The rain had dwindled to a fine curtain of water descending between the branches of Liria Forest. The smell of wet earth mingled with the smoke still rising from the spot where the beast had unleashed part of its power.
Kael still couldn't take his eyes off Lyra.
“What does... ‘Last Aether Bearer’ mean?” he asked, his voice trembling.
The woman didn't answer right away.
She studied the glowing symbol on the young man's arm, then turned her gaze toward the immense silver tree, which now looked like an ordinary tree, as if all the magic it had displayed minutes earlier had vanished.
“This isn't a safe place to talk.”
One of the archers approached, his expression worried.
“Captain, we need to leave. If a Corrupted Guardian appeared here, more could come.”
Lyra nodded slowly.
“I know.”
Then she looked back at Kael.
“Can you walk?”
The young man took a deep breath.
His arm still burned, but the pain was bearable.
“Yes.”
“Then come with us.”
“I can't. My mother is waiting for me in the village.”
Those words made the Guardians exchange glances.
None of them seemed to share Kael's optimism.
Lyra was the one who broke the silence.
“If that creature found you once... it will do so again.”
A shiver ran through Kael.
“What exactly was it?”
“A Corrupted Guardian.”
“I've never heard of them.”
“Because almost all of them disappeared centuries ago.”
The young man frowned.
“Then... why did one appear now?”
Lyra drew a deep breath.
“Because you awakened the Mark.”
Before Kael could ask another question, a thunderous boom shook the forest again.
It wasn't a roar.
It was something far stranger.
Like the sound of an enormous bell resonating beneath the earth.
The Guardians reacted instantly.
“Weapons ready!”
They all raised their bows.
Kael looked around in confusion.
The ground was vibrating.
Leaves began to tear free from the trees despite the lack of wind.
Then it happened.
A crack appeared suspended in the air before the great silver tree.
It wasn't a crack in the ground.
It was a crack in space itself.
Small fragments of black light drifted out of it, floating slowly before fading away.
Kael took a step back.
He had never seen anything like it.
The opening began to widen.
On the other side was nothing but darkness.
A darkness so deep it seemed to absorb the light of the forest.
The Guardians stood motionless.
Even Lyra looked surprised.
“It can't be... this soon...”
A figure began walking out from inside the crack.
His steps were slow.
Calm.
As if he knew no one there could stop him.
He wore a long black cloak adorned with delicate silver threads.
His face remained hidden beneath a hood.
The only visible parts were his hands, covered in ancient tattoos that emitted a reddish glow.
When he emerged completely from the crack, it closed behind him as if it had never existed.
The stranger silently surveyed them all.
Finally, he spoke.
“Three hundred and twelve years have passed...”
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“And at last... the Bearer has awakened.”
Lyra stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
The man tilted his head slightly.
“A long time ago, I was called Eryon.”
The name immediately changed the Guardians' demeanor.
Several of them took a step back.
One even dropped an arrow.
Kael saw the fear on their faces.
Genuine fear.
Eryon gave a faint smile.
“I see you still remember the old stories.”
Lyra tightened her grip on her sword hilt.
“We thought you were dead.”
“Many believed that.”
“You should have remained forgotten.”
The man let out a short laugh.
“Oblivion is a luxury we immortals cannot afford.”
Kael watched the scene without understanding.
Immortal?
Who was this man, really?
Eryon slowly raised one hand.
He pointed directly at Kael.
“Hand him over.”
No one moved.
“I won't repeat myself.”
Lyra answered firmly.
“Not while I still draw breath.”
The stranger sighed.
“What a disappointment...”
For an instant, nothing happened.
Then...
The air exploded.
An invisible wave tore through the clearing.
All the Guardians were hurled backward at once.
Kael felt the impact in his chest and fell onto his back.
The trees bent.
The stones shattered.
Only Eryon remained motionless, one hand raised.
Kael understood then that the real danger wasn't the beast that had attacked them.
It was that man.
And for the first time since entering the forest, he desperately wished he had never followed that unfamiliar trail.
To be continued in Part 4...