---
The fire had long since died when Asteria stirred from sleep. The morning air was chilled and damp, the ground beneath him soft with dew. Mist rolled in through the entrance of the cave, veiling the forest beyond in silver fog. He sat up slowly, brushing back tangled strands of hair.
Cain was already outside.
Silent as always, the earthbender sat cross-legged near the stream, eyes closed, fingertips pressed against the stone. He barely moved, but Asteria could feel something radiating from him—a steady hum, as though the land itself was listening.
Asteria stood, stretching sore muscles. His gaze lingered on Cain for a moment before turning to the others.
Valron slept lightly, his hand resting near his blade. Tarn was sprawled beside the extinguished fire, snoring softly. Mira stood at the edge of the cave, watching the horizon.
"I don't like him," she said quietly as Asteria approached.
"You don't like most people," he replied with a half-smile.
She gave a sharp look. "He knows too much. Says too little."
"That could describe half the village elders back home."
Mira didn't answer. But she didn't stop watching Cain either.
---
By midday, they had packed up and left the cave. Cain led, his pace unhurried but deliberate. The path he chose was no trail but seemed known only to him. The others followed reluctantly.
"This better not lead us into some swamp," Tarn muttered.
"It won't," Cain said calmly. "It leads to the Old Spine—an ancient route that predates maps."
"Convenient," Mira muttered.
"Necessary," Cain corrected.
As they moved deeper into the forest, the terrain changed. Trees twisted into towering arches, their roots rising like fences across the path. The group climbed and ducked, navigating narrow ledges and fallen logs. Cain moved as if he had walked this route a thousand times.
Once, they came upon a collapsed stone bridge over a shallow gorge. Cain placed his palm against the cliff and, with a low hum, lifted a platform of earth for them to cross. None of them spoke, but Mira's eyes narrowed.
---
That evening, as the sun dipped below the canopy, Cain stopped.
"Someone's here," he said.
The group froze.
"Where?" Tarn whispered, blade half drawn.
"Not far," Cain replied. "Two of them. Powerful."
Asteria frowned. "How powerful?"
Cain's voice dropped. "Level Three. Both of them."
The words hit like thunder.
Even Mira's breath caught.
"Level Three?!" Valron hissed. "That's impossible. Only royal officers reach that rank."
"They're scouts," Cain said grimly. "But not ordinary ones."
Before another word could be spoken, the first figure emerged from the trees.
Clad in midnight-black robes, a man with a crescent-shaped blade strapped to his back strode into the clearing. His eyes glowed faintly red beneath a cracked porcelain mask.
"The Crimson Fang," Cain muttered. "A legendary bladesman. His strikes can cleave steel like parchment."
Behind him stepped a taller figure, garbed in gray armor with veins of obsidian. No visible weapons, but his hands glowed with dull violet light.
Cain's voice grew lower. "And him... A Chi-Drainer. Some call them soul anchors. They don't just block energy. They steal it."
The air tightened.
"We're not ready for this," Mira whispered.
"They found us faster than I thought," Cain said. "Run. Now."
But it was too late.
The Crimson Fang moved.
A blur. One step, then two, and Valron barely raised his arm in time to block the slash aimed for his throat.
Steel rang. Sparks flew.
Asteria shouted, flame erupting from his palms. He launched a wave of fire—but the Chi-Drainer stepped forward and *absorbed* it. The air around him shimmered, and his hand pulsed.
Asteria staggered.
"He drained me," he gasped. "I felt it—my strength—gone!"
Cain surged forward.
Stones erupted from the ground. He hurled spikes and slabs, forcing the two scouts to dodge, but they advanced steadily, unfazed. The Crimson Fang clashed with Cain mid-air, their blades striking in a flash of sparks and shockwaves.
Tarn tried to get behind the Drainer but was flung backward by a pulse of pressure.
Mira joined the fray, sending ribbons of water in complex patterns—but the Drainer dispersed them with a flick of his hand. She ducked and slid beneath a blow that would have crushed her skull.
"WE HAVE TO MOVE!" Cain shouted. "Toward the river!"
They broke formation, retreating through the forest.
The scouts pursued—flashes of red steel and violet light lighting the shadows.
Asteria stumbled once, but Valron pulled him forward.
"Almost there!" Cain barked.
The roar of the river grew louder.
"Jump!" he yelled.
They leapt into the water as a blast of energy tore through the trees behind them.
The current was fast. Furious.
The scouts stood at the bank, watching as the river swept the group away.
The Crimson Fang made to follow—but the Drainer held out a hand.
"Let them go," he said calmly. "For now."
---
The group washed up farther downstream.
Bruised. Drenched. Breathing hard.
Asteria lay on his back, eyes closed.
"That," he coughed, "was not fun."
Valron helped Mira sit up. "You okay?"
She nodded, shaken but alive.
Cain stood tall, unfazed. "They won't stop. That was just the beginning."
---
That night, they camped under a broken canopy of stars.
Valron sat beside Asteria near the fire, the others resting in silence.
"You and Mira," Asteria said suddenly, voice quiet.
Valron blinked. "What about us?"
"You've been close. Closer than before. I notice things."
Valron looked away. "It's not like that."
Asteria gave a half-smile. "But you wish it was."
A pause.
Valron finally sighed. "I care about her. Have for a long time. But I won't act on it. She deserves someone... more certain. Stronger."
"You're stronger than you think," Asteria replied. "She sees it too."
They sat in silence.
Tarn, half-awake nearby, muttered, "You two are worse than Mira with emotions. Sleep before I toss you into the river."
---
Far across the continent, in a cavern deep beneath the capital, a seer knelt in a circle of silver flames.
Her voice echoed through the chamber, ancient and strange:
**"Khar'zel ven aramundai... sorik en fallai... Aleroth ka'strai!"**
The flames pulsed.
She opened her eyes.
In a whisper, she translated:
"The Prime has awakened. The Trials begin. And the world shall bleed before it is made whole."
---