I wandered on fantasy world

The forest seemed darker now, its ancient trees stretching their gnarled branches toward the sky like skeletal hands. The air was thick with an unspoken tension, a weight that pressed down on Kael's chest with every step. Talyra walked ahead of him, her movements silent and purposeful, as though she belonged to the shadows themselves.

Kael's eyes lingered on her. The woman who had saved him in the Whispering Woods and discovered the Starfire Pendant was nothing like anyone he had ever met. The villagers whispered of witches who traded their souls for power, who consorted with demons and cursed the innocent. And yet, Kael had seen none of that in Talyra.

Instead, he saw a woman burdened by something vast and unknowable.

"Why do they call you a witch?" Kael blurted out, the words escaping before he could stop them.

Talyra stopped abruptly, her back stiffening. Slowly, she turned to face him, her gray eyes sharp and unreadable.

"Because it's easier to call someone a witch than to understand them," she said, her voice cool.

Kael hesitated. "But… are you? A witch, I mean?"

Talyra raised an eyebrow. "And if I were? Would it matter?"

He faltered. "I don't think you're evil, if that's what you mean."

Her lips twitched, almost forming a smile. "How generous of you."

---

They continued walking in silence, but Kael's curiosity burned brighter. He had seen her summon fire from thin air and repel the shadows that had attacked them in the ruins. Her magic was raw and powerful, unlike anything he had imagined.

"Where did you learn to do… all that?" he asked, gesturing vaguely.

Talyra glanced at him. "Magic?"

He nodded.

Her gaze turned distant, her steps slowing. "Magic isn't something you learn. It's something you survive."

Kael frowned, confused. "What does that mean?"

Talyra didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stopped by a cluster of rocks and sat down, gesturing for him to do the same. The forest seemed to hold its breath as she spoke.

"When I was young, I lived in a village not unlike Ravenspire," she began. "It was peaceful, quiet. But one night, the shadows came—just like they did to your home. They tore through everything and everyone."

Kael's stomach twisted. "You lost your family?"

Talyra nodded, her expression unreadable. "I was the only survivor. The magic inside me woke that night, raw and untrained. It saved me… but it also marked me."

"Marked you?"

She pulled back her sleeve, revealing a faint, jagged scar that glowed faintly under the moonlight. "Magic always leaves a mark. The villagers didn't understand what I had become. They called me a witch, blamed me for the destruction. So I left."

Kael's chest tightened. He had seen how quickly people turned on what they didn't understand. "That wasn't fair," he said quietly.

"Life rarely is," Talyra replied. "But the forest took me in, taught me to harness what was inside me. Now, I go where I'm needed—though I've learned not to stay long."

---

Kael studied her, a new respect forming in his mind. "You help people, even though they don't trust you."

Talyra shrugged. "Someone has to."

For a moment, the silence between them was companionable. Then Kael spoke, his voice hesitant but determined. "I want to come with you."

Talyra looked at him sharply. "This isn't your fight, Kael. The pendant has already made you a target. Staying with me will only make it worse."

"I don't care," Kael said, surprising even himself with his conviction. "The shadows destroyed my home. I don't want to hide while they do it to someone else."

Talyra studied him for a long moment, her gaze piercing. Finally, she sighed. "You're stubborn. I suppose that could be useful."

Kael grinned despite himself. "Does that mean I can stay?"

"It means I won't stop you," she said, rising to her feet. "But if you slow me down, you're on your own."

---

As they resumed their journey, Kael felt a strange sense of relief. For the first time since Ravenspire's destruction, he had a purpose.

But as the trees thinned and the sky darkened, he couldn't shake the feeling that Talyra's past held even deeper secrets—and that he had only scratched the surface of the danger they were walking into.

Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled, its mournful cry echoing through the night. Talyra paused, her hand tightening on her staff.

"Stay close," she said softly. "The forest has eyes."

Kael nodded, gripping his dagger. He didn't know what lay ahead, but he was certain of one thing: he was exactly where he needed to be.