The forest swallowed her, dark and wet, branches clawing at her cloak as she stumbled over roots and stones. Elara's lungs burned, her hair plastered to her face, but she didn't stop. The red glow of the Blood Moon filtered through the canopy, casting eerie shadows that danced like predators. Somewhere in the distance, hooves had long since faded, but the weight of his presence lingered, heavy and oppressive, like the air itself had remembered him.
She collapsed against a gnarled oak, pressing her palms to her face, tasting the river's salt in her mouth. Her magic, still thrumming and raw from the battle at the river, coiled in her chest. Every instinct screamed to suppress it, but even as she tried, a flicker of golden light escaped her fingers, dancing in the shadows. She clenched her fists, forcing the glow back into nothing. The forest was supposed to hide her, not betray her.
"You can't keep it hidden forever," a voice whispered—not aloud, but in her mind, as if carried by the wind. She froze. No one was there. And yet… she felt it. Him.
Elara crawled to a small hollow at the base of a rock, tucking herself into its shadows. She pressed her palms to the ground, letting her magic sink into the earth. Her heartbeat slowed, but the memory of his crimson gaze refused to leave her mind. The Dark Prince—Kael—was real. He wasn't a threat from a storybook or a nightmare. He had found her.
Hours passed, or maybe minutes. Time had lost meaning. The forest was silent but for the rustle of leaves and the distant call of a wolf. She let herself breathe, but the exhaustion in her limbs made her shiver. Her life had been ordinary before tonight: simple days, quiet healing, whispered prayers for those too weak to reach the village healer. She had lived carefully, hiding her silver hair, her unusual eyes, her dangerous touch. But tonight had changed everything.
The curse inside her had awakened, raw and insistent. She could feel it, a thread of darkness winding through her veins, pulling toward something—or someone. The memories of her mother's screams, of the soldier hesitating at her cradle, rose in her mind. That thread had been there from the start, but now it sang. It called to him, and to her.
A snapping twig jolted her. She pressed herself flatter against the earth, listening. The sound came again—slow, deliberate, too precise for any animal. She reached for her staff, but it was gone, left behind in her flight. She had nothing but herself.
"Magic hides in plain sight," a voice said, soft and teasing, echoing through the trees. Elara's heart froze. She hadn't heard him approach, yet his presence felt impossibly close. Goosebumps rose across her skin.
"Kael?" she whispered, her voice trembling. Even saying his name aloud made it feel more real, more dangerous.
No answer. Only the quiet pulse of the forest—and that subtle tug in her chest, the thread of the curse, pulling toward him.
She shook her head, forcing herself to move. She had to survive. He didn't know everything about her, not yet. Her magic had always been a secret. For years, she had healed animals, sick villagers, even the occasional broken bone, but always in the shadows. She had learned to mask it, to make her hands tremble less, to hide the faint glow from her eyes. It had been her only shield.
The path ahead was uncertain, but the village was too far, the road too dangerous. She needed shelter. Somewhere to rest, somewhere to hide from him—and from the soldiers who might still be hunting for a girl born under the Blood Moon.
The hollow offered little protection, but it would have to do. She pulled her cloak tighter, sitting with her knees drawn to her chest. Her hands hovered above the dirt, almost unconsciously, golden light flickering as she murmured a soft chant. The forest responded, vines curling to cover her hiding spot, moss thickening to cushion her. It was subtle, but it gave her hope. She wasn't entirely powerless.
Still, she couldn't ignore the thread winding through her veins. Kael had felt it, had even reached toward it. She remembered the way his gaze had lingered, the faint smirk that had almost seemed… curious, maybe even amused. That thought made her stomach twist, part fear, part something else she refused to name.
Night deepened. The Blood Moon had climbed higher, painting the forest in deep reds and golds. Elara shivered, aware that her magic was not just a gift—it was a beacon, a warning. If Kael found her again, he wouldn't simply take her. He would claim the curse, use it for his own purposes.
And yet… she also knew she couldn't run forever. Something about him felt inevitable, like the pull of a tide she could not resist. She pressed her palms into her lap, closing her eyes, willing herself to sleep, to hide, to forget the way her body had reacted when his dark energy brushed against hers.
A soft rustle drew her attention. She opened one eye and saw it: a figure emerging from the shadows, not fully seen, but unmistakably him. Kael's eyes glinted red in the faint moonlight, and his aura pressed against her like a living thing.
"Do you truly believe you can hide from me?" he asked, voice low and dangerous. No soldiers, no pomp—just him, and the weight of his presence.
Elara's throat went dry. "I—I don't want to fight you," she stammered, but even as she spoke, the thread inside her pulsed wildly, responding to his nearness.
"I don't want you to fight me," he said, stepping closer. "I want you to understand. You and I… are bound in ways you cannot yet see."
Her magic flared involuntarily, golden sparks leaping from her fingers. She caught them, suppressing the light, trembling. The curse stirred within her, tethered to him already. The thought made her chest tighten.
"You're dangerous," she whispered.
"And so are you," he replied, his smirk faint but sharp. "The question is… will you embrace it, or let it destroy you?"
Elara didn't answer. She could barely form the words. The forest seemed to hold its breath, watching, waiting. And in that moment, she realized the truth: nothing would ever be the same. Not her life, not her magic, not her destiny.
Kael stepped back, darkness curling around him like smoke. "Rest for now," he said, almost gently. "But know this—wherever you go, the curse will always find you. And so will I."
Before she could respond, he melted into the shadows, leaving her alone with her racing heart and the relentless pull of the curse.
Elara pressed her palms to her chest, feeling the pulse of magic and fear intertwined. She whispered to herself, barely audible: "I will survive… I have to."
But even as she said it, a small, undeniable truth gnawed at her: she had already been found.