The night was calm, deceptively calm. The kind of silence that pressed against the skin like invisible weight, carrying with it the promise of something about to break.
Liya pressed her palm against the cold iron fence that surrounded the old ruins on the hilltop. For years, the townsfolk had whispered about this place—once a fortress, now nothing but charred stone and tangled ivy. They said the ruins were cursed, that anyone who lingered too long felt the gaze of things that should not exist.
But Liya wasn't here for ghost stories. She was here because the world around her had grown too small, too suffocating. A simple life in the village, an endless cycle of days—wake, work, sleep—while something inside her begged for more.
Her chest tightened as she whispered into the darkness, "There has to be more… right?"
The wind shifted, carrying the faint scent of ash and rain.
Then, from deep within the ruins, something stirred.
The Stranger in the Shadows
A shimmer, faint at first, flickered between two broken pillars. It was not fire, nor moonlight, but something alive—like threads of lightning trapped in a glass orb. Liya's heart pounded. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back, yet her feet betrayed her, pulling her forward step by step.
That was when she heard it. A voice. Low, steady, carrying the weight of centuries.
"You should not be here."
Liya froze. Her gaze darted toward the source—and then she saw him.
A figure stood at the center of the ruins, half-veiled by shadow. His cloak, black as midnight, clung to him like living smoke. But what caught her breath was not the cloak. It was his eyes—gray as storms, glinting with a sorrow she could not name.
"Who… who are you?" she managed.
The stranger tilted his head. "A wanderer." His tone softened, though the weight behind it remained. "And you… are far too close to the gate."
"The gate?" Liya frowned.
He turned his gaze toward the pillars. The flickering light had grown stronger, forming ripples in the air, as if reality itself was bending.
"This place is no ruin," he said quietly. "It is a wound. And wounds bleed."
A World Cracking Open
The light between the pillars burst, a sound like cracking glass echoing through the ruins. Liya stumbled back, throwing an arm over her eyes. When she looked again, her breath caught.
Where there had once been empty air now hung a portal, swirling with light and shadow. It pulsed like a heartbeat, alive, hungry.
"What… is that?"
The stranger's expression darkened. "A gate between worlds. It should not exist here. Not yet."
Liya shook her head, panic rising. "Not yet? What are you talking about?"
Before he could answer, the gate screamed. From its depths spilled shadows—creatures without form, writhing masses of smoke with glowing crimson eyes.
One of them lunged.
Liya screamed as its claws swiped toward her—but before it could reach her, steel flashed.
The stranger moved with impossible speed, his blade cleaving the creature in two. The shadow dissolved with a hiss, smoke vanishing into the night.
"Run!" he barked.
But Liya couldn't. Her legs felt rooted to the ground as more creatures poured from the gate.
The First Awakening
The stranger fought like a tempest. Every strike of his sword was precise, merciless. Yet the shadows kept coming. One slipped past his guard, lunging straight for Liya.
Her chest burned—sudden, searing, as though her very blood had caught fire.
Light erupted from her body.
The creature shrieked as a burst of brilliance engulfed it, its form unraveling into nothing. Liya gasped, stumbling back, clutching her chest. Her skin glowed faintly, veins alight like molten gold.
The stranger's eyes widened. For the first time, his composure broke."You…" he whispered. "The Heir of Light."
Liya's mind reeled. "What are you talking about? I—I don't—"
There was no time. More shadows clawed their way through, their shrieks splitting the night. The stranger leapt forward, his blade carving a path, but it was Liya's light that burned brightest, forcing the creatures back with every pulse of her fear.
Together, they fought—not as allies, but as two souls bound by survival.
Aftermath
At last, the gate began to flicker, its glow faltering. With one final surge of brilliance, it collapsed inward, the pillars cracking as silence fell.
The ruins were quiet again.
Liya collapsed to her knees, trembling, her breaths ragged. Her hands shook as she stared at the faint glow still fading from her skin."What… what just happened to me?"
The stranger sheathed his sword. He looked at her with something between pity and resolve."You awakened."
"I don't understand—"
"You will," he interrupted. His gaze swept the ruins, wary. "But know this: the Shadow King will have felt it. He will send his heralds. You are no longer safe."
Her heart pounded. "Shadow King? Heralds? What are you saying?"
The stranger stepped closer, his presence both terrifying and strangely grounding. He offered her his hand.
"My name is Kael. And whether you like it or not, your destiny has begun."
The Hook
Liya stared at his hand, torn between fear and an inexplicable pull she could not deny.
But before she could reach for it, the night split with a sound—a laugh. Cold, mocking, carried on the wind. From the rooftop of the ruins, a figure stood silhouetted against the broken moon.
"Found you," the voice purred.
Kael's eyes sharpened, his blade flashing back into his grip. His voice was iron."Run, Liya."
Her heart stopped as crimson eyes locked onto hers from the shadows above.