# Chapter 2: Into the Dark
The forest swallowed Veyne Hollow's faint glow, its skeletal trees clawing at the starless sky. Elara's boots sank into the damp earth as she ran, her satchel slapping against her hip. The growl from the darkness lingered in her ears, low and guttural, like a beast stirring from a long sleep. Her shadows pulsed beneath her skin, restless, urging her to fight or flee. She wasn't sure which was wiser.
"Keep moving!" Kael's voice cut through the night, sharp and urgent. His tattered blue cloak flickered ahead, his light magic dimmed to a faint shimmer to avoid detection. He moved with a predator's grace, weaving through roots and thorns as if he'd been born in these woods.
Elara's lungs burned. "What *was* that?" she panted, dodging a low branch. The growl hadn't sounded human—or even natural. It was too deep, too alive.
"No time to explain," Kael shot back, glancing over his shoulder. His gray eyes caught hers, a spark of intensity that made her stomach twist. "Stay close, shadow mage."
"Stop calling me that," Elara snapped, her voice sharper than intended. She wasn't ready to embrace the title—or the danger it brought.
Talia, trailing behind, gripped Elara's arm. "He's right, Elara. Whatever's out there, it's not the Council." Her voice trembled, her healer's cloak snagged on brambles. "We need to trust him. For now."
*Trust him?* Elara's mind raced. Kael had saved her from Veyra, but his talk of the dawn—a myth no one believed—set her nerves on edge. And those eyes, piercing and unreadable, hid secrets she wasn't sure she wanted to uncover. Yet the Council's horns still echoed in the distance, a relentless reminder of the danger behind them.
---
The forest thickened, branches tangling overhead like a cage. The growl came again, closer, vibrating through the ground. Elara's shadows surged, unbidden, curling around her fingers like smoke. She clenched her fists, forcing them down. *Not now.*
Kael stopped abruptly, raising a hand. "Quiet," he whispered. His light flared softly, illuminating a clearing ahead. Twisted vines hung like nooses, and the air grew heavy, thick with the scent of decay.
Elara's heart pounded. "What's out there?" she asked, voice barely audible.
Kael's jaw tightened. "A shadow beast. Council-trained. They hunt by scent—magic scent." His gaze flicked to her satchel, where her shadows had betrayed her earlier. "Yours is loud."
Her cheeks burned. "I didn't ask for this," she hissed. "And you're not exactly subtle with that light show."
A faint smirk crossed his lips. "Touché." He crouched, scanning the clearing. "We can't outrun it. We fight, or we hide."
"Hide?" Talia's voice cracked. "In this?" She gestured to the sparse trees, offering little cover. Her hands shook, but she pulled a small dagger from her cloak, gripping it tightly.
Elara's mind raced. Fighting meant using her magic—exposing herself further. Hiding meant trusting Kael, a stranger with his own agenda. Neither felt safe. But the growl grew louder, accompanied by the snap of branches. Time was running out.
"Hide," Elara decided, her voice firm. "We need answers before we fight."
Kael nodded, gesturing to a cluster of roots forming a shallow hollow. "There. Now, dampen your magic. Both of you."
Elara shot him a glare. "I don't even know how." Her shadows were wild, untrained, a legacy of her mother's secrets.
"Then learn fast," Kael said, his tone sharp but not unkind. He knelt beside her in the hollow, his warmth closer than she expected. "Focus. Pull it inward, like holding your breath."
She tried, closing her eyes. Her shadows writhed, resisting, but she imagined them folding into her core, quieting. The hum in her veins softened, though it didn't vanish. Talia crouched beside her, silent, her breathing uneven.
---
The beast emerged into the clearing, a hulking mass of shadow and bone. Its eyes glowed red, like embers in the dark, and its claws tore gouges in the earth. Elara's breath hitched. She'd heard tales of shadow beasts—Council creations, bred to hunt rogue mages—but seeing one was another matter. It was massive, its form shifting like liquid darkness, teeth glinting with unnatural sharpness.
Kael's hand brushed hers, steadying. "Don't move," he whispered, his breath warm against her ear. Her pulse jumped, not just from fear. His light was gone, hidden, but she felt its echo, a faint heat that clashed with her shadows.
The beast sniffed the air, its head swinging toward their hiding spot. Elara's shadows stirred, defiant, threatening to betray her. She gritted her teeth, forcing them down. Talia's dagger trembled in her hand, useless against such a creature.
Minutes stretched, taut as a bowstring. The beast prowled closer, its claws scraping inches from the hollow. Elara's heart thundered, her magic clawing at her restraint. Then, a distant horn sounded—Council enforcers, closer now. The beast froze, its head snapping toward the sound. With a guttural snarl, it bounded into the forest, away from them.
Elara exhaled, slumping against the roots. "Too close," she muttered.
Kael stood, offering a hand. "You're welcome," he said, that infuriating half-smile back. She ignored his hand, pulling herself up, but couldn't ignore the spark when their eyes met.
"We're not safe yet," Talia said, sheathing her dagger. Her face was pale, her eyes darting to the forest. "Those horns—they're hunting us."
"Then we keep moving," Kael said, leading them deeper into the woods. "There's a ruin nearby. Old Lightborn sanctuary. We'll be safe there."
"Lightborn?" Elara's voice sharpened. The Lightborn were royalty before the Nightfall, their light magic outlawed when the Council rose. "Who *are* you, Kael?"
He didn't answer, just kept walking. Frustration flared in her chest, but she followed, Talia at her side.
---
The ruin loomed ahead, a crumbling stone archway half-swallowed by vines. Runes glowed faintly on the walls, pulsing with an eerie light that made Elara's shadows recoil. Kael touched the arch, his hand glowing briefly, and the runes flared brighter, revealing a hidden door.
"Inside," he said, ushering them through. The door sealed behind them, plunging them into a cavern lit by luminescent moss. Ancient murals lined the walls—images of a sunlit world, now a fading dream.
Talia clutched a leather-bound book from her cloak, her hands shaking. "Elara, you need to see this." She opened it, revealing faded script and a sketch of a glowing stone. "I found it in the village archives. It's about the Dawnstone."
Elara's breath caught. "The dawn?" She glanced at Kael, who watched her closely.
"The prophecy," Talia said, voice low. "It says a shadow mage and a light mage, bound by fate, will find the Dawnstone and end the Nightfall. Elara, that's you. And him." She nodded at Kael.
Elara's stomach twisted. "You're saying I'm supposed to trust a stranger to save the world?" Her voice rose, echoing in the cavern. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
Talia flinched. "I wasn't sure—until tonight. Your magic, Elara. It's not just forbidden. It's… different."
Kael stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "She's right. Your shadows aren't like the Council's. They're stronger. Wilder. And they're why the Dawnstone needs you."
Elara's head spun. Her mother had warned her to hide her magic, but never explained why. Now, it was unraveling her life. "And you?" she asked Kael. "What's your stake in this?"
His jaw tightened, but before he could answer, a sharp crack echoed outside the ruin. Footsteps—too many, too deliberate. Shadows flickered under the door, not natural, not beastly.
"Council spies," Kael said, his light flaring. "They've tracked us."
Elara's shadows surged, ready to fight. But as the door trembled under a sudden blow, she realized the truth: someone had led the Council here. And Talia's eyes wouldn't meet hers.