Rowan's POV:
The figure stepped out of the trees like the forest itself had breathed him into existence.
Wind curled around him in playful spirals, tugging at his white hair and loose shirt. Leaves lifted off the ground, swirling in a small cyclone at his feet. His grin was bright, sharp, and entirely out of place in a clearing filled with fear.
Aeris.
I didn't know his name yet — not truly — but the Hollow whispered it through the branches, brushing it against my skin like a breeze that wasn't mine.
The creature hissed, vines recoiling as the wind around the newcomer sharpened.
"Wow," the boy said, tilting his head as if admiring a painting instead of a monster. "You two really know how to throw a welcoming party."
I stared at him, breath ragged. "Who—"
He didn't let me finish.
A gust of wind slammed into the creature, knocking it sideways. The monster skidded across the moss, claws digging trenches as it fought to regain balance. Aeris flicked his fingers, and the wind tightened around him like a leash.
"Stay down," he said lightly. "Or don't. Makes no difference to me."
The Oracle peeked out from behind my cloak, trembling. His glow flickered weakly, like a candle fighting to stay lit.
Aeris's eyes softened the moment he saw him.
"Oh," he breathed, voice dropping into something reverent. "There you are."
The Oracle blinked, confused. "Do… do I know you?"
Aeris smiled — not his teasing grin, but something gentler, almost awed. "Not yet. But you will."
The creature roared, snapping the moment apart.
Aeris's expression sharpened. "Right. Murder tree. One second."
Wind surged around him, lifting him off the ground in a smooth, effortless arc. He moved like a storm given human shape — fast, fluid, impossible to track. The creature lunged, but Aeris was already behind it, a gust slamming into its back.
I pulled the Oracle closer, shielding him from the debris. "Stay with me," I whispered.
"I'm trying," he said, voice shaking. "I'm so tired…"
His knees buckled.
I caught him, heart lurching. "Hey— stay awake. Don't you dare—"
Aeris landed beside us in a rush of wind. "He's drained. That blast he let out. Impressive, but… yeah. He's done."
The creature staggered upright again, bark‑skin cracking, vines writhing like exposed nerves. It was angrier now. Wilder. The Hollow's corruption pulsed through it in frantic waves.
Aeris frowned. "Persistent, aren't you?"
The ground trembled again — harder this time.
The Oracle whimpered, clutching my cloak. "Rowan… something else is coming."
Aeris's grin faded. "Yeah. I feel it too."
The creature roared.
The Hollow groaned.
The wind stilled.
And from deep within the forest, another presence stirred — heavier, older, and far more dangerous than the creature in front of us.
Aeris's eyes widened. "Oh. That's… not good."
The Oracle's glow flickered violently.
I tightened my grip on him, heart pounding. "What now?"
The forest answered with a sound I had never heard before — a low, mournful wail that made the trees bow and the shadows recoil.
Aeris swallowed. "That… would be the Hollow's other reaction."
The Oracle trembled. "Other… reaction?"
Aeris looked at him, then at me.
"It remembers you," he said quietly. "But something else does too."
The wail grew louder.
The corrupted creature froze, head snapping toward the sound. Aeris stiffened beside me, wind curling around his ankles.
"That's… not good," he muttered.
The Oracle clung to my cloak, trembling. "Rowan… something else is coming."
Before I could answer, the shadows behind the creature thickened — not gathering but stepping forward.
A shape emerged.
Tall.
Silent.
Unreal.
Wings unfurled from the gloom, velvet‑soft and massive. A figure glided into the clearing, pale skin glowing faintly, long black hair drifting like it moved underwater.
Noctis.
The shadows bent around him like they knew him. His eyes — silver, then red at the edges — locked onto the Oracle with a focus that made my breath catch.
The creature hissed, backing away.
Aeris's wind faltered.
The Oracle's glow flickered — not in fear.
In recognition.
Noctis stopped a few feet away, wings half‑unfurled. "I heard you," he said softly. "I felt you."
The Oracle blinked. "Do… do I know you?"
Something in Noctis's expression cracked. "Not yet," he whispered. "But you will."
Aeris scoffed. "Fantastic. Another dramatic one."
Noctis didn't even look at him.
The creature snarled — and Noctis moved.
One moment he was still. The next he was between us and the monster, wings flaring, shadows curling around his arms. The creature lunged—
Noctis caught it by the throat.
Like it weighed nothing.
The corruption writhed under his grip. The creature shrieked. Noctis's voice was almost gentle.
"You don't touch him."
Aeris's jaw tightened. "Okay, show‑off."
Noctis squeezed.
The creature burst into blackened dust.
Silence.
The Oracle sagged against me. "Rowan… I'm scared."
"I know," I murmured.
Noctis turned toward us, wings folding. His eyes softened the moment they landed on the Oracle — so tender it made something twist in my chest.
Aeris noticed.
His smile vanished.
His wind stilled.
His eyes narrowed.
Jealousy.
Noctis stepped toward the Oracle.
Aeris stepped in front of him.
Wind against shadow.
Storm against night.
Before either could speak, the ground trembled again — harder, deeper.
The Hollow wailed, louder than before.
And from the darkness beyond the trees… something answered.
The Oracle's glow flickered violently.
Aeris's wind surged.
Noctis's wings snapped open.
I tightened my grip on the boy made of moonlight.
Whatever was coming next…
It wasn't a guardian.