The trees blurred as Kael ran, the scream still ringing in his ears.
Branches scraped his skin, roots tried to trip him, but the fire inside him blazed hotter with every step. This wasn't just about saving a life. It felt like destiny pulling him forward.
He burst into a clearing—and stopped cold.
A girl knelt in the mud, clutching her head.
She couldn't have been older than eighteen. Pale skin smudged with dirt, long white hair tangled and wild around her shoulders. Her dress—what was left of it—was ceremonial, the kind worn by temple initiates. Torn. Burned. Her eyes were shut tight, mouth open in a silent scream.
The earth around her was scorched in a perfect circle.
Magic. Raw and uncontrolled.
Kael took a cautious step forward. "Hey," he said, voice low. "It's okay. You're safe now."
Her head jerked up.
Her eyes were glowing gold.
"Don't come closer," she whispered, but her voice echoed like ten voices at once. "I can't stop it."
The ground began to shake.
Kael felt it—wild, divine energy ripping through the clearing, centered on her.
Behind him, Nerra arrived, panting, eyes wide. "She's not ordinary," she said. "That's celestial power. She's a Seer."
Kael stepped closer anyway.
The moment he crossed the burn line, the girl gasped—and the glow in her eyes shattered like glass. She collapsed forward, and he caught her before she hit the ground.
Her skin was hot. Her pulse weak.
As he held her, the Seal on his chest pulsed again—only this time, it mirrored a faint symbol on her back.
A seventh mark.
A hidden bond. One that wasn't meant to awaken yet.
Her eyes fluttered open. For a moment, her gaze was completely human. Fragile. Young.
"You're the flame," she whispered, tears streaking her cheeks. "You're not supposed to be real."
Kael held her tighter.
"Neither are you."
Then she passed out in his arms.
And far above, in the black clouds circling the moon, something began to watch.