The storm came without warning.
One moment the sky was overcast with the usual grayness of autumn — and the next, thunder rolled like distant drums of war, shaking the very bones of the town. Elara stood by the window of the orphanage, watching the clouds boil above like angry spirits. Rain lashed at the glass in sheets, and wind howled as if trying to claw its way inside.
It wasn't natural.
The other children huddled under blankets, some crying softly, others whispering prayers. But Elara didn't move. She felt it again — that pull. That silent voice in her chest, calling her.
And then came the cry. CAW.
The crow.
It was perched on the rooftop opposite her window, wings outstretched in the storm, unbothered by the rain, its eyes glowing faintly blue.
"Elara!" one of the younger girls whimpered, tugging at her sleeve. "Don't open the window! You'll let the wind in!"
But she was already moving. Heart pounding, barefoot, she pushed the old wood frame up and slipped out, into the storm.
The moment her feet hit the wet ground, the crow took flight — toward the woods.
Elara didn't hesitate.
Lightning split the sky, illuminating her path. Trees danced in the wind like titans swaying to an ancient rhythm. The storm didn't scare her — what terrified her more was the feeling that if she didn't follow now, she might lose something forever.
She ran.
Branches clawed at her arms and face, rain soaking her through, but she didn't stop. Her lungs burned. Her legs ached. Still, she followed the shimmer of black wings ahead of her, deeper and deeper into the forest she wasn't supposed to enter.
Then the wind stopped.
Just like that. One step, and silence fell like a heavy blanket.
She blinked, gasping for breath, suddenly aware of how eerily still everything had become. The trees around her were different now — older, their bark etched with glowing veins of silver light. The air smelled of moss, starlight, and something floral.
And ahead — the stones.
The ancient circle stood as if it had always been there, untouched by time or man. Twelve pillars of stone, each carved with a different symbol, surrounded a flat altar-like platform at the center. And in the very middle, glowing faintly with pulsating blue light, was the same symbol from her dreams.
The crow landed on one of the stones, watching her.
Elara stepped forward slowly, heart in her throat. The humming in the air grew stronger with each step, resonating with her heartbeat. Her fingers tingled.
When she stood in the center of the circle, the wind returned — but this time it spun upward, around her, forming a gentle spiral of energy. Leaves began to dance. The stones vibrated.
And the symbol on the ground pulsed.
Elara fell to her knees before it.
The voice from her dreams echoed in her head: Return the flower, my daughter...
Trembling, she reached out and placed her palm flat against the glowing mark.
The earth beneath her sang.
A rush of light burst from the symbol, engulfing her entire body. The storm above roared louder, thunder and magic colliding in one final crescendo — and then...
The ground disappeared.
She screamed.
Not from pain, but from the weightless terror of falling with no end. The light around her turned into streams of color, twisting and warping reality. Images flashed past — stars, memories, ancient runes, crying eyes, petals of glowing flowers. She saw herself as a child, saw the woman from her dreams reaching for her, saw a hand tearing a luminous flower from a chest.
The Flower must return…
She couldn't breathe.
And then — impact.
Elara slammed into soft earth and rolled.
The world around her shimmered. The sky above wasn't Earth's. It was an endless tapestry of violet and gold, with twin moons hanging low and bright. The air buzzed with energy. The grass beneath her glowed faintly when touched.
She lay still for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.
Then the crow cawed again.
It flew over her and disappeared into the trees.
Elara sat up slowly. She was no longer wet. Her clothes had changed — the soaked pajamas were gone. In their place was a tunic of soft, cream-colored fabric embroidered with delicate silver vines. Her arms bore faint glowing patterns that pulsed with the same blue light she'd seen on the stone.
"What is this place?" she whispered.
The trees nearby whispered back. Not in words, but in presence — in rustling leaves that felt almost like speech, like welcome.
A sound behind her made her flinch.
From the shadows emerged a woman in flowing robes of light grey, her long braid resting over one shoulder. Her eyes were sharp, ancient, but not unkind.
"Elara," she said.
Elara scrambled back. "How do you know my name?!"
"I have known it since before you were born," the woman replied calmly. "I am Sae-Myung. You were expected."
"Elara…" she repeated to herself. "I shouldn't be here. This can't be real."
Sae-Myung approached and knelt beside her, touching Elara's forehead gently. "It is real. This is Sylara — the land your mother once protected."
"My mother…?" Her voice cracked. "My mother's dead. I grew up in an orphanage."
Sae-Myung looked at her with deep sorrow. "She is not dead. Not truly. Her body sleeps beneath the Moonroot Tree. But her soul… is bound."
"To what?"
"To the flower the King stole."
Elara's breath caught. "The flower… the one from my dreams?"
Sae-Myung nodded. "The Chheonhwa. It was once hers. Torn from her heart by the King of this land, Hwan-Jo. And now... it beats within him, giving him eternal youth and power."
Elara's body trembled. "Why… why me?"
"Because you are her daughter. You are the last heir of Sylara."
Elara shook her head. "No. I'm nobody. I was abandoned."
"No," Sae-Myung said, voice firm now. "You were hidden. Protected. Until the time was right."
A sudden breeze swept through the glade, and somewhere far away, Elara heard the faint hum of a melody — a lullaby she somehow knew, though she'd never heard it before.
Her chest ached.
Tears welled up in her eyes, unbidden.
"What happens now?"
"You rest. And then you begin to remember."
Sae-Myung extended her hand.
Elara hesitated… and took it.
The crow watched from above as the two walked deeper into the glowing forest, disappearing into the mist.
Behind them, the portal stones dimmed… but did not fade.They would remain.For she had arrived.