t remember.” I step back, my eyes burning. “But I never forgot. You destroyed my family...”
- Writer
