The morning air was still, unnaturally so. Luna knelt near the edge of the woods, gently coaxing a flame to flicker above her palm. She wasn't training—just grounding herself. Fire, after all, had always answered her when the world wouldn't.
Zeph leaned against a tree nearby, chewing on a piece of dried fruit he'd probably stolen from someone's basket. "You know, I always imagined you'd start forest fires with those mood swings. But this? This is very... meditative."
Luna rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. "Wouldn't want to outshine your dramatic flares."
"Ha! A spark of sass. There's hope for you yet."
Footsteps approached—measured, cautious. Riven emerged from the trees, his expression grim. He didn't say anything at first. Just handed Luna a cloak.
"It's time," he said.
She stood slowly. "I thought we had a day or two."
He shook his head. "The villagers... they're coming."
Before they could react, shouts echoed from beyond the trees.
"There she is!"
"She's cursed!"
"She'll bring ruin like the prophecy said!"
Luna's heart clenched. Shadows of people emerged from the treeline—men, women, even children, all staring at her like she was some plague.
A rock flew. It missed her head by inches.
Zeph stepped in front of her instantly. "Alright, alright, let's all breathe, shall we? I'm the reckless one here—not her."
Riven unsheathed his blade halfway, his stance tense. "We need to leave. Now."
Another shout: "Burn her before she burns us!"
Luna felt her breath catch. Her legs wouldn't move.
Then Riven took her hand. "Luna, trust me."
And she did.
They ran.
---
The next few days blurred into one long road. Dirt, hunger, silence. The kind of silence that had weight.
Sometimes they slept under trees. Sometimes under caves. Once, in the ruins of a broken tower that smelled of ash and forgotten magic. Even the wind there felt haunted.
Riven rarely spoke, but his eyes were always watching—always protecting.
Zeph, on the other hand, wouldn't shut up.
"Are you sure we're not being hunted by giant lizards? I swear I heard hissing last night."
"No, Zeph," Luna muttered.
"Maybe it's the wind," Riven added quietly.
"Or maybe it's a cursed frog-demon with an appetite for sarcastic air mages. We don't know. We can't assume."
Luna finally laughed, though it was soft and short. Still, it made Zeph grin.
"There it is," he said. "Proof that we're not completely doomed."
They passed through abandoned villages, overgrown fields, and winding cliffs where the sky stretched endlessly above them. In one town, they tried to rest at an inn, but the owner took one look at Luna and slammed the door. No words. Just fear.
Everywhere they went, whispers followed:
"That's the girl from the prophecy."
"Her eyes—they say they glow."
"She walks with the cursed wind."
And every whisper chipped at Luna's heart.
One night, they camped near a river. Luna sat away from the fire, watching the stars flicker in silence.
Zeph plopped down beside her, tossing her a roasted mushroom.
"Don't worry, I didn't poison it. Not that I had the chance. Riven would've tackled me."
Luna stared at the stars. "Do you think I'm dangerous?"
Zeph paused. "Honestly? Yeah. But not in the way they think. You're dangerous to people who want to keep power in the hands of the cruel. You make liars sweat. You scare cowards. That kind of dangerous? That's the good kind."
She looked at him then, really looked—and saw not just mischief in his eyes, but truth.
"Thanks, Zeph."
"Also, you kind of singe things when you're angry. I've seen Riven's cloak."
She chuckled, and for a moment, the weight lifted.
---
The landscape shifted the farther they wandered. The trees grew older. The sky felt closer. And the wind... the wind changed.
It began one evening as they climbed a steep ridge. Luna paused at the top, frowning.
"Do you hear that?"
Riven nodded. "Chanting."
Zeph tilted his head. "Or humming. Sounds... ancient."
They followed the sound down a narrow trail, one almost invisible to the untrained eye. It weaved through brambles, moss-covered stones, and finally opened into a secluded glade.
And there it stood—half-swallowed by vines and time. A temple.
Pillars of cracked marble arched into the air, etched with faded sigils. The roof had collapsed in places, but the central chamber remained intact.
The stone doors were slightly ajar, humming with a faint elemental energy that made Luna's skin prickle.
She stepped closer. The sigil above the doorway shimmered—a swirl of all four elemental symbols, intertwined.
Zeph gave a low whistle. "Well, that's subtle."
Riven's voice was reverent. "The lost Temple of the Elemental Kings... it was supposed to be a myth."
Luna touched the stone, and the warmth of it pulsed through her veins.
Home, the wind seemed to whisper.
But she didn't feel peace. She felt the weight of everything she'd lost.
She turned to the boys. "We rest here tonight."
Zeph raised an eyebrow. "What if the cursed frog-demon lives here?"
Luna exhaled slowly. "Then I'll let it eat you first."
Riven chuckled under his breath for the first time in days.
And for just one moment... they weren't running. They were breathing.