Solene stood in the center of Theron's quiet home, her breath sharp and uneven. Her eyes were wide, red-rimmed, her hands trembling as the last echoes of the vision pulsed in her mind, children, dragged through mud, their cries swallowed by darkness, their lifeless bodies falling in a cold dungeon.
Kain stood by the window, tense. He had seen her like this before, but never like this.
Theron leaned on the edge of his desk, watching her closely. "It was a vision, girl. Not always truth. Magic twists the mind when you're not ready."
Solene turned sharply toward him. "It wasn't just a vision," she said, her voice tight with emotion. "I felt it. I saw their faces. They were from the Commons. They were children."
Kain stepped forward, his tone gentle. "Solene, it could be a warning or just, "
"No!" she snapped, cutting him off. Her power stirred beneath her skin, the floor beneath her feet faintly crackling with frost. "I'm not going to sit here and hope it's not true while they're dying. If there's even a chance it's happening, I have to go. I have to see for myself."
Theron exhaled, running a hand down his face. "The Commons isn't just danger, it's a trap waiting to be sprung. The king will have eyes everywhere. You go there now, and you risk more than your life. You risk everything."
"I've been risking everything since the day I ran," Solene said. "I'm not going to stop now. If I wait, more will die."
Her voice cracked slightly, and that was the part that broke Kain. He looked away, jaw clenched. She wasn't just talking about duty. She was talking about guilt.
Theron stood slowly and crossed the room until he was in front of her. His eyes, though old and wild, held something softer now. "If you're set on this, then go. But know that once you walk into the Commons, the king's hounds will smell your power. You will not come out the same."
"I don't want to come out the same," Solene whispered. "I want to come out knowing I tried."
Kain sighed. "Then I'm going with you."
Solene looked at him, surprised, but he just nodded. "Someone has to keep you out of trouble."
Theron grunted. "Fools. All of you." He turned back toward his shelves, muttering to himself, but not stopping them.
.
.
It was well past midnight when Solene slipped on her boots, her face pale and unreadable. The candlelight danced across the wooden walls of Theron's old house.
Kain stirred from his seat near the fireplace as she reached for the door.
"Where are you going?" he asked quietly, his voice heavy with sleep and worry.
She paused for only a second. "To the Commons. I… I just want to see something."
"Solene," Kain stood, grabbing his cloak. "It's not safe at night. We can go at dawn."
But Solene didn't answer. She opened the door and stepped into the darkness, the wind brushing against her cheeks .Kain followed her into the shadows, knowing that once she made up her mind, nothing could stop her.
.
.
They arrived at the Commons just as the sky turned a pale, bruised grey. But no light could ease the horror that waited for them.
The village was in ruin.
Ash coated the broken ground like snow. Several homes were reduced to nothing. The smell of smoke, blood, and magic still hung in the air. People were scattered across the village, sobbing, screaming, holding onto what little they had left.
One woman clutched a small tunic to her chest, rocking back and forth, her voice raw from crying. Another man knelt in front of the remains of his home, hands buried in the rubble, as if digging could bring his child back.
Solene froze.
Her breath hitched as she stared at the destruction, her arms limp at her sides, her heart crumbling. Kain looked at her and immediately saw the shift. She was too still. Too quiet.
"Solene…" he said softly, stepping beside her. "We don't know exactly what happened. Don't let it break you..."
But it already had.
A tear slid down her cheek, and as it fell, her hands began to glow faintly, flickers of gold, bright and wild. Kain's eyes widened.
"No. Solene, listen to me. You have to breathe. You have to....."
She turned to face him.
And her eyes…
They weren't her usual brown. They had turned gold, glowing, swirling, alive with power that seemed to hum through the air. Her jaw was clenched, and her whole body trembled, not with fear, but fury.
"Kain, see what they did to my people."
Kain took a step back, instinctively reaching for her. "Solene. Please. If you let it take over now, there's no going back."
But she didn't answer.
There was a sudden burst of light from her feet, a radiant, fiery explosion that didn't burn but crackled with raw, elemental magic. The villagers gasped, shielding their eyes.
And then… she rose.
Her body lifted off the ground, her cloak fluttering behind her like wings of smoke. Flames curled around her boots, her hair dancing wildly around her head like it had a will of its own.
"She's flying," someone whispered.
But Kain wasn't watching with wonder, he was watching with panic. Because he knew exactly where she was going.
"The High Rings," he breathed. "She's heading straight for them."
Before he could say another word, Solene shot forward like a comet, her golden trail streaking through the sky. The people stared in awe and silence, the light of her flight reflecting in their teary eyes.
Kain cursed under his breath and broke into a run.
He didn't know what Solene would do when she reached the heart of the kingdom. But he knew this,
Whatever was coming…
It had just begun..
.
.
It was an ordinary morning in the High Rings, peaceful, calm, as it always was. The rich, the powerful, and the well-dressed went about their business, unaware of the storm brewing on the horizon. The streets gleamed with gold, and the air was filled with the distant hum of an ordered, controlled life. Nothing seemed out of place.
But in the Merchant Quarters, everything was about to change.
The wind shifted suddenly, carrying with it an unnatural chill. It blew through the narrow alleyways and over the open market, rattling the signs above the stalls. At first, people paused, looking around in confusion. The usual bustle of street vendors and shoppers slowed to a tense quiet.
And then, the ground trembled. A soft vibration beneath their feet. It wasn't strong enough to knock over the goods, but it was enough to send ripples of unease through the crowd. Murmurs began to spread.
"What's happening?" someone whispered, looking up at the sky, which seemed to darken despite it being mid-morning.
Suddenly, the air grew heavy, thick with an energy no one could quite name. People in the market square looked up at the sky, their eyes widening in disbelief.
A figure was flying toward them.
It was a silhouette, barely visible at first, against the dimming sky. But it was growing closer, fast. The figure descended with unnatural grace, its outline shimmering, glowing faintly as it moved.
"Is that...?" someone stammered, their voice shaking.
A murmur rippled through the crowd as they watched in awe, unable to tear their eyes away. The figure grew clearer. A woman, no doubt, but with a presence that seemed to stretch beyond the limits of what they could comprehend. There was an energy surrounding her, raw, untamed power that seemed to make the air itself quiver.
It was Solene.
She flew over them, her feet hovering just above the ground, the wind howling around her. Her golden eyes glinted like they held the very fire of the sun, and the people of the Merchant Quarters could feel the weight of her power in their bones. She was not just a woman. She was a force.
The marketplace fell silent, save for the wind that seemed to carry her presence like a wave crashing over them.
Then, Mistress Lira, standing in the doorway of her tailor shop, stepped out. She froze for a moment, watching the figure that had flown toward the market, and then, almost as if she recognized something deep inside, whispered to herself, "Solene…"
Her voice was barely audible, a mixture of disbelief and recognition, but it was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She couldn't understand why, but she knew. The girl she had taken in, the one she had once shared a roof with, had changed..
As the figure continued to soar through the sky, Lira's heart tightened with worry. Something was happening, and there was no turning back now.