Every leaf, every twig underfoot, felt like it held its breath as Abhi and Isha moved swiftly through the forest path behind the old chapel ruins. The air was unnaturally still. The deeper they went, the more the world around them faded—sounds grew faint, light dimmed, and even time felt like it slowed.
"Isha,"
Abhi whispered, gripping his cane tightly.
"Where are we going?"
"There's a crossing ahead,"
she said without looking back.
"A veil-line. It hides us for a while. We'll be safe on the other side."
Abhi nodded, even though his chest was tight with unease. His hand burned faintly—the ring glowing like a second pulse. They were being followed. He could feel it now. Like cold breath on the back of his neck.
And then it hit.
A low, screeching whir as something darted through the trees—a blur of grey and shadow. Another. Then another. Abhi turned fast—too fast—and nearly stumbled.
They were surrounded.
Figures stepped into view, clothed in long grey coats, faces obscured by black, featureless masks with a single horizontal slit of violet light where eyes should be.
Hunters.
The lead one raised a gloved hand, and from his palm, black smoke hissed out like a snake, curling toward them.
Abhi's instincts flared.
He lifted his hand, and the ring blazed red. His eyes burned, light beginning to pulse from beneath his lids.
"Isha—!"
"Stop!"
she barked, grabbing his arm.
"Wha—"
"You're not ready, Abhi! You'll blind yourself or worse. Let me."
Before he could argue, she stepped forward, her own mark now glowing like molten silver across her wrist. The Hunters hissed and raised weapons—some kind of energy blades, humming and sharp.
"Stay back,"
one of them said in a voice like gravel and static.
"The boy belongs to us."
Isha's smile was cold and fearless.
"Come take him."
She thrust her palm forward—and the air shattered.
A wall of crackling crystal-blue energy exploded from her fingertips, slamming into two Hunters and sending them flying into trees with bone-crunching force. The others rushed forward, but she was already moving. Fast. Blindingly fast.
She ducked under a blade, spun, and touched the ground.
A blast of frost erupted upward—trapping two more Hunters in jagged ice that rose like claws from the forest floor. One lunged at her from behind, but she turned with a flick of her wrist, and from her other palm, a whip of lightning cracked out, wrapping around the attacker's neck and slamming him into the dirt.
Abhi stood frozen—not from fear, but awe. She moved like she'd done this a hundred times.
The last Hunter aimed a thin rod toward Abhi. It pulsed once.
Abhi's eyes glowed—reflex, rage, and fear. A beam of white-hot light burst from them—
—but slammed into a nearby tree instead, missing the Hunter by inches.
The tree disintegrated instantly.
The Hunter turned, startled. That gave Isha just enough time to strike again—she launched herself into a dive, driving both palms into the ground. A shockwave of energy burst outward, sending the last Hunter skidding and crashing into the forest floor with a burst of sparks.
Silence.
The forest stilled.
The air shimmered with lingering threads of magic.
Isha stood slowly, brushing dirt from her arms as the last of the glowing runes around her faded.
"Amateurs," she muttered.
Abhi panted, still shaking slightly. His eyes were dim again.
"What..." What was that?"
"They sent a scout pack,"
she said.
"Too early. They're probing. Testing us."
Abhi stared at the scorched tree, still faintly smoking.
"I almost lost control. I could've burned everything..."
Isha walked over to him and placed a steady hand on his shoulder.
"You didn't. But you will lose control if you don't learn. That's why I'm here."
He looked at her, unsure.
"You're going to teach me?"
"I was trained by someone who knew the old ways,"
she said.
"The Watchers. My powers came early—water, ice, lightning—they're all part of my bloodline. Yours is different. Stronger. Rarer."
"What am I?" he whispered.
"You're the bearer of the Seer's Flame,"
she said.
"Light that burns through veils, through lies, even through time. You haven't unlocked your full powers yet. But you will. I'll help you."
He nodded slowly.
"Okay. Then let's start. I don't want to be afraid of this anymore."
Isha's eyes softened.
"Good. Because from now on... they'll be the ones afraid of you."
And as they vanished deeper into the woods, behind them, the Hunters' bodies began to dissolve into grey ash—fading into the roots of the forest, whispering back to the shadows from where they came.
But not for long.
The Vault was awakening.
And the real war had only just begun.