The forest path narrowed the farther north they traveled.
Branches hung low, brushing their cloaks as Kaelen and Selene moved through the thick undergrowth. The air was colder now, crisper, filled with the quiet songs of unseen birds and the occasional rustle of something small darting through the brush.
They hadn't spoken much that morning.
Kaelen preferred it that way. His thoughts were loud enough already.
Each step forward only added more weight to the questions twisting through his mind—about the mark on his arm, about the strange power that had erupted from him, about the woman in his dreams who still hadn't spoken.
And about Selene.
She moved like someone who knew how to fight. Who expected to be followed. Who watched the trees like they had eyes.
Which they might.
This wasn't a friendly part of the wilds.
"You keep looking over your shoulder," Selene said eventually.
Kaelen blinked. "Maybe because there are people trying to kill me."
"Then look ahead," she replied coolly. "They'll come from in front next time."
He gave her a sidelong glance. "Comforting."
Selene didn't smile, but her tone softened. "Fear isn't weakness. But it makes you slow."
"Thanks, teacher."
"I'm not trying to teach you anything. I just don't want to die because you hesitate."
That silenced him.
Around midday, they stopped by a moss-covered stone wall half-sunken into the ground—what looked like the remains of an old farmhouse. The chimney still stood, though everything else had long collapsed into ruin.
Kaelen dropped his satchel beside the broken hearth and sat down with a groan. "I miss chairs."
Selene crouched a few feet away and began pulling rations from her pack.
"You miss normal," she said.
Kaelen didn't argue.
She tossed him a piece of dried meat. "Eat. You'll need it."
He chewed slowly, watching the way she traced a simple glyph into the dirt with her finger—an old protection symbol, flickering faintly with pale light before fading.
"You do that a lot," he said.
Selene raised a brow. "Draw wards?"
"Use glyphs. Magic."
She shrugged. "It's part of who I am."
"I didn't get a choice," Kaelen muttered.
"No one does."
A gust of wind blew across the clearing, scattering leaves. Somewhere in the distance, a bird cried out sharply—then went silent.
Selene stiffened.
Kaelen noticed instantly. "What is it?"
"Quiet," she said, already on her feet.
Kaelen stood too, heart climbing into his throat.
Then he heard it—branches breaking. Footsteps. Heavy. Close.
Selene drew a dagger from beneath her cloak. Kaelen reached for the small knife at his belt.
But the figure who emerged from the trees wasn't a bandit.
It was a man. Middle-aged. Ragged cloak. Mud on his boots. His face was drawn, eyes sunken from travel.
He raised both hands the moment he saw them. "I mean no harm."
Kaelen didn't lower his blade.
"Who are you?" Selene asked.
The man swallowed. "Name's Renn. Just a traveler. Passed through a burned village south of here yesterday. Was hoping to find someone who knew what happened."
Kaelen felt his blood go cold.
Selene's voice was calm. "Which village?"
"Greystone."
Kaelen clenched his fists.
Renn noticed. "You from there?"
Kaelen didn't answer.
The man stepped closer. "There was talk… strange things. Light from the old library. Something unnatural. Some say the Tower might get involved."
Selene stepped in front of Kaelen subtly. "You're traveling alone?"
"Was with others. Got separated. I'm not looking for trouble, I swear it."
Kaelen looked at him hard.
Renn looked harmless.
But harmless men didn't wander this deep into the woods without reason.
"Did you see anyone survive?" Kaelen asked.
The man blinked. "No. Just… ashes."
Kaelen nodded slowly.
Then turned away.
Selene's eyes lingered on the man a moment longer. "Keep moving north. You'll hit the trade road in two days. Stay off the main paths."
Renn gave them a tight, grateful nod and disappeared into the trees again.
Later, Kaelen finally asked, "You believe him?"
"No," Selene said. "But he wasn't a threat. Not today."
"You think he's working for the Tower?"
"I think he's a man who knows what stories are worth in coin. He saw something he doesn't understand. And now he's wondering if it might make him rich—or dead."
Kaelen kicked at a stone. "And if he leads the wrong people to us?"
"Then we won't be here."
That night, they found shelter in a hollow tree near a shallow creek. Kaelen sat with his back to the bark, staring at the glyph on his arm.
He'd unwrapped it again. Couldn't help it.
It wasn't just glowing—it was shifting. The lines curled slightly more now. A new branch had formed. Like it was… evolving.
Changing.
Kaelen ran his fingers over the edges. The skin wasn't hot, but it thrummed under his touch like a living thing.
Selene sat beside him, her own cloak wrapped tight around her shoulders.
"You should hide that better," she said.
"Even from you?"
"Especially from me."
Kaelen turned toward her. "Are you going to turn me in?"
"No."
"Why not?"
She hesitated.
Then she said, "Because I know what it feels like to be marked for something you didn't ask for."
He watched her for a moment.
The way her hair glowed silver in the moonlight.
The way her gaze never settled in one place for too long.
There was something broken in her—something sharp and carefully buried. He recognized it because he had the same cracks.
"You're running too," he said.
Selene didn't deny it.
"From what?"
"From who."
Kaelen raised a brow. "Anyone I should worry about?"
"Only if they catch up."
They fell quiet again.
But not uncomfortably so.
There was a strange kind of peace in that moment. Two strangers sitting by firelight, not trusting, not confessing—but not alone either.
Kaelen stared into the flames.
"Do you think the Tower knows about me?"
Selene didn't hesitate. "Yes."
That hit harder than he expected.
"You're marked by a Veritas glyph, Kaelen," she said. "They'll be searching. And if they haven't found you yet, it's only because they're waiting for you to reveal more."
Kaelen felt sick.
"What do they want?"
Selene looked up at the stars. "Control. Power. Silence."
He swallowed. "And what if I just disappear? Go somewhere far—change my name. Never use magic again?"
Selene glanced at him. Her expression was almost… sad.
"They'll find you anyway."
He didn't sleep much.
Too many thoughts.
Too many dreams.
The silver-eyed woman stood in the tower again, this time with her back to him, runes swirling around her like fireflies. When she turned, her eyes burned brighter than before.
She didn't speak.
But Kaelen somehow knew: this magic wasn't just a tool.
It was a door.
And something behind it was trying to get out.
In the morning, Selene made tea from bitter roots and wild mint. They drank in silence, watching the sunlight stretch across the clearing.
Kaelen looked at her over the rim of his cup. "You never told me your real name."
Selene shrugged. "Would it matter if I did?"
"Maybe."
She stood and shouldered her pack. "Names are a kind of magic too. Some aren't meant to be given freely."
Kaelen stood too. "Then I won't ask again."
She paused. Her voice was softer when she said, "Thank you."
They walked in quiet rhythm down the path, side by side.
Still strangers.
Still secrets.
But maybe, just maybe, not so alone anymore.