Moments right before William crossed the boder...
The forest was breathing again.
Elyon could feel it in the air around her-soft ripples of energy pulsing through the roots, humming through the wind like the sound of a thousand whispered words. It was different from the usual rhythm of the Darkwood.
Something-or someone-had entered.
She lifted her head from the silver basin where she'd been studying reflections of her magic. The image in the water shuddered, distorting into spirals of light that reached outward like fingers.
"Do you feel that?" she whispered.
Maelor, the oldest of the four mages, stood behind her. His long hair, white as frost, stirred though there was no wind. His eyes-grey and knowing-met hers. "Yes. The forest feels him too."
"Him?"
Maelor stepped closer, resting his gnarled hand on the rim of the basin. The water steadied for a moment, then revealed flashes: a shape in the forest, moving fast, breath misting in the cold. A man's silhouette-but wrong somehow. His eyes glowed faintly gold.
Elyon's breath caught. "William..."
Maelor turned to her sharply. "You know this creature?"
"He's not a creature," she said quickly, though her heart stumbled over the words. "He's the prince of Ludia-he helped me escape the palace when my uncle-"
"Helped?" Roran, the fire mage, barked from across the clearing. "That thing is no man. Look at him-half cursed, half beast. The forest will devour him before dawn."
Selune, the water mage, murmured softly, her voice a calm current between them. "Perhaps not. The forest allowed him to pass. That means something."
"Or it means the forest is curious," Roran snapped, flames flaring briefly from his fingertips. "Curiosity isn't mercy."
Elyon's hands tightened on the basin. The image flickered again, showing William stepping through mist, shoulders tense, sword at his back. The sight filled her with something sharp and inexplicable-a pull she couldn't name.
"I have to go to him."
"No." Maelor's tone was quiet but immovable. "The boundary protects us for a reason. If the forest's guardian allowed him through, then his fate lies with the council."
"The council?" Elyon repeated. "You mean you four?"
"Four is enough," Isolde said from the shadows, her voice like wind through silk. She stepped forward, eyes pale as morning light. "Bring him. If he survives the trial, he may stay."
Elyon hesitated. "Trial?"
But Maelor was already lifting his staff. The roots beneath the clearing began to stir, forming a spiral of light that spread outward through the ground, reaching into the forest beyond.
Elyon could feel it-an invisible pulse that would draw William here whether he wished it or not.
Still, she couldn't shake the image of him-exhausted, trembling, eyes that flickered between gold and human brown.
She took a step forward. "Let me meet him first. Please. He saved me. He deserves that much."
The mages exchanged glances. Maelor's expression softened, just slightly. "Go then, child of Roland. But if the beast within him stirs, you will not face him alone."
Elyon nodded. Her heart was already pounding.
She turned and ran-through the narrow path of light that led to the edge of the sanctuary.
The trees parted for her like curtains, whispering in voices only she could half-hear. The moon's blood returns. The bond awakens.
When she reached the clearing, she saw him.
William stood near the old stone arch that marked the boundary. His clothes were torn, his skin streaked with dirt and blood. His breathing came in shallow bursts, each one shaking his frame.
"William..."
He looked up as she approached, eyes flashing gold for a heartbeat before softening. "Elyon..."
She froze. The sound of her name from his lips struck something deep within her.
"You're alive," he said hoarsely. "I thought-"
"You shouldn't have come here," she interrupted, though her voice trembled. "The forest-it doesn't forgive easily."
William gave a faint, humorless smile. "Neither do kings."
Before she could reply, the air around them thickened. Roots slid through the soil, forming a circle around the clearing. The mages had followed.
Roran's voice cut through the silence: "Step back, princess. The forest will know what he truly is."
William tensed, one hand instinctively reaching for his sword. Elyon raised her palm. "Wait-please-he means no harm."
But the magic had already begun.
The circle of roots flared with blue fire. Wind tore through the clearing, lifting leaves into a storm. William staggered, clutching his head as the golden light in his eyes blazed.
Elyon reached for him. "William!"
He dropped to one knee, a growl tearing from his chest-not entirely human. The mages stood unmoved, watching the struggle unfold.
And then-something shifted.
The flames dimmed. The air stilled.
William looked up, his breathing ragged, eyes glowing faintly-but controlled.
Maelor lowered his staff slowly. "Remarkable. The beast yields... to him."
Elyon rushed to William's side, kneeling beside him. "I told you. He's not a monster."
William managed a strained smile. "I keep trying to convince people of that."
Isolde stepped forward, her gaze unreadable. "Then perhaps you should begin by convincing yourself."
The roots withdrew. The light faded.
And in the sudden quiet that followed, the forest itself seemed to exhale-as though the test had been passed.