That night, the forest felt colder.
Kael and Selene had found shelter in the shadow of the stone archway, lighting a small fire to keep warm. Neither spoke much. The whispers they'd heard in the ravine still echoed in their minds.
Kael stared at the flame, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the mark on his chest, the same one that had glowed when he touched the stone.
"What do you think it means?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Selene poked the fire with a stick. "I think you're connected to all this in a way I don't fully understand."
Kael looked at her. "You don't think it's a curse?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But whatever it is… it's growing stronger."
Kael didn't reply. He kept thinking about the warmth that had filled him at the ruins, the pull that led him here, the way the forest itself seemed alive, waiting. Watching.
He turned toward the stone archway, still faintly glowing. "I feel like it wants something from me."
Selene stood and walked beside him. "Or maybe it wants to give you something. Power, memories… truth."
Kael looked down at his hand. The faint outline of the glowing mark still lingered on his palm, like an afterimage burned into his skin. "What if I don't want it?"
Selene was quiet for a moment. Then she said, "It might not be about what you want anymore."
That night, Kael dreamed again.
He stood in the middle of a ruined temple. Shadows loomed around him, whispering words he couldn't understand. In front of him was a figure, tall, cloaked in black, its face hidden by a veil of ash.
"Return," it said. "You are the key."
Kael tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. He stepped forward, and as he did, the ground beneath him cracked, revealing a red light glowing from below.
The mark on his chest began to burn.
He woke up gasping.
Selene was already awake, her sword drawn. "You screamed," she said, watching him closely.
Kael wiped the sweat from his face. "A dream. I think… I think I've seen that place before."
Selene knelt beside him. "Kael, your chest…"
He looked down. The mark was glowing again, but now, thin lines were branching out from it, like cracks in glass.
The glow faded after a few seconds, but the mark remained, bigger than before.
"It's spreading," he whispered.
Selene nodded grimly. "Whatever you've awakened, it's not going to sleep again."
Kael stared into the fire as dawn crept over the treetops.
He had come here searching for answers, but now he was starting to fear what the truth might cost.