Chapter One — Under the Shadows of Oran
The forest that embraced the Oran tribe was like an endless green maze. Its trees rose tall enough to touch the clouds, their trunks so wide that five men could not encircle them with their arms. The leaves blocked the sun except for scattered beams of light that painted golden circles on the ground, damp with the night's dew.
The air there was not silent… but filled with faint sounds — the whispers of the wind through the leaves, the chirping of insects, and the calls of strange birds rarely seen. Sometimes, one could hear a distant roar, making one wonder if it was a beast from the elders' legends or just a passing animal.
Within this forest lived the Oran tribe, in wooden houses raised on stilts, connected by sturdy rope bridges. Life here was primitive, yet everything was organized… Women gathered medicinal plants and cooked over wood fires, men went hunting and guarded the borders, and children learned from a young age how to read the signs of nature.
Members of the tribe bore markings on their faces, not just decoration… but symbols of their strength and belonging. Women wore black kohl extending from the corners of their eyes in fine, pharaonic-like lines, sometimes accented with silver or red patterns on their cheeks and foreheads. Men painted lines or colored circles indicating their achievements or status.
Among all the girls of Oran… Rose was different.
At seventeen, her bright blue eyes shone like pieces of the sky amidst the forest, and her dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders. The kohl around her eyes was sharp, extending in slanted lines, and under her right eye was a small symbol that no one else had — a delicate silver swirl that the elders said was a sign of a mysterious fate.
Rose was more curious than she should be. She loved venturing beyond the tribe's borders, where the trees grew darker and the air heavier. She enjoyed watching animals from afar, from small deer to massive beasts leaving footprints as large as her face.
That morning, while the tribe was busy after a night of rain, Rose stood at the edge of the hanging bridge, staring down into the forest. Drops of water fell from the leaves, and the mist slowly crept over the ground. Her heart beat with one thought: today, I will go farther than ever before.
She descended the long ladder with quiet steps until her feet touched the damp earth. She walked among the trees, each step making a muffled sound on the mud. She was following strange footprints, larger than any animal she knew… until she felt a huge shadow pass above her.
She slowly lifted her head… and saw enormous golden eyes staring at her from between the trees. A body covered in dark scales, and a massive jaw shining with sharp teeth. It was one of the ancient creatures everyone had warned her about.
But instead of attacking… it kept watching her.
Before she could move, a sharp voice came from behind her: "Step back!"
She turned and saw a strange girl with short black hair and gray eyes, wearing torn clothes and a leather armor smeared with mud. She held a simple metal spear but stood firmly before the creature as if she knew it.
"It won't hurt me," Rose said calmly, her eyes never leaving the beast's.
The girl froze for a moment, then looked at her sharply: "You're… not like the....."
But before she could say more, another roar came from afar, stronger and closer. The ground trembled slightly, and heavy footsteps echoed. The girl cursed under her breath: "Not now… they've found us."
She quickly reached out and grabbed Rose: "If you want to stay alive, come with me."
Rose didn't think much; her curiosity was always stronger than her fear. She grasped the stranger girl's hand, feeling the roughness of her palm, full of scratches and scars. The first beast still watched from afar, but the second roar drew closer, mingling with the sound of crashing branches and falling trees.
They ran between the massive trunks, mud spraying beneath their feet, breaths growing heavier with every step. Rose glanced back occasionally, seeing shadows moving behind them—something larger than the first creature, something she had never seen before.
"To the left!" the girl shouted, leaping over a fallen log. Rose followed, her heart pounding fiercely, until they reached a narrow crevice between moss-covered rocks.
The girl pushed them inside, and the passage was dark and cold. After moments, it opened into a vast cave, its ceiling sparkling with tiny crystals reflecting a faint blue light.
Rose took a deep breath: "Where are we?"
The girl collapsed onto a flat rock, catching her breath. "A safe place… for now."
Rose sat opposite her, staring: "Who are you? And why were you in our territory?"
The girl was silent for a moment, as if weighing what to say, then smiled faintly with a bitter edge. "My name is Lara… I was from a tribe far from here. But… I am no longer one of them."
Rose raised an eyebrow. "You're no longer one of them?"
Lara lowered her gaze, her voice deepening. "Let's say they decided my presence was a threat to their peace."
Rose felt there was a much heavier story behind that sentence but didn't ask immediately. Instead, she noticed Lara's spear had a broken tip, and her leather armor was patched with cloth scraps of different colors—as if she had gathered leftover gear from various places.
"And that creature that was watching me?" Rose asked.
Lara looked at her thoughtfully. "Those are not just beasts… They are remnants of an ancient time, a time before the tribes, even before the forests themselves. You've never been close to one before, have you?"
Rose smiled lightly. "The first time… but I felt it didn't want to attack me."
Lara furrowed her brows as if thinking about something serious. "That… is strange."
Before she could continue, a faint sound echoed from deep inside the cave—drops of water falling—but behind it… there was a scratching, as if someone or something was moving in the darkness.
Lara gripped her broken spear and signaled Rose to stay silent.
But the footsteps were approaching… accompanied by a faint light, not firelight, but a flickering blue glow.
Rose whispered: "What is that?"
Lara didn't answer… she only tightened her grip, her eyes watching the dark entrance.
The blue glow grew stronger, and the scratching sound became clearer, like metal being dragged across stone.
A shiver ran down Rose's spine, but her curiosity forced her to lean slightly forward to see.
From the darkness emerged a tall figure cloaked in dark robes, revealing nothing but a slender pale hand gripping a metal staff that radiated the blue light. It held something like a stone mask, carved with strange symbols Rose had never seen before.
The figure stopped a few steps away, its voice calm yet strange… as if more than one voice spoke at once:
"I did not expect to find two… here."
Lara stepped in front of Rose, blocking her from view.
"Why are you following us?"
A low chuckle — or perhaps several voices — responded softly:
"I am not following you… I am searching. And the forest itself led me to you."
Rose felt her heart tighten… the thought that the forest had "led" someone to them made her wonder: Does the forest have consciousness? Does it watch over its inhabitants?
The figure lifted its staff slightly, revealing parts of its body clad in ancient armor made of a mix of stone and metal, with an emblem glowing the same eerie blue on its shoulder.
It said quietly:
"One of you belongs here… the other does not. But perhaps… both of you will leave soon."
Lara clenched her fist.
"We're not going anywhere with you."
The figure tilted its head slowly, then suddenly the blue light went out, plunging the cave into darkness. Heavy moments passed before the scraping sound faded into the distance, followed by complete silence.
Rose tried to speak, but Lara gripped her arm tightly.
"Not now… don't ask. We have to get out of here, now."
As they hurried out of the cave, Rose was still thinking about the symbols on the mask, the blue glow… and a strange feeling inside her that what happened tonight… was only the beginning.