The forest swallowed Aiden and Lyra whole.
The moment they crossed the first line of trees, the world shifted. The air grew colder, heavy with mist that clung to their clothes like ghostly fingers. Branches intertwined above them, forming a canopy that blocked most of the moonlight. Only thin blades of pale light slipped through the leaves, guiding their path like dying lanterns.
Aiden's breath came in fast, uneven bursts. He kept turning his head, expecting shadows to leap at him. His heart hammered so loudly he was certain the entire forest could hear it.
"Stay close," Lyra whispered. Her voice was steady, but her movements were sharp, urgent. Every few steps, she glanced behind them.
Aiden tried to swallow his fear. "Are they really coming for me? For… the thing inside me?"
Lyra didn't slow down. "They felt the fragment awaken. They always do. The moment you touched it, a ripple went through the ether. The hunters sensed it."
"But who are they?"
"Servants of a forgotten order," she said, stepping over a fallen branch. "Fanatics who believe the Shattered Star belongs to them. They gather fragments to assemble a power that should never exist."
Aiden's stomach twisted. "And they're coming here? To Hollowmere?"
Lyra stopped. The forest around them was silent—too silent. No insects, no wind, no rustling leaves. Even the air felt like it was holding its breath.
"We're not safe," she murmured. "Keep moving."
They hurried down a narrow path, their footsteps muffled by moss and wet leaves. Aiden stumbled several times, unused to running in darkness, but Lyra steadied him each time with a firm grip.
Behind them, a distant horn cut through the silence.
Aiden froze. "That's the same sound from the village."
Lyra's eyes hardened. "The hunters are signaling each other. They've found the hill."
He felt panic rising, clawing at his chest. "They're close."
Lyra nodded once. "Which is why we must be quiet now. No more talking. No noise."
She placed a finger against her lips, and Aiden nodded, trying to control his breathing.
They moved deeper into the forest, weaving between ancient trees with twisting roots like serpents. The darkness grew heavier, the path more winding. Aiden's mind spun with questions—why him? What did the fragment want? What was happening to him?
But the forest didn't give him time to think.
A sudden snapping sound echoed behind them.
Lyra spun instantly, one hand lifting as runes along her arm ignited with violet light. Aiden's blood ran cold at the sight. Her magic wasn't bright—it was subtle, like starlight bending into form—but it felt immense.
Nothing moved.
The trees stood silent, swaying in no wind.
Lyra lowered her hand slowly. "They're close. They hunt by silence as much as sound."
Aiden whispered, despite her warnings. "Can you… fight them?"
Lyra didn't answer right away.
Finally, she whispered back, "I can delay them. Fighting them is impossible. Not with just me. Not yet."
That was not reassuring.
They continued walking, but this time Lyra's movements were slower, her ears always turned toward the shadows. Every rustle made Aiden jump.
After several minutes, the forest opened into a small clearing lit by the faint glow of mushrooms at its edges. The light painted the tree trunks in eerie blue tones.
Lyra stopped abruptly.
Aiden bumped into her. "What is it?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she crouched and lowered her palm to the ground. The runes beneath her skin shimmered faintly, reacting to something unseen.
A wave of cold pulsed through the clearing.
"Tracks," Lyra whispered. "Fresh ones."
Aiden felt his throat tighten. "Not… animal?"
Lyra shook her head. "No. Human. And not the kind we want to meet."
She stood, grabbing Aiden by the arm. "We have to leave the path. Now."
They veered left, pushing through dense undergrowth. Thorns scraped Aiden's arms, leaves slapped his face, but they didn't stop until the clearing was far behind them.
When they finally paused, both breathing hard, Aiden whispered, "What happens… if they catch me?"
Lyra's expression darkened. "They'll extract the fragment."
"That sounds—bad."
"It will kill you," she said plainly.
Aiden felt the world tilt. The air was suddenly too thin. "Why can't they take it… after I'm dead?"
Lyra's eyes met his. "Because the fragment is bound to your living essence. Your soul acts as a vessel. If you die, the fragment shatters again—and they lose everything."
He shivered. "So they need me alive."
She shook her head. "Alive… or just almost alive. They will keep you breathing as long as the fragment stays intact."
The forest felt colder. Aiden hugged his arms around himself, suddenly aware of how fragile he was.
"Why me?" he whispered.
Lyra hesitated, then said, "Because you touched it. Because you were there at the exact moment the universe cracked open. That kind of accident… isn't an accident."
Aiden stared at her. "You mean this was fate?"
"I mean," she said softly, "that nothing involving the Shattered Star is ever random."
Before he could reply, a sound pierced the night.
A low, guttural hiss.
Followed by another.
And another.
Lyra's eyes widened. "Down. Now."
She shoved Aiden behind a fallen log and crouched beside him.
The hiss came again—closer. Aiden held his breath, clutching the bark so tightly his knuckles turned white.
From between the trees, three figures emerged.
They wore ragged cloaks, soaked with rain. Their faces were hidden behind bone-like masks carved with swirling patterns. In their hands, they carried long, hooked weapons that glimmered faintly with enchantment.
Star Hunters.
Aiden's breath caught in his throat.
They moved silently, scanning the forest with unnatural precision. One of them lifted a hand, and the air shimmered around his fingers, like waves of heat bending the light.
"Searching spell," Lyra murmured, barely audible.
Aiden's heart thrashed wildly. The spell crawled across the clearing, a faint distortion in the air, sweeping dangerously close to their hiding place.
Lyra pressed a hand to Aiden's chest.
Her palm glowed gently.
The runes flickered like candlelight.
Aiden felt warmth spread through him, smothering the wild pulse of energy inside him—the fragment's energy.
The spell passed over them…
and moved on.
Aiden let out a shaky breath. Lyra's hand trembled. That small spell had drained her.
The hunters whispered among themselves in a chilling tongue Aiden didn't understand. Then, as silently as they arrived, they faded back into the forest, shadows slipping between the trees.
Minutes passed before Lyra dared to move.
"We have to keep going," she said, voice strained. "They're circling closer. They won't stop until dawn."
Aiden nodded weakly. "Where are we going?"
"To someone who can help us," she replied. "A scholar. A mage. A man who knows more about the Shattered Star than anyone alive."
"What's his name?"
Lyra hesitated.
"Aurelis."
The name felt heavy, ancient, important.
"Where does he live?" Aiden asked.
Lyra looked up at the sky, now dim and starless.
"At the edge of the world," she whispered. "And getting there will be far more dangerous than the forest tonight."
She pulled him to his feet.
The hunters were still out there.
The fragment pulsed faintly in his chest.
And the night felt like it was just beginning.