Ethereal

Chapter 1 Watched

"Don't be afraid,

The shadows know me.

Let's leave the world behind."

He observed as she turned in her sleep. Her restlessness today clearly visible as her forehead shone with a thin sheen of sweat, hands clenching and unclenching with her eyes screwed shut.

Amongst her dark hair sprawled out on the pillow, a deep indent of a frown on her face and her mouth only slightly ajar as she drew in heavy breaths — she looked utterly beautiful.

And they were destined together.

The thought brought a smile to his face, the comprehension of the fact that this beautiful creature was indeed his. He gently ran his hand against her cheek and she relaxed, her breathing slowly evening out as she heaved a sigh, unconsciously turning her face into his hand which was still touching her face.

He smiled sadly, thinking how hard fate had made it for them. Every living second he thought about her, observed her from afar, but could never be with her, could never touch her.

As once upon a time, a war had raged between two lands. Both the sides were justified in their own morals, but their love had gotten between the crossfire. To maintain the balance, she was hidden in the mortal realm from a young age; blossoming into the beautiful young girl she was now, all the while believing she was an ordinary human.

He wanted her to cross over, to live with him, and be with him. But he couldn't, because he knew the Queen would kill her at the first glance. No matter their relationship, no matter the bond they shared together, the bitter woman she had become would stop at nothing to put out the fire of revenge which still burned inside her.

So now he was doomed to a horrible fate, looking at her but never having her, being so close yet feeling so far away. He knew he had to protect her, and he would — even if it meant sacrificing his love in the process.

He craved to kiss her once but couldn't, a conflict deep within him.

Finally, her lashes fluttered and she turned on her front, pressing her face into her pillow and moaning in complaint.

He stared at her for another moment, admiring her soft expression when she was in the land of slumber — so natural, so untouched.

The thunder outside gave a menacing grumble. And with one last look at his beloved, whose powers were greater than his own, he disappeared.

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They appeared suddenly and quietly, almost like apparitions. Cap blinked, letting his eyes get used to the darkness of the forest they now dwelled.

His eyes trailed over the outlines of the trees, each a menacing shadow of the night. Jacob moved from beside him, brushing the dirt from his shirt.

"What are we supposed to search for?" Jacob murmured his voice heavy with sleep.

"I don't know just yet." Cap answered the younger boy, as a burst of pale orange light escaped from his hands. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, fading into the dusk.

Jacob watched, fascinated. He'd always been a curious child.

Samuel, also known as Cap, was a tracker — the very best of his kind. Nothing could escape him once he truly put his mind to it. Only this night, he didn't know what he was told to search for.

Jacob was Cap's apprentice. Sometimes he felt a vague irritation in teaching. Not because Jacob was dull but because he was one of the brightest he'd ever known. It conflicted against his morals, teaching someone as bright as Jacob the tactics only he knew. Cap had a fear that if taught properly, Jacob would soon surpass his own abilities.

"What?" Jacob said to Cap, whose head was turned in his direction, eyebrows lifted expectantly.

"Do I always have to be the one doing all the work here? How many times should I tell you?" Cap chastised. "Send out your own aura."

"But I don't know what I'm looking for."

"If she sent us here, there has to be something, Jake."

And right at that exact moment, both of them became aware of a sudden energy pulsing around them.

"Can you feel that?" Jacob whispered, looking around.

They both concentrated, trying to trace the location of the unseen power, a source stronger than any they'd ever felt.

"This doesn't make any sense." Cap said out loud. "Each of the three types already has their own sources. The formation of another...it's impossible. And it's still...evolving. I..." Cap trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

They both were silenced, stupefied at the energy which surrounded them.

Little did they know that every one of the trackers of their kind had stopped and stood silent, that every one of them had marvelled at the strength which they all could feel dancing in the shadows — the location of which no one could trace. Probably it came from high up in the heavens or perhaps deep beneath the grounds.

And little did they know that the girl who'd unintentionally stopped their world on its axis now slept blissfully ignorant in her bed, not too far from the forest they occupied.

And little did she know that her life now was just the calm — before the tempest.

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