Embers of Fate

The Arrival

The forest beyond the village of Everspring was older than memory itself. Ancient trees stood like silent sentinels, their gnarled roots entwined with the secrets of ages past. The air was thick with the scent of pine and earth, carrying with it the whispers of something long-forgotten, something that had stirred to life after centuries of slumber.

Selene paused at the edge of the treeline, her heart racing as she gazed into the depths of the forest. She had been drawn here by something she couldn’t quite name, an ache in her chest that had grown unbearable over the past few weeks. It was as if the forest itself was calling her, pulling her toward something she couldn’t yet see but knew was there, waiting.

The village elders had always warned against venturing too deep into the woods. They spoke of creatures that roamed the shadows, of ancient magics that could ensnare the unwary. But Selene had never been one to heed warnings. She had always been restless, yearning for something more than the quiet life Everspring offered.

And now, as she stood on the brink of the unknown, she couldn’t help but feel that whatever lay ahead would change her life forever.

A soft rustling in the underbrush drew her attention. Selene tensed, her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger strapped to her thigh. She held her breath, waiting. The forest seemed to hold its breath with her, the silence stretching on until it became a palpable force.

Then, from the shadows, a man stepped into the clearing.

He was tall, with broad shoulders and a lithe, muscular frame that spoke of a life spent in the wilds. His dark hair was tousled, and his eyes—amber, like molten gold—glimmered with an intensity that made Selene’s breath catch. There was something otherworldly about him, something that set her on edge even as it drew her in.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said, his voice low and rough, like the growl of a predator.

Selene tightened her grip on her dagger. “Neither should you.”

He took a step closer, and she caught a glimpse of something shifting beneath his skin, a flicker of scales, the glint of claws. Selene’s pulse quickened. She had heard stories of shifters, but she had never met one. They were rare, their kind feared and revered in equal measure.

And this man—this creature—was unmistakably dangerous.

“You’re not afraid,” he observed, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Selene lifted her chin, refusing to let him see her fear. “Should I be?”

A slow smile curved his lips, and it was then that she noticed the sharpness of his teeth, just a bit too pointed, too predatory. “Most would be.”

“But not me,” she countered, eyes narrowing.

He chuckled, the sound dark and rich like the forest at night. “No, not you.”

They stood in silence for a moment, the tension between them crackling like the air before a storm. Selene could feel the weight of his gaze, the way it lingered on her as if he were trying to unravel her secrets. She wanted to look away, to break the spell he seemed to have cast over her, but she couldn’t. Something in those amber eyes held her captive.

Finally, he spoke again. “What’s your name?”

“Selene,” she replied, her voice steadier than she felt. “And you?”

“Kael,” he said, his gaze never leaving hers.

The name felt like a weight in the air, heavy with meaning she couldn’t yet decipher. There was power in it, ancient and wild, just like the forest that surrounded them.

“Why are you here, Selene?” Kael asked, his voice softer now, almost a whisper.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, surprising herself with the honesty in her words. “I just…felt like I had to come.”

Kael nodded, as if he understood. “The forest calls to those who belong to it.”

“Do I belong to it?” she asked, more to herself than to him.

His gaze softened, and for a moment, she thought she saw something akin to sorrow in his eyes. “Maybe you do.”

They were so close now that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body, the strange, almost magnetic pull that seemed to draw her closer to him. It was more than just attraction; it was something deeper, something primal and inescapable.

“You should leave,” Kael said suddenly, the sharpness returning to his voice. “It’s not safe here.”

“Neither are you,” Selene shot back, her pulse quickening as the words left her lips. She wasn’t sure if she meant them as a challenge or a truth. Perhaps both.

Kael’s smile returned, slow and dangerous. “No, I’m not.”

Before Selene could react, he moved. One moment he was standing before her as a man, and the next, he was something else entirely. His body shimmered, twisted, and then, where there had been a man, there was now a dragon.

The creature before her was smaller than she had imagined dragons to be, standing just over five meters tall at the shoulder, but no less imposing. Scales of deep, shimmering black covered its body, catching the light in a way that made them seem almost alive. The dragon’s eyes—Kael’s eyes—were still the same molten gold, fixed on her with an intensity that made her shiver.

For a long moment, they stared at each other, neither moving. Selene’s mind raced, but her body refused to obey her. She should be terrified, should be running, but all she could do was stare at the magnificent creature before her, feeling something deep within her stir in response.

The dragon—Kael—lowered his head until his snout was mere inches from her face. She could feel the warmth of his breath, see the sharpness of his fangs. He could kill her in an instant, and yet, she felt no fear. Instead, a strange sense of calm settled over her, as if she had found something she hadn’t even known she was searching for.

Without thinking, she reached out, her hand trembling as she brushed her fingers against the dragon’s snout. The scales beneath her touch were smooth and warm, and for a moment, everything else faded away. There was only her and the dragon, bound together by something ancient and unspoken.

“I should be afraid,” she whispered, more to herself than to him.

The dragon rumbled deep in its throat, a sound that was almost a purr, and Selene couldn’t help but smile.

“You’re not like the others, are you?” she asked, her voice soft, almost reverent.

The dragon’s gaze held hers, and in it, she saw the answer to a question she hadn’t known she was asking. No, he wasn’t like the others. And neither was she.

The connection between them was undeniable, a thread that had been woven long before they had met. Selene knew, with a certainty that bordered on madness, that she was meant to find him, just as he was meant to find her.

And whatever fate had in store for them, it had only just begun.