Chapter 2: Wings of the Forgotten

The sound of wings flapping—strong, rhythmic, and unmistakable—filled the air around Elara. It was too loud to ignore, too deliberate to be a coincidence. Her heart skipped a beat, her senses heightened as she whipped her head around, searching the shadows for the source.

Kaelen moved in front of her, his body a shield, his posture tense and alert. He reached for the dagger at his belt but didn’t draw it just yet. The wind shifted, carrying the scent of the creature toward them—a thick, musky odor that made her stomach turn.

“What is it?” Elara whispered, her voice barely audible over the beating of her heart. “What’s coming for us?”

Kaelen didn’t respond immediately. His eyes scanned the darkness, his gaze piercing the night like a hawk searching for its prey. His hand stayed on the hilt of his dagger, but there was something in the way he moved—something that made Elara uneasy.

“They’ve sent something worse,” he finally muttered, his voice low but steady. “A predator of the skies. And if it’s anything like the creatures we’ve faced before, it won’t be easy to kill.”

Elara gripped the hilt of her sword tighter, trying to steady her racing pulse. She had faced death before, countless times, but there was something about this—this feeling of being hunted—that twisted her stomach into knots.

The wings grew louder, the creature growing closer. Elara’s eyes widened as she caught the first glimpse of it—a shadow in the sky, cutting through the canopy like a knife through cloth. It was large, far larger than any bird she had ever seen, its wings spanning wide enough to block out the stars. Its silhouette was monstrous—part creature, part nightmare—and it swooped down at them with terrifying speed.

“Elara,” Kaelen warned, his voice low but filled with urgency. “Get ready.”

Before she could even react, the creature dived toward them, its claws outstretched, the wind rushing around them with a force that almost knocked her off balance. Kaelen lunged to meet it, slashing with his dagger in a blinding motion. The creature screeched, a sound so shrill that Elara had to cover her ears to block it out. But it was not deterred.

With an eerie, almost unnatural grace, it shifted in the air, swooping back up and circling them with terrifying speed. Elara’s heart thudded as she turned in every direction, searching for an opening—anything that might give them a chance.

The creature was relentless, its glowing eyes locking onto them with a predatory hunger. It was far more intelligent than the beasts they had faced earlier, and its movements were too swift for Elara to follow.

“Get to cover!” Kaelen shouted. “We need to find a way to draw it in!”

Elara didn’t need to be told twice. She turned and sprinted toward the nearest tree, her feet barely touching the ground as she moved. She could feel the pressure of the air shift as the creature dove again, its sharp claws missing her by mere inches.

She ducked behind the trunk of the massive oak, her heart hammering in her chest. The creature circled above them, a dark blot in the sky, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Kaelen was moving again, his dagger flashing in the moonlight as he spun around, trying to calculate their next move. His eyes were narrowed with concentration, but Elara could see the sweat on his brow, the strain of the fight starting to show.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice tight with fear and determination. “What’s after us? And who’s behind this?”

Kaelen didn’t respond right away. Instead, he lifted his dagger high, muttering a few words under his breath, his hand glowing faintly with a strange, pulsing energy. Elara’s pulse quickened as the air around them seemed to thicken, as if magic itself had descended upon the forest.

“It’s not just a creature,” Kaelen said, his voice cold and unyielding. “It’s an echo.”

“Elara, an echo,” Kaelen repeated, almost like a warning. “A creature bound to someone’s will, their power twisted and darkened. It’s been sent after us.”

The realization hit Elara like a slap in the face. Echoes were the stuff of nightmares—monstrous creatures that existed to carry out the bidding of the ones who commanded them. They were relentless, cunning, and near impossible to kill. And now, it seemed, someone was hunting them with one.

The creature screeched again, and this time, it dove toward them with fury. Kaelen acted swiftly, his arm outstretched. The magic he had called to him flared in an instant, a pulse of light that crackled through the air. The echo screamed in pain as it was forced back by the energy wave, but it quickly recovered and adjusted its trajectory. It wasn’t done yet.

Elara’s hand tightened around her sword, her body trembling but ready. The echo’s hunger had been unleashed, and now it was more than a beast—it was a weapon, a tool of destruction. She could feel the weight of its power and knew they didn’t have much time before it would strike again.

“We need a plan,” she said, her voice steady despite the chaos that surrounded them. “And we need to move. Now.”

Kaelen met her gaze, his eyes dark with intensity. “We don’t have time for plans,” he replied sharply. “The prophecy is already in motion. And the moment we step out of this forest, things will only get worse.”

“But we can’t stay here,” Elara retorted, the urgency in her voice rising. “We’ll die if we stay in the open.”

Kaelen’s eyes flickered with something like regret, but he didn’t waste time explaining. Instead, he moved with a purpose, grabbing Elara by the arm once more, guiding her away from the tree.

“You’ll have to trust me,” he said, his voice low, dangerous. “And we’ll have to trust each other. There’s no running from this.”

The creature swooped down again, its claws slashing toward them. In that instant, Kaelen pulled Elara into a roll, just narrowly dodging the attack, their bodies crashing into the earth as they tumbled together.

The echo landed, its eyes flashing with fury as it hissed, circling them like a predator stalking its prey. But Kaelen had already begun to weave the air around them, preparing to make their escape.

“Elara, get ready,” he called, his voice edged with anticipation. “We’re going to take it down—together.”