Chapter 3 The Attack on Eldor

Part 1 of 3

"Fire came with no warning, only purpose."

The morning after the dream, Kael woke to the smell of rain.

He sat up in his cot, blinking against the early light that seeped through the wooden shutters. Outside, thunder rolled gently over the hills-a distant growl that made the hair on his arms stand up.

The mark on his chest was quiet now. It hadn't pulsed once during the night. But it still glowed faintly beneath his skin, like a coal smoldering in a hearth. Not enough to burn. Just enough to remind him it was real.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching with a wince. His muscles still ached from the water-hauling yesterday, and his sleep had been fitful at best. Even now, fragments of the dream clung to him: silver eyes, screaming wind, and that girl-the one made of light.

He didn't know who she was.

But he remembered how it felt to lose her.

He splashed water on his face from the basin near the door and threw on a plain tunic, the fabric brushing lightly over the sensitive skin where the mark was. Then he headed out into the village.

Eldor woke slowly, like always.

Roosters crowed. Children ran barefoot between muddy alleyways. Smoke rose from chimney tops as mothers prepared stew or boiled morning roots. Men shouldered axes and headed toward the forest. Women bartered at the open-air stalls in the square, their laughter filling the air with warmth.

It was peaceful. Quiet.

Safe.

Kael moved through it like a ghost, watching it all with a strange detachment. Last week, this was his entire world. But now... he felt like a stranger in it. Like the mark had exiled him without moving his feet.

As he reached the market, someone called his name.

"Kael!"

He turned. Tarin, his closest friend, jogged over, grinning. The boy was short, broad-shouldered, with dirt-smudged cheeks and eyes that always looked like they were planning something illegal.

"You missed morning training," Tarin said, nudging him with an elbow. "Uncle Bren's gonna hang you by your ankles."

Kael forced a smile. "I didn't sleep well."

"Because of the thing on your chest?" Tarin's voice dropped to a whisper. "Is it still glowing?"

Kael nodded. "Yeah."

Tarin's eyes widened. "That's... actually kind of amazing. What if you're, like, a king in disguise?"

"Pretty sure kings don't haul water and live in sheds."

"Fair. But still-marked by Light? That's legendary stuff. The kind of thing bards write songs about."

Kael shrugged. "Or nightmares."

They walked together through the square, weaving between carts and merchants. Everything looked normal-too normal. That was the worst part.

Because deep down, Kael felt it again.

That hum in the air.

That tension in the earth.

Something was wrong.

He just didn't know how to explain it.

They were nearly back to the carpenter's shed when the sky split open.

It wasn't thunder.

It was a tear-a howling, crackling rip that echoed like something ancient breaking loose. People stopped mid-step. Heads turned. Children froze.

And then came the scream.

It was high, shrill, inhuman-and it came from the northern ridge.

Kael turned just in time to see something descend through the clouds-black wings, huge and leathery, flapping violently as a shadowy figure hurtled toward the village.

"What the hell-" Tarin breathed.

The creature hit the far field with a sound like a building collapsing. Dust rose in a choking wave. And then more came.

Four. Six. A dozen.

Dropping from the sky, some winged, some crawling, some riding skeletal beasts that snapped their jaws as they charged.

Screams erupted.

"Run!" someone shouted.

And chaos swallowed Eldor.

Kael didn't think.

He grabbed Tarin's arm and ran.

People scattered in all directions. Arrows whistled through the air-some made of bone, others glowing with unnatural light. A cottage near the square exploded into fire. One of the winged beasts crashed through a cart, tearing apart barrels and limbs alike.

A woman shrieked as something with too many eyes lunged for her-Kael turned, grabbed a broken pitchfork from the ground, and stabbed it in the neck.

It shrieked and disintegrated into smoke.

Tarin was gasping. "What are they?"

"I don't know!" Kael shouted.

But part of him did.

They weren't animals. They weren't bandits. These things were wrong. Made of shadow and pain. And they had come for something specific.

They had come for him.

His mark flared-suddenly, violently. Light burst from his chest and threw one of the crawling creatures backward, sizzling as it evaporated mid-air.

Tarin stared at him. "Kael..."

"We have to find the others," Kael said, breath ragged. "Come on!"

They sprinted toward the south ridge, where most of the villagers had fled.

They never made it.

One of the flying beasts-larger than the rest-slammed into the ground just ahead of them, cutting off the path. It had black armor fused into its flesh, and a long whip of shadows that hissed with dark energy.

On its back rode a cloaked figure.

Not a monster.

A man.

But his face was hidden beneath a helmet of blackened steel, and in his hand was a jagged sword that pulsed like a heartbeat.

