Whispers of Everlight

Chapter 8: Echoes in the Dark

Elara sat by the flickering campfire, her thoughts tangled in the events of the day. The Shadow Stalker's words lingered in her mind, heavy and unsettling.

"You carry a secret within you, child of the Forest."

What did that mean? What inheritance? Was it connected to the magic she had felt earlier—the strange warmth that pulsed through her fingertips when she touched the Heart of the Forest?

Astra sat across from her, prodding the fire with a stick. "You look like your brain's about to explode," she said, smirking.

Elara sighed. "I just—this is a lot."

Astra nodded. "Yeah, the whole 'ancient guardian beast declares you important' thing can be a little overwhelming."

Elara threw her hands up. "Right?! And I still don't know what I'm even supposed to do!"

Astra leaned back, stretching her arms. "Maybe you don't have to do anything just yet. Sometimes, the Forest reveals things in its own time."

Elara frowned. That sounded like a very convenient way of saying, just be patient and wait for destiny to smack you in the face. She wasn't a fan of waiting.

The night was deep and quiet, the sky above a canvas of endless stars. The fire crackled between them, casting long shadows against the trees. Astra yawned. "You should get some rest. Tomorrow, we start real training."

Elara groaned. "Training? What kind of training?"

Astra grinned. "The fun kind."

Elara had a feeling their definitions of "fun" were very, very different.

Morning came faster than she wanted. Astra kicked at her boots. "Up and at 'em, magic girl."

Elara groaned into her blanket. "No."

Astra kicked harder. "Yes."

Elara peeled one eye open to glare. "I hate you."

Astra grinned. "You'll hate me more in an hour."

That was not comforting.

The training ground wasn't much of a "ground" at all—just a clearing surrounded by trees with an absurd number of boulders, vines, and obstacles that Elara was sure Astra had arranged just to make her life miserable.

Astra clapped her hands together. "Alright! Let's see what you've got."

Elara crossed her arms. "You mean my mysterious, unknown magic that I have zero control over? That magic?"

Astra nodded. "Yup."

Elara scowled. "Great."

Astra stepped back and gestured toward a tree. "Alright. Make that tree do something."

Elara stared at it. The tree stared back.

"…Something how?"

Astra shrugged. "I don't know. Move it. Make it glow. Set it on fire. Whatever comes naturally."

Elara's stomach twisted. "What if nothing does come naturally?"

Astra smirked. "Then we'll make it unnatural."

Elara had a very bad feeling about this.

Taking a deep breath, she stretched her hands toward the tree. Nothing happened. She narrowed her eyes, trying to will something to happen.

Still nothing.

Astra tapped her chin. "Huh. Try… feeling it instead of forcing it."

Elara frowned but closed her eyes.

She let her breathing slow, reaching out—not just with her hands, but with something deeper. The way she had felt the Heart of the Forest, the way the Shadow Stalker's presence had stirred something inside her.

And then—

A pulse.

Not from her, but from the earth itself.

The ground beneath her trembled, just slightly. The tree's leaves rustled—not from wind, but from something else.

Astra grinned. "There it is."

Elara gasped, pulling back. The connection snapped, and the energy vanished. "I—what was that?"

Astra tilted her head. "That, my dear Elara, was magic."

Elara stared at her hands. The warmth from before was gone, but she had felt it—felt something responding to her.

Not fire. Not destruction. Something more.

Astra clapped her on the back. "You're gonna be fun to train."

Elara groaned. "I hate that sentence."

Astra just laughed.

And in the distance, hidden in the deep shadows of the forest, something watched.

Something waiting.