The wind howled across the cliffs of Althea, carrying