The rain stopped.
For the first time in days, the sky over Elaria cleared. Not blue, not bright — just a still gray that made everything feel colder.
Kairo Vale opened his eyes.
He hadn't slept.
Not really.
Sleep was just a blur now—flashes of things he didn't understand. Dreams that felt too real. Voices that didn't belong to him whispering his name.
Kairo… Kairo Vale…
Sometimes they screamed.
Sometimes they sang.
Always they called.
Lira crouched nearby, tying the blade back onto her boot. Her clothes were damp, but her eyes sharp.
"You heard it again, didn't you?" she asked without looking.
Kairo didn't answer at first.
Then he nodded.
"Louder this time," he muttered. "Like it was right next to me."
She stood, dusted off her coat. "It's not just calling you."
Kairo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
She pointed toward the forest edge, just beyond the old sanctuary.
"Something's coming."
They left before the second bell rang from Elaria's farthest tower. The sound was faint this deep into the wilds, but it still reached them — like a reminder that the city wasn't done with them yet.
As they moved through the trees, Kairo kept glancing at his shadow. It twitched. Moved when he didn't. At one point, it split into three. Then returned to normal.
"I think it's changing," he said.
"What is?"
"The curse. It's not just reacting anymore. It's growing."
Lira didn't look surprised. "You're feeding it."
"How?"
"Every time you fight. Every time you get angry. Every time you stop holding back."
He paused. "So what happens if I keep using it?"
She glanced at him.
"You stop being Kairo Vale."
By midday, they reached the edge of the Silverpine Forest.
A place the kingdom had labeled forbidden centuries ago. Not because of beasts or bandits—but because no mage returned after entering.
And Kairo?
Kairo felt drawn to it.
The trees were massive. Ancient. Covered in frost even though the air wasn't cold. The wind whispered through the branches, carrying voices that didn't belong to anything human.
Lira stopped at the edge.
"We shouldn't go in."
"You scared?"
She looked at him flatly. "I'm smart. That's different."
Kairo stepped forward. "Whatever's calling me… it's in there."
Lira sighed. "Of course it is."
The forest swallowed them quickly.
No birds. No beasts. Just mist and roots and endless silence.
Kairo felt the pressure build with every step. Like something was watching. Breathing.
His marks started to glow.
Lira noticed. "It's reacting already?"
"It feels familiar here," he said. "Like I've been here before."
She frowned. "That's not possible."
"I know."
Hours passed.
Then suddenly—a scream.
High. Human.
Female.
It came from the left, deeper into the trees.
Kairo didn't wait. He ran.
Lira cursed and followed.
They reached a clearing.
A girl, barely older than fourteen, lay on the ground surrounded by twisted shadows. Creatures made of smoke and bone. Their faces were empty. Their bodies cracked and stretched like broken statues.
Five of them.
The girl screamed again.
Kairo moved without thinking.
His hand lit up with black fire, and he threw a bolt straight into the nearest creature's chest. It exploded into ash.
The others turned toward him.
They didn't roar. Didn't shriek.
They just charged.
Lira was already moving—her dagger slicing through one, her other hand throwing a strange burst of cursed wind.
Kairo stood in front of the girl.
"Stay down," he said.
She nodded, eyes wide with terror.
Another beast lunged at him.
He ducked, drove his fist upward—and black spikes shot from the ground, skewering the creature mid-air.
It twitched. Then dissolved.
The last two hesitated.
Bad move.
Kairo raised both arms, and the shadows around him twisted into shape. For the first time, they didn't just react.
They formed.
Two large hands made of cursed smoke erupted behind him, grabbed the beasts, and crushed them.
The girl covered her eyes.
When it was over, silence returned.
Lira walked over, breathing heavy. "You alright?"
"Yeah," Kairo said. "You?"
"Nothing broken. Except my patience."
They turned to the girl.
She was still shaking.
"Who are you?" Kairo asked.
"M-my name's Iri," she said. "I was with a caravan… they told me to run… and those things…"
Lira narrowed her eyes. "Why was your caravan in this forest?"
Iri didn't answer.
She looked… guilty.
"Lira," Kairo said quietly. "She's marked."
Lira blinked.
Then saw it — a faint red line glowing beneath the girl's collarbone.
Same shape as the symbols in the book that burned in the archive.
"She's cursed too," Kairo muttered.
The girl stared at him.
"You're like me," she whispered.
He nodded slowly.
"I heard your name," she said. "In my sleep. In the dark."
"Kairo Vale… Kairo Vale…"
She looked up at him.
"The curse is calling all of us, isn't it?"