The night air slipped quietly through the wooden shutters of Elara's small cottage. Lanterns flickered in the streets below, and the shadow of the palace loomed in the distance. For a moment, the world seemed peaceful.
Elara rested her arms on the window frame, staring toward the dark forest beyond the town. Sleep refused to come. She kept thinking of master Orien's unfinished words. 'Connection to humanʼ but how?
Then— she felt a soft tap against the shutters.
Elara froze. And then another tap.
Cautiously, she pushed the shutters open much wider.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. She saw Prince Kaelen standing outside the window with his cloak wrapped tightly around him. Moonlight glinted off the edge of his sword.
"Good evening," he said with a faint smile.
"Elara? What… how—" she stammered.
"I needed to speak with you," he said lightly.
"You could have used the door, and how do you know where I stay? " she replied and questioned, arms crossed.
" As the prince of Eldoria I know a lot about my people starting from where the stay and lots more, and using the door was not an option; how do I explain to your parents why the crown prince was visiting their daughter at night?" he said, smirking.
She rolled her eyes at him. "And the only solution was climbing onto my roof."
"Yes," he said simply.
"That's… worse," she muttered.
"Possibly," he said, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
Her gaze shifted to the quiet hallway. "Why is this so important?"
"In the forest," he said quietly. "The Varyndor… it didn't attack you, It just watched you."
Elara swallowed. "I noticed."
"Why?" he asked softly.
"I don't know," she whispered.
Kaelen held out his hand. "Come out here."
"You can't be serious."
"It's the only place we can talk without being overheard."
She hesitated, then climbed atop the window. The slanted tile shifted beneath her foot.
"Elara!" he caught her around the waist, pulling her securely against him.
Her breath caught. "You… you caught me."
"You should warn people before nearly falling off windows," he murmured.
"You should warn people before asking them to climb onto one," she shot back, cheeks warm.
For a heartbeat they just stood there, side by side. Then another tap of wings and a terrifying roar echoed through Eldoria. The town erupted into chaos.
A griffin crashed through the marketplace, scattering carts. Two manticores leapt over Eldoria walls, barbed tails lashing. Another griffin dove from the sky. Villagers screamed and fled as the square became a battlefield.
"Elara!" Kaelen shouted. "Stay back!"
"you don't get to tell me what to do." Elara said climbing the roof behind him. Before he could get to say anything she jumped out.
Darin jolted awake as the roars shook the cottage.
He rushed into the hallway just as his mother appeared, shawl around her shoulders.
"What was that?" she asked, looking alarmed.
"I… I don't know," Darin replied, heart racing.
He ran to Elara's room. The bed was empty. The shutters were open.
"She's gone," he said.
"With those creatures out there?" his father demanded. "I'm going after her," Darin said, grabbing his sword.
His mother grabbed his arm. "Be careful and make sure you bring your sister home."
Darin nodded grimly and sprinted into the chaos.
The square had become a battlefield. Griffins swooped, manticores roared, and debris flew everywhere.
From the edge of the square, lyra appeared atop a wagon. She had been patrolling the outskirts with a few guards and had seen the chaos erupt. Her bow already nocked, she began firing arrows at the attacking creatures.
"Elara!" Darin shouted, pushing through debris.
"I'm helping!" she called back, guiding a terrified villager behind a cart.
"You should be at home!" Darin shouted at her , turning to Kaelen. "You brought her here?!"
Kaelen blocked a swipe from a manticore. "I told her to stay back!"
"Well she didn't!" Darin snapped.
"She doesn't listen!" Kaelen shot back.
Another griffin dove toward them. Both men moved simultaneously—Kaelen slashed its wing while Darin drove his sword into its chest. The creature shrieked and retreated.
Darin grabbed Elara's shoulders. "You're going back inside."
"I can't leave them, I need to help the injured" she said, gesturing to the terrified villagers around the square.
Another roar made them all flinch. Lyra fired two precise arrows at a manticore attempting to flank them. "We're getting surrounded!" she shouted
Kaelen glanced at Darin. "We fight now and argue later."
Darin gave a tight nod. Both men charged back into the fray, swords flashing in the lantern light.
Elara's heart pounded. Eldoria burned with chaos around her, but she refused to hide. She went around the town square helping the villagers in ways she could. And somewhere in the distant forest, in the shadows beyond the town, something ancient had begun to stir.