The green light exploded from the pendant.
Arka didn't have time to scream. His body felt light, then he fell. The world around him vanished in an instant. A black wind swallowed everything.
When he opened his eyes, the sky above him was not a sky he recognized.
Dark purple. The stars moved slowly, as if they were alive. Towering trees reached high above him, their leaves shimmering green and gold. The scent of wildflowers and wet earth filled his nose. Arka slowly sat up. His heart was pounding. He was still wearing his rumpled school uniform, his worn shoes still fastened to his feet.
"You've finally arrived."
A gentle voice came from behind him.
Arka turned quickly.
A girl stood among the trees. Her long black hair flowed down to her waist, swaying gently in a wind he couldn't feel. Her skin was soft and pale, as if it had never been touched by the sun of the human world. The thin green-and-white dress she wore clung to her body, revealing the full curves of her chest and her slender waist. The fabric shifted slightly with every breath she took, as if it were alive.
Her eyes fixed deeply on Arka. There was something in that gaze that made his chest feel hot.
"Who are you?" Arka asked, his voice hoarse.
The girl gave him a small smile. "My name is Elara. And you... Arka. The heir we've been waiting for all this time."
Arka rose unsteadily. "The heir? I'm just an ordinary kid."
Elara stepped closer. The distance between them shrank. Her soft scent—like rain in the forest mixed with something sweet—filled Arka's nose. He swallowed.
"The pendant around your neck isn't a keepsake," Elara whispered. Her fingers lifted and touched the pendant on Arka's chest. The touch was warm. Too warm. "It's the key to ancient blood. The blood flowing through your body."
Elara deliberately pressed her fingers lightly against Arka's chest, right over his heart. Arka held his breath. His body reacted. His muscles tensed. Heat spread from the point of contact through his entire body.
"This kingdom is collapsing," Elara continued in a low voice. "Dark creatures have already crossed the borders. The last king fell two seasons ago. Only the heir can unseal the ancient power."
Arka gazed at her face from up close. Elara's lips were a soft pink. Her neck was long, her collarbones visible beneath the thin fabric. With every breath, her chest rose and fell gently.
"Why me?" Arka whispered.
Elara smiled again, this time more deeply. "Because you were born for this." Her hand rose and touched Arka's cheek. Her soft fingers brushed it gently. "And because I've been waiting long before you were born."
The wind around them began to swirl. Golden leaves flew through the air. Elara moved closer again. Their chests nearly touched. The heat from her body seeped through Arka's thin uniform.
"This world will be destroyed if you refuse," she whispered. Her breath brushed Arka's lips. "But if you accept... I'll guide you. Every step. Every night."
Arka felt something moving beneath his skin. The power of the wind he'd briefly felt in the human world now churned more violently. As if this world were calling to him.
Elara stared at his lips. "You can feel it, can't you? Your blood has awakened."
Elara's fingers slowly descended from Arka's cheek to his neck, then to his chest, pressing the pendant once more. A faint green light glowed between them. Elara's dress shifted slightly, revealing more of the pale skin on her shoulder.
Arka bit his lip. He wanted to move back. But his body wouldn't obey.
"I... don't know what I'm supposed to do," he said softly.
Elara smiled. A smile that made Arka's chest tighten. "First, you have to survive."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled. The sound of a distant explosion came from beyond the forest. Elara turned quickly. Her expression grew serious.
"They're close," she whispered. "Hunters from the fallen kingdom."
Arka unconsciously gripped Elara's wrist. Her skin was incredibly soft. Elara looked at his hand, then into Arka's eyes.
"Don't let go of me," she said.
The green light in Arka's pendant shone brighter. A powerful wind suddenly surrounded them both, lifting Elara's hair and pressing her thin dress more tightly against her body.
In the distance, black shadows began moving among the trees.
Elara pressed her body against Arka. Her chest pushed against his. Her voice whispered directly into his ear.
"Heir... tonight, we fight. Or we die together."
Before Arka could answer, the first shadow emerged from among the trees, its red eyes glowing in the darkness.