Chapter 2: The Warning
791 Words
Elara shot upright in bed.
Her heart hammered against her ribs.
The room was dark.
Silent.
Cold.
For several seconds, she stared into the shadows, trying to convince herself she had imagined the voice.
Run.
The word echoed through her mind.
A dream.
It had to be a dream.
Yet something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The candle beside her bed had gone out, despite being half-burned only moments earlier.
The temperature in the room had dropped so low that she could see her breath.
Elara slowly swung her feet onto the floor.
The wooden boards creaked beneath her.
Nothing moved.
No shadows.
No voices.
No strange figures lurking in the corners.
She released a shaky breath.
"You're losing your mind," she muttered.
Then someone knocked on her door.
Three quick taps.
Elara jumped.
"Elara?"
It was her mother.
Relief washed over her.
She opened the door.
Mira Voss stood outside holding a lantern.
Dark circles rested beneath her eyes.
She looked almost as shaken as Elara felt.
"You heard it too?" Elara asked.
Her mother's expression changed instantly.
"What did you hear?"
The answer came too quickly.
Too sharply.
Elara frowned.
"A voice."
For a moment, fear flashed across her mother's face.
Then it disappeared.
"You need sleep."
"Mother—"
"Go back to bed."
Without another word, Mira turned and walked away.
Elara watched her disappear down the hallway.
Something wasn't right.
Her mother was hiding something.
And she knew it.
The next morning, Eldoria buzzed with rumors.
By sunrise, everyone in the city had heard about the crystal.
Some claimed it had exploded.
Others insisted dark magic had corrupted it.
A few even whispered that the gods themselves had sent a warning.
Most of the rumors pointed toward one person.
Elara.
As she walked through the marketplace, conversations stopped around her.
People stared openly.
Mothers pulled children closer.
Merchants lowered their voices.
The humiliation from yesterday returned tenfold.
"That's her."
"The girl without a Force."
"The crystal cracked when she touched it."
"I heard she's cursed."
Elara lowered her head and kept walking.
She hated every second of it.
By midday, she found herself standing at the edge of the city overlooking the vast forests beyond the walls.
This had always been her favorite place.
A place where nobody cared whether she had a Force.
A place where she could breathe.
She sat beneath an ancient oak tree and closed her eyes.
For the first time all day, the world became quiet.
Peaceful.
Then she heard footsteps.
Elara opened her eyes.
A stranger stood among the trees.
Tall.
Dressed entirely in black.
His hood concealed most of his face.
But his eyes—
His eyes were silver.
Not gray.
Silver.
She had never seen eyes like that before.
Every instinct screamed danger.
The stranger studied her.
Almost as though he had been searching for her.
"Elara Voss."
Her stomach tightened.
"Who are you?"
Instead of answering, he asked another question.
"Did the crystal break when you touched it?"
Elara stood.
"How do you know about that?"
The stranger glanced toward the city walls.
"Because it wasn't supposed to happen."
A chill raced through her.
"What wasn't supposed to happen?"
The man's expression darkened.
"Your awakening."
The words struck like thunder.
Awakening?
"What are you talking about?"
The stranger stepped closer.
"Listen carefully. You are in danger."
Before Elara could respond, an arrow suddenly flew from the trees.
The stranger spun.
The arrow struck the trunk behind him.
A second arrow followed.
Then a third.
Soldiers emerged from the forest.
Royal soldiers.
At least a dozen.
Their captain pointed directly at Elara.
"There she is!"
The stranger cursed under his breath.
"They found you faster than I expected."
Elara's heart stopped.
Found her?
Why would the Royal Guard be looking for her?
The captain drew his sword.
"By order of His Majesty, Elara Voss is to be taken into custody immediately!"
The stranger grabbed Elara's wrist.
"We're leaving."
"What?"
"Now."
The soldiers charged.
The stranger pulled her toward the forest.
Branches whipped past as they ran.
Shouts echoed behind them.
The sound of pursuit grew louder.
Elara struggled to keep up.
"Who are you?" she shouted.
The stranger glanced back.
For the first time, she saw something familiar in his face.
Not fear.
Not hatred.
Concern.
"My name is Kael Draven."
Elara froze.
Everyone in Aetheria knew that name.
The kingdom's most feared warrior.
The king's deadliest weapon.
The man who never failed a mission.
And somehow...
He was helping her escape.
Behind them, the soldiers burst through the trees.
Ahead of them, the forest stretched into darkness.
And for the first time in her life, Elara realized a terrifying truth.
She wasn't being mocked anymore.
She was being hunted
- Writer
