The village was called Veildusk. Quiet. Tucked beneath the eastern ridge of the valley, its buildings hunched like old men bracing for a storm. Smoke drifted from crooked chimneys. No one smiled. No one asked questions.
It was a place people passed through — never stayed.
And yet, Caelum had come back.
He stood beneath the twisted tree in the square, boots dusted with frost, cloak dragging the damp earth. The villagers avoided his gaze. Good. Fear was still a useful currency here.
A woman stepped from the shadow of the inn. Black coat, red scarf. Raven hair twisted in coils. A thin blade sheathed at her hip.
Vireya.
She moved like a wraith, silent but always watching.
"You took longer than expected," she said, falling in step beside him.
Caelum didn't look at her. "She found the first seal."
"I know," she replied. "I saw it burn."
He glanced at her now. "You were watching?"
Vireya smiled faintly. "You're not the only one with shadows."
They entered a tavern that hadn't seen life in days. Dust covered the counters. Chairs stacked like corpses in a corner.
Vireya produced a folded map from her coat and unrolled it on the nearest table. A red mark burned faintly where the chapel ruins had once stood.
Beside it, another glowed — near the village's outer well.
"She's already moving toward it," Vireya said. "But she doesn't know what she's looking for."
"She will," Caelum said.
"She has the boy now," she added, carefully.
Caelum said nothing.
"I thought you said that wasn't supposed to happen yet."
"It wasn't."
"So what changed?"
He looked at her then — not angry, not surprised. Just tired.
"Fate doesn't always follow instruction."
*
**
Elira
**
The village came into view just after dusk. Small, worn down, suspicious — exactly the kind of place where secrets rot in the soil.
Elira held Tovin's hand tighter as they passed shuttered homes and closed shops. A few villagers stared. One muttered a warding charm under his breath. Another spat as she walked by.
"Charming," Elira muttered.
They reached the inn. No sign, no fire, but it wasn't locked. She pushed the door open, half-expecting an ambush.
Empty.
Good.
*
The next morning, Tovin led her toward the well on the village's edge.
"I had another dream," he said.
Elira glanced down. "You dream more than you sleep."
"I saw the same symbol again. It was below the water."
She frowned. "The same sigil from the ruins?"
He nodded.
She eyed the well warily.
It was old — stones cracked, the rope worn. A bucket dangled halfway down.
"I'll check it," Tovin offered.
Elira grabbed his shoulder. "Absolutely not."
She summoned a flicker of witchlight from her palm and lowered it into the well.
The light floated slowly down the shaft.
Halfway, the stones began to glow.
And then she saw it.
The second mark.
Etched in blood-iron script. Same shape, same ancient rune.
But this time, a second symbol overlapped it. Twisted. Almost corrupted.
Something — or someone — was interfering with the original design.
Elira stepped back. Cold sweat on her neck.
Someone else knew the seals were awakening.
*
**
Caelum
**
Vireya stood at the well's edge, watching from the other side of the village wall.
"She's close," she whispered.
"She's always been," Caelum replied.
Vireya turned to him. "You could end this. Reveal the full prophecy. Tell her what she really is."
Caelum's eyes narrowed.
"She's not ready."
"She's stronger than you think."
"She's more dangerous than you know," he said flatly.
Vireya tilted her head. "And the boy?"
Caelum didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the well.
"They were never meant to meet so soon. Something's unraveling."
*
**
Elira
**
She left the well feeling like she'd swallowed fire.
The symbol beneath the water still burned behind her eyes.
Two seals.
Two calls.
But what disturbed her most wasn't the magic.
It was the strange pressure building inside her.
Something familiar.
Like a door inside her soul was unlocking—slowly.
And whatever waited on the other side?
Was no longer asleep.