Kael froze.

The man dismounted slowly, boots crunching on stone.

"You bear the mark," he said, voice distorted by magic. "You are not ready for it."

Kael raised the pitchfork again, but his hands trembled. "Get out of my way."

The man smiled beneath the helmet. "You think Light alone will protect you?"

He raised the sword.

And brought it down-

Kael braced for death.

But the blow never landed.

A flash of white fire exploded between them, knocking the man back. A new figure stood between Kael and the enemy-cloaked in silver, blade glowing with sunfire.

Liora.

Kael didn't know her name yet. But he saw her then-truly saw her-and time seemed to pause.

Not because she was beautiful (though she was).

But because his soul recognized her.

The girl from the dream.

The girl he lost.

And the girl who had just saved his life.

Part 2 of 3

Liora moved like wind on fire.

Her blade glowed white-hot, each strike leaving streaks of sunlight in its wake as she met the dark rider head-on. Sparks flew. Steel clanged. The clash echoed across the burning village as if the Light itself were battling the Void.

Kael watched, stunned.

She wasn't just strong-she was precise. Efficient. Every motion carried purpose. A dance of destruction and beauty. She moved as though born for war, not raised in peace.

The dark rider lunged at her, shadows curling from his sword like smoke, but Liora deflected the strike and spun low, slashing across his side. He hissed and stumbled back.

And then she turned to Kael.

Her silver eyes locked with his.

Something ancient passed between them. Like a door opening in the soul.

"You," she said coldly. "Come with me."

Kael hesitated, heart hammering. "Who-who are you?"

"No time," she snapped. "They're after you. Move!"

Behind her, the dark rider rose again, wounded but snarling, and raised his sword for another strike.

Liora spun and unleashed a wave of blinding light from her palm, hitting him square in the chest. He screamed as his armor cracked and smoke poured from his helmet. Then he vanished-literally dissolved into shadow.

Kael took a shaky step back. "What the hell was that?!"

"Later!" she said. She grabbed his arm and yanked him away from the wreckage. "There's a path through the eastern ridge. If we don't move now, more will come."

Kael cast one last look at Eldor.

The village was burning. His home. His people. Everything he'd ever known.

Gone.

He followed her.

They ran.

Through smoke. Through ruin. Through the screams of a place Kael had called home just hours before.

Liora led him through narrow trails, around collapsing huts, past fallen villagers she didn't stop for-not out of cruelty, but out of necessity. Her face was set in stone. Eyes forward. Always calculating.

Kael struggled to keep up. His chest burned. His legs shook. He tripped once and she hauled him up with barely a glance.

"I'm not-" he gasped. "I'm not like you."

"No," she said. "You're not."

But she didn't let go of his hand.

They reached the forest just as the second wave of creatures descended on Eldor. Kael heard the screams, saw the flickering lights behind them as shadows devoured what remained of the village.

He wanted to turn back. To fight. To find his uncle. To find Tarin. But Liora's grip tightened.

"They're gone," she said, not unkindly. "We have to go. If you die, this was for nothing."

Kael didn't understand.

He followed anyway.

Hours passed.

They moved deeper into the woods, away from fire, from smoke, from the memory of ruin. When they finally stopped near a rocky overhang, Kael collapsed against a mossy stone and buried his face in his hands.

Liora stood nearby, scanning the treeline, her blade still drawn.

Only when she was sure nothing followed them did she sheath it and finally speak.

"You're the one."

Kael looked up, hollow-eyed. "The one what?"

"The marked. The Balance."

He said nothing. Just stared at her, still trembling.

"You're weaker than I expected," she added, almost to herself.

Kael laughed bitterly. "Sorry to disappoint. I was too busy hauling firewood to train for apocalypse duty."

She turned to face him fully now. The firelight from a small conjured orb glowed between them, reflecting off her pale hair and casting soft shadows across her sharp features.

"You weren't supposed to awaken yet," she said. "The mark usually manifests later. But something triggered it."

Kael's voice was raw. "My village is gone. People I knew... burned alive. Why?"

Liora's face didn't flinch. "Because you exist."

Silence fell between them.

Then: "That's a hell of a thing to say to someone you just met."

Her voice dropped. "I've known of you my entire life."

Kael frowned. "You've been dreaming too, haven't you?"

That made her pause.

"I saw you," he continued. "In the dream. You tried to reach me. And then you were taken. I..." He hesitated. "I felt it. Like I lost something."

Liora's lips tightened. "Dreams are not always literal."

"Don't lie. You saw it too. Felt it."

A long moment passed.

She didn't deny it.

Instead, she sat down opposite him, pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

"We're connected," she said at last. "Not by choice. You're the Balance. I'm the Light. That means something... old. Something sacred. But it doesn't mean I trust you."

"I don't trust you either," Kael said.

But the truth was-he wanted to.

Even after the fire. The loss. The pain.

Because the moment her hand had touched his, his soul had quieted for the first time in days.

They didn't speak again for a long time.

The fire orb dimmed slowly, casting the space between them into twilight.

Kael lay back against the stone and stared at the stars.

"They'll come again, won't they?" he asked quietly.

Liora didn't answer.

He looked at her.

Even in the shadows, she looked untouchable. A warrior, yes-but more than that. Something above human. The way she moved, the way she shone when she fought... It terrified him.

And fascinated him.

"I'm not ready for any of this," he said.

"No one ever is," she replied. "Not even me."

Part 3 of 3

Kael awoke in the dark.

He didn't remember falling asleep-just the weight of exhaustion dragging him under like a current. But now, with the fire orb long faded and only the cold of the forest pressing in, he stirred beneath a thin wool cloak Liora must have draped over him.

He blinked into the starlit canopy above. Branches swayed gently, whispering in the night breeze. The air smelled of pine and damp earth-and ashes.

Always ashes now.

He sat up slowly. Pain flared in his ribs. His muscles protested every movement. But it was the ache in his chest-the hollow, ragged loss-that truly hurt.

He looked over and saw her.

Liora sat on a rock across from him, her back straight, her hands folded neatly on her lap. She wasn't sleeping. She didn't even seem tired. Her pale hair caught the moonlight like woven silver.

Kael watched her for a moment.

She hadn't said more than ten words in hours. Hadn't asked about his uncle, or his village, or his pain. She just existed there, flawless and distant.

Untouchable.

And yet... something in him reached toward her. Not his hand. Not even his heart.

His soul.

He stood slowly and crossed to her.

She didn't look up.

"You don't cry," he said quietly.

"I don't have time to cry."

He hesitated. "Did you ever?"

Her jaw tightened. "Once. When I was very small."

"What happened?"

"I learned it didn't help."

Kael folded his arms, watching her. "You don't have to be stone all the time."

She turned to him, and for the first time since their flight from Eldor, her face wasn't carved from marble.

"I do," she said. "If I'm not, people die."

Kael frowned. "People died anyway."

Liora looked away.

"I'm sorry," he added. "That wasn't fair."

"No," she said. "It was true."

They sat in silence again.

A softer silence this time.

No anger. Just the shared emptiness of two people whose lives had unraveled in a single night.

After a while, Kael asked, "How long have you known about me?"

"Since I was six," she said. "I was told a boy would rise, marked by the Balance. That I would find him. Protect him. Judge him."

"Judge?"

"If you were dangerous. If your power bent toward shadow... I was trained to stop you."

Kael exhaled. "So basically, if I screw up, I get a sword through the ribs."

"I'm not eager to kill you," she said.

"That's comforting."

She tilted her head, studying him.

"You're not what I expected," she admitted.

"What did you expect?"

"Someone... greater. Stronger. More willing."

Kael looked at her. "And what did you expect to be?"

That caught her off guard.

"I don't know," she said finally. "Chosen. Holy. Important. But I don't feel any of those things. I just feel... tired."

That, more than anything, made her seem human.

Real.

Kael sat beside her, not too close, but close enough that her warmth cut the chill in the air.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to be either," he said. "But maybe we figure it out together."

She didn't respond right away. But her body relaxed slightly.

Then she looked at him.

Really looked at him.

Her eyes weren't cold anymore. Just searching.

"You saw me in the dream," she said softly. "You weren't lying."

"No," Kael said. "You reached for me. I reached back. But I lost you."

She swallowed, and it was the first truly vulnerable gesture he'd seen from her.

"Sometimes I wonder," she said, "if that dream was a warning."

"A warning of what?"

"That I'll be the reason you fall."

The firelight had faded, but something else burned between them now-quiet, unspoken, undeniable.

Kael didn't touch her.

But he wanted to.

He didn't speak.

But he wanted to say: I don't fear you. I don't blame you. I see you.

Instead, he leaned back and let the silence speak for both of them.

Liora remained where she was, unmoving, her gaze on the stars.

But her hand rested on the stone between them now, closer than before.

Not touching.

But almost.

Far away, in a black citadel built from bone and smoke, a dark seer opened her eyes.

"The Balance has been awakened," she whispered.

"And the Light walks beside him."

A shadow moved behind her throne. "Shall I send the others?"

"No," the seer said. "Not yet. Let them grow closer. Let them trust."

"And then?"

She smiled.

"We tear them apart."