No one spoke.
Three stars…
Gone.
The forest felt different.
Heavier.
Even the wind had stopped.
Elara looked up at the dark sky.
“What does it mean?”
Rose slowly lowered her lantern.
“It means someone claimed the Third Key before you.”
Noah frowned.
“But…
I thought we were collecting them.”
“So did I,” Adrian replied.
The Keeper turned toward the Heartwood.
His expression grew darker.
“There are four keys.”
Elara looked at him.
“You never told us that.”
“You never asked.”
Noah let out a small sigh.
“Of course.”
“Who has the Third Key?” Elara asked.
The Keeper remained silent.
Then he whispered,
“I don’t know.”
The answer surprised everyone.
Even Adrian.
“You can sense the keys.”
“I can.”
“So why can’t you sense this one?”
The Keeper looked toward the deepest part of the forest.
“Because…”
“…whoever took it is hiding.”
The walk back felt longer than before.
No one joked.
No one talked.
Every few minutes, Elara looked at the two keys in her hands.
The silver key.
The crystal key.
Both were glowing softly.
As if they were alive.
Halfway through the forest…
Noah suddenly stopped walking.
“Did you hear that?”
Everyone froze.
“Hear what?” Elara asked.
“It sounded like…”
He looked around.
“…footsteps.”
Adrian gripped the handle of his knife.
“I don’t see anyone.”
The footsteps came again.
Slow.
Steady.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
But no one appeared.
Rose’s lantern flickered.
“They’re following us.”
“Who?”
Instead…
She blew out the blue flame.
Darkness surrounded them.
Only the two keys continued glowing.
Then…
A shadow ran between the trees.
Fast.
Too fast to be human.
Elara caught only a glimpse.
A black cloak.
Silver hair.
And glowing blue eyes.
It disappeared in an instant.
“Did anyone else see that?”
Noah nodded immediately.
“I’m glad it wasn’t just me.”
The Keeper walked toward the place where the figure had disappeared.
He knelt beside the ground.
Then picked up something small.
A feather.
It shimmered with silver light.
Elara had never seen anything like it.
“What bird is that from?”
The Keeper slowly stood.
“It isn’t from a bird.”
“Then what is it?”
His voice became quiet.
“…A Raven Walker.”
Adrian’s face lost all color.
“I thought they were extinct.”
“So did I.”
“What is a Raven Walker?” Noah asked.
Rose answered this time.
“They’re the King’s messengers.”
“They travel between shadows.”
“They don’t leave footprints.”
“They don’t make mistakes.”
Elara looked at the silver feather.
“So…”
“They were watching us?”
“No.”
The Keeper closed his hand around the feather.
“They were watching you.”
A cold laugh echoed through the trees.
Not loud.
Just enough for everyone to hear.
The group spun around.
No one was there.
Then a voice called from somewhere above them.
“You’re slower than I expected.”
Everyone looked up.
A young man sat casually on a tree branch.
He looked about Elara’s age.
Maybe a year older.
His silver hair moved gently in the wind.
His bright blue eyes almost glowed in the darkness.
A black raven rested on his shoulder.
He smiled.
“So…”
“You’re the new Chosen.” Find the original chapter at g.com.
Noah stepped in front of Elara.
“Who are you?”
The boy jumped down from the branch.
He landed without making a sound.
He looked at Noah.
Then smiled.
“I like you.”
“You don’t run away.”
“I’m considering it.”
The boy laughed.
“I would.”
The Keeper’s voice turned cold.
“Caelan.”
The smile disappeared from the boy’s face.
“It’s been a while…”
“…Elias.”
Silence.
They knew each other.
“You shouldn’t be here,” the Keeper said.
“I was invited.”
“No.”
“I was.”
Caelan looked directly at Elara.
“The Third Key asked me to come.”
Everyone froze.
Elara’s heart skipped a beat.
“You have it?”
Caelan slowly reached into his coat.
Then held up…
A black crystal.
Unlike the first two keys, it didn’t glow.
It absorbed the light around it.
The Third Key.
“I was supposed to bring this to someone.”
Caelan looked at Elara.
“But now…”
He smiled.
“I’m not so sure.”
Before anyone could stop him…
He crushed the black crystal against his palm.
Instead of breaking…
It dissolved into black smoke.
The smoke rushed toward Elara.
Straight into the Heart Crystal around her neck.
The forest shook.
The two keys in Elara’s hands began glowing wildly.
A symbol appeared beneath her feet.
Not the tree.
Not the roots.
A crown.
Caelan’s smile slowly faded.
He whispered,
“…No.”
“That’s impossible.”
The Keeper stared at the glowing symbol.
For the first time in centuries…
He looked completely shocked.
“The prophecy…”
“It was never about the Keeper.”
Everyone looked at him.
He slowly raised his eyes to Elara.
“It was about the Queen.