The sky was too quiet.
Elian noticed it the moment he woke up.
The wind still moved—soft, steady, familiar—but something about it felt… different.
Not weaker.
Not stronger.
But aware.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Elian whispered.
A faint breeze circled around him.
"…yes…"
It wasn't just speaking anymore.
It was watching.
Elian stood slowly, scanning the open land around them. They had left the forest behind, now traveling across a wide stretch of plains where nothing could hide.
No trees.
No shadows.
No cover.
Kael stood a short distance away, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
"You're slower today," he said without turning.
Elian frowned. "Something's wrong."
Kael didn't respond immediately.
"…good," he said finally.
Elian's expression tightened. "Good? We might be in danger."
"We are always in danger," Kael replied calmly.
Silence.
The wind shifted slightly.
"Elian…"
"I know," he said under his breath.
Kael turned now, studying him.
"You're starting to understand."
Elian crossed his arms. "Understand what?"
"That power," Kael said, "comes with attention."
A pause.
"And attention," he continued,
"…invites hunters."
Elian's chest tightened.
Right on cue—
The wind surged sharply.
"They're here."
Elian's eyes snapped upward.
At first—
Nothing.
Just sky.
Then—
Movement.
Far above, barely visible against the pale blue, something shifted.
Not clouds.
Not birds.
Shapes.
Multiple.
His heartbeat quickened.
"…those things again…"
"No," Kael said quietly.
Elian looked at him.
"What do you mean 'no'?"
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…these are worse."
The air suddenly dropped in temperature.
The wind around Elian became unstable—jerking, twisting, struggling.
"Elian… they see you…"
A sharp sound cut through the sky.
Like something slicing through air at impossible speed.
"MOVE!" Kael snapped.
Elian reacted instantly, throwing himself to the side—
BOOM.
The ground where he had stood exploded, dirt and stone blasting outward in all directions.
"What was that?!" Elian shouted.
Kael stepped forward, his expression unreadable.
"They don't miss twice," he said.
Another sound—
Closer.
Elian didn't wait this time.
He moved.
The second strike hit where he had been a split second before, carving a deep crater into the earth.
His breathing grew heavy.
"They're too fast…"
"Then stop reacting," Kael said.
Elian gritted his teeth. "Easy for you to say!"
"Feel them," Kael replied.
The wind flickered.
"…above… left…"
Elian's body moved on instinct—
He raised his hand.
The air in front of him tightened—
CRACK.
The incoming force hit—
And slowed.
Just enough.
It grazed past him instead of tearing straight through.
Elian stumbled back.
"I— I did it again…"
Kael watched carefully.
"…not enough."
The sky shifted.
This time—
They came down.
Three figures dropped from above, landing with unnatural silence across the field.
Elian's breath caught.
They looked human.
But they weren't.
Their bodies were wrapped in dark, flowing material that moved like liquid. Their faces were hidden, but their eyes—
Cold.
Empty.
Watching.
"Hunters," Kael said.
Elian stepped back. "They're after me…?"
"No," Kael replied.
A pause.
"…they're after what you'll become."
The hunters moved.
Not rushing.
Not charging.
But closing in.
Precise.
Calculated.
The wind surged violently around Elian.
"Elian… you cannot fight them head-on…"
His hands trembled.
"…then what do I do?!"
Kael didn't move.
"Survive," he said.
One of the hunters raised its hand—
The air warped.
Stronger than before.
Faster than before.
Elian's eyes widened.
"I can't—"
The attack came.
In that moment—
Everything slowed.
The sound.
The movement.
The fear.
And deep inside—
Something answered.
Not the wind.
Something else.
Elian stepped forward.
Not back.
The air exploded around him.
A sudden burst of force shot outward from his body, colliding with the incoming attack mid-air—
BOOM.
The impact shook the ground.
The hunters paused.
For the first time—
They hesitated.
Elian stood there, breathing heavily.
"…I'm not running anymore."
The wind roared.
And far above—
The sky watched.
Closely.