Chapter 1: Shadows in the Forest

The air in the Dark Forest of Terragaia was thick with mist, its ancient trees stretching like skeletal fingers toward the sky. Moonlight barely pierced the dense canopy, casting eerie shadows on the forest floor. The girl crouched behind a massive tree, her breath shallow as she clutched the fabric of her tattered cloak. She had seen many things in this cursed forest, but never this.

A murder.

A man knelt on the damp earth, his arms bound behind him with thick rope. His face was bloodied, a deep cut above his brow leaking crimson down his cheek. In front of him stood a cloaked figure, their grip tight around the hilt of a long, jagged blade. The girl, hidden behind the thick tree, held her breath as the assassin spoke.

"You have one last chance," the voice was smooth, almost gentle, but laced with something sharp and menacing. "Where is the girl who knows the prophecy?"

The wounded man spat blood onto the ground, lifting his head with defiance. "I would rather die than hand her over to you."

The assassin tilted their head, sighing as if disappointed. "And so you shall."

Without hesitation, they drove the blade into his chest. The girl flinched as the sickening sound of steel piercing flesh filled the silence. The man's body tensed, a strangled gasp escaping his lips before he slumped forward, lifeless.

The assassin pulled the blade free and wiped it against the dead man's tunic. Behind them, another figure stepped out from the shadows, their boots crunching against the fallen leaves.

"A shame," the newcomer said, voice low. "He could have made things easier."

The assassin sheathed their weapon. "No matter. The girl will reveal herself soon enough."

"One less to stand in our way."

The girl's pulse thundered in her ears. Our? Were there more of them?

As if answering her unspoken question, a second figure emerged from the shadows. Their boots crunched against the leaves, a slow, deliberate rhythm that sent chills down her spine.

"Are you certain no one saw?" the newcomer asked.

The assassin hesitated. For a terrifying moment, their hood turned slightly in her direction. The girl pressed herself harder against the bark but before that she saw a pendant the murderer wear t guyunder the moonlight and it was something odd, heart hammering.

"No witnesses," the assassin finally murmured. "The darkness will consume them all soon enough."

The newcomer nodded, satisfied. "Then we move forward. The Academy won't know what's coming."

Academy? The girl's mind raced. Elitia Academy?

She had heard whispers of the prestigious institution, a place where only the most gifted were trained to protect the world from darkness. If these murderers were plotting against it…

The girl's pulse thundered in her ears. They're looking for someone… a girl who knows a prophecy?

A cold realization settled in her stomach. Could they be looking for me?

The two figures turned, their cloaks blending into the darkness as they vanished into the mist. The girl remained frozen in place, her breath shallow.

She had a choice run and hide, or find the ones who could stop this darkness before it was too late.

Her decision was made before she even stood.

She would find Elitia Academy.

And she would tell them that darkness was coming.