A Whisper of Power

The forest air was heavy with silence. No wind stirred the leaves. The light filtering through the canopy cast dappled patterns on the forest floor, but nothing moved. It was the kind of silence that pressed on Eryn Noctis’ mind—too still, too expectant, like the world was waiting for something to happen.

He pulled the hood of his weathered cloak farther down over his silver hair, hoping to avoid attention. Not that anyone was around to notice—except Eilea, the only person foolish enough to follow him. She trailed a few paces behind, kicking stones with every step.

“You know,” Eilea called, brushing a lock of dark hair from her face. “You could say thanks. I did just save your life.”

Eryn glanced over his shoulder. “From three bandits who were more scared of their own shadows than me?” His golden eyes shimmered faintly under the hood. “They barely even tried.”

“Still,” she huffed, “I did most of the fighting. You didn’t even lift a finger. You could’ve helped.”

Eryn turned back to the path, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He knew better than to use his power—not unless he wanted more trouble. "I was helping," he muttered. "By staying out of it."

Eilea scoffed. “Right. I guess the legendary strategy of standing still really paid off.”

The banter was light, but Eryn knew she was frustrated. He didn't blame her. She didn’t know what he was capable of. Not really. And it was better that way. He needed to stay off everyone’s radar—keep his head down, disappear. His powers... they never ended well. For anyone.

Ahead, the path curved toward a clearing, and Eryn slowed his pace. Something felt off.

The silence deepened, pressing against his ears like cotton. Birds had vanished. Even the usual forest smells—damp leaves, wood, earth—seemed to have faded, replaced by a strange emptiness. Eryn stopped, a knot forming in his chest.

Eilea bumped into his back. “What now?” she asked, exasperated.

Eryn held up a hand to quiet her. “Something’s wrong.”

The forest answered his unease. The shadows shifted unnaturally, pooling at the base of the trees. A cold breath swept through the clearing—not wind, but something else. Something intentional. And with it came a voice—low and sharp, slicing through the air like a dagger.

“Found you.”

A man stepped into the clearing, his movements deliberate and smooth. He wore dark leather armor, his long black cloak swaying behind him. His eyes gleamed with a predatory light—cold, calculating, and devoid of mercy. Varis Grell had found them.

Eilea’s hand flew to the dagger at her belt. "Who’s that?" she whispered.

Eryn’s lips tightened. “Someone I’ve been trying to avoid.”

Varis smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "You’ve been running for a long time, anomaly. But the hunt always ends the same.” He flicked his hand, and a sleek silver blade slid from his wrist gauntlet.

“I don’t want trouble,” Eryn said quietly. “Leave now, and we’ll forget this happened.”

Varis’ grin widened. "Trouble? You are trouble, Eryn Noctis."

Before Eryn could respond, Varis moved.

The First Strike

The hunter lunged forward with impossible speed, his blade flashing toward Eryn’s throat. Eryn stepped back on instinct, his mind screaming at him to stay calm. Do not use your power. But Varis was fast—too fast for anyone normal.

Steel arced through the air. Eilea shouted a warning, but Eryn didn’t need it. Time seemed to slow for him as it always did in moments like this. The blade sang through the space where his head had been a fraction of a second earlier as he twisted aside.

Another slice. Closer this time. Eryn could see the reflection of his own golden eyes in the polished surface of the hunter’s blade.

Eilea lunged from the side, dagger flashing toward Varis' ribs, but the hunter twisted with supernatural grace. He deflected her strike with a single motion, sending her sprawling into the dirt.

“Stay back!” Eryn snapped, panic edging his voice.

Eilea coughed, glaring at him. "And let you stand there doing nothing again?"

Varis circled slowly, blade in hand, watching Eryn with a predator’s patience. “I know what you are,” the hunter murmured. "I know what you're trying to hide. But it won’t work on me, anomaly.”

Eryn’s jaw tightened. He could feel his power stirring—like a storm beneath his skin, waiting to break free. But he kept it locked down, forcing the pressure back into himself.

“Walk away,” Eryn said quietly. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

Varis chuckled. “Oh, I know exactly what I’m dealing with.” His eyes darkened. “That’s why I’m going to kill you before you remember who you are.”

The Breaking Point

Varis struck again, faster this time. A blur of metal and shadow. Eryn dodged, barely keeping ahead of the blade. But Varis wasn’t trying to kill him just yet—he was toying with him, testing his limits.

Eryn felt the pressure building—his control slipping. Every instinct screamed at him to release the power inside, to end the fight in a single breath. He didn’t want to fight. He didn’t want to hurt anyone.

But Varis wasn’t giving him a choice.

The next strike came too fast. Eryn’s body moved on reflex, twisting to avoid a killing blow—but he miscalculated. The blade grazed his shoulder, slicing through fabric and skin. Blood welled from the cut.

Pain bloomed—and with it, something darker. Something unstoppable.

The world blurred at the edges. The storm inside him broke loose.

Unleashing the Power

Eryn didn’t mean to do it. One moment, he was holding everything back; the next, reality rippled outward from him in an invisible wave.

The clearing froze—time grinding to a halt. The leaves that had been falling from the trees now hovered midair, suspended. Eilea, lying on the ground, seemed trapped in a moment of stillness, her expression locked in surprise.

And Varis...

Varis stumbled, his eyes widening as he realized too late what was happening. “No—”

Eryn reached out with his mind, and the blade in Varis’ hand vanished—not broken, not destroyed, but erased, as if it had never existed. The hunter stared at his empty hand, disbelief flickering across his face.

“This is what I was trying to avoid,” Eryn whispered, his voice hollow.

He raised his hand, and the ground beneath Varis cracked, fracturing into jagged shards of nothingness. Space folded inward, threatening to swallow the hunter whole.

Varis staggered back, fear flashing in his eyes for the first time. “You—you're not supposed to exist.”

“I know,” Eryn whispered.

But before the void could claim Varis, Eilea’s voice cut through the frozen moment like a knife.

“Eryn! Stop!”

Her voice jolted him—dragging him back from the edge. The cracks in the earth sealed themselves, and the flow of time resumed.

Varis stumbled, panting, his face pale with shock. "This... isn’t over," he spat, retreating into the shadows of the forest. “You’ll wish you’d killed me.”

Eryn let him go, the storm inside him slowly receding.

Aftermath

Eilea got to her feet, brushing dirt from her clothes. She stared at Eryn, her expression a mix of confusion and anger. “What the hell was that?”

Eryn looked away, his golden eyes dimming to a dull amber. “Something I shouldn’t have done.”

“You just—” She gestured helplessly at the empty space where Varis had stood. “You erased his weapon! You cracked the ground like it was glass! You could have—”

“I know.” Eryn’s voice was low, filled with regret.

Eilea crossed her arms. “So... what now? Are we going to pretend none of that just happened?”

Eryn sighed. “We keep moving. Before he comes back.”

Eilea hesitated, then followed as Eryn started walking again. “Next time,” she muttered, “try using that power before someone nearly kills you.”

Eryn didn’t answer. He knew the next time might be worse.

And so they walked deeper into the forest, leaving behind the broken clearing—and the first ripple of a storm that was only just beginning.

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