The forest grew darker as Kael walked, though the sun had risen fully by now. Light struggled to touch him, bending away as if afraid. Birds stopped singing when he passed. Even the wind held its breath.
The shadows whispered softly around his ankles.
More…
Use more…
Let us feed…
Kael clenched his fists.
Their hunger echoed inside him, twisting through his stomach, clawing at his spine. Shadow magic always demanded something in return—life, emotion, pain. The more he used it, the more it wanted.
He could still feel the echoes of the battle behind him.
The screams.
The blood.
The fear in the villagers' eyes.
It should have made him feel something.
Pride.
Satisfaction.
Guilt.
But he felt nothing.
Only empty.
And hungry.
He slowed as he reached the edge of a small river. The water shimmered under the sunlight, casting reflections across the rocks. Kael crouched, touching the surface carefully. Light flickered against his fingertips, burning faintly before bending away.
He watched quietly.
He had never seen clean water before. Never seen a river.
Never seen his own face clearly.
The reflection stared back at him—sharp, pale features carved like glass, black hair falling across his forehead, and eyes glowing faintly red even in daylight.
A monster.
He knew what he was.
His fingers tightened around the water's surface, distorting the image.
A twig snapped behind him.
Kael's head whipped around instantly, shadows rising around him like a swarm of serpents.
But it wasn't a soldier.
It wasn't a bandit.
It was her.
The same girl from the forest—the one he had spared.
She stood at the treeline, clutching her torn dress, breathing shakily. Her eyes widened when she saw the shadows rise around him, but she didn't run.
Instead, she raised her hands slowly. "I… I'm not here to hurt you."
Kael said nothing.
The shadows stayed coiled, waiting for his command.
She swallowed. "I-I followed you… b-because I wanted to say thank you again."
Kael blinked once.
"Why?" His voice was low and cold.
She hesitated. "Because you could have killed me. You could have killed everyone. But you didn't."
Kael looked away, eyes narrowing. "I didn't kill you because there was no reason."
She flinched, but didn't step back. "Maybe. But you still didn't. That matters."
He turned fully this time, studying her with a gaze sharp enough to slice bone.
"Do you know what I am?"
Her lip trembled, but she met his eyes. "A boy."
Kael almost laughed—the sound bitter and short. "I am not a boy."
"You look like one," she whispered.
The shadows surged forward angrily at her tone, but Kael lifted a hand and they stopped instantly.
Her courage faltered, but she continued. "If you were a monster… you would have let those bandits kill us. Or killed us yourself."
Kael stared at her.
He didn't understand why she kept talking to him.
Why she wasn't running.
Why she wasn't afraid enough.
"You shouldn't follow me," he said finally. "You will die."
She took a slow breath. "I already almost died. The world is dangerous everywhere."
Kael turned away from her and the river.
"And I am the most dangerous."
"I don't believe that," she said quietly.
Kael paused mid-step.
No one had ever said that before.
Not once.
Not even as a lie.
He wasn't sure what to do with the words.
The shadows rustled impatiently around him. The hunger inside him clawed again, reminding him that he had used too much power.
He needed to leave.
He needed to be alone.
But her next words froze him in place:
"Your name… do you have one?"
Kael didn't turn.
"I wasn't given one."
"Then…" the girl whispered, gathering her courage,
"…can I give you one?"
The river murmured softly.
Leaves rustled overhead.
The shadows went silent.
Kael looked over his shoulder slowly, eyes glowing faintly.
"Why?"
She stepped closer, voice trembling but steady. "Everyone deserves a name."
A strange sensation twisted in his chest—unfamiliar and unwelcome.
He didn't like it.
But he didn't stop her when she whispered softly:
"Kael."
The shadows shivered around him.
A name.
His first.
His only.
His.
Kael turned fully now, staring at her with a strange expression—something between confusion and something he couldn't name.
"What is your name?" he asked quietly.
She smiled, the first soft, warm thing he had ever seen in his life.
"Lira."
The wind shifted.
Something ancient stirred.
Two fates connected.
And in that moment—small, fragile, accidental—
the future Shadow Sovereign and the girl who would one day become his light
stood facing each other for the first time with names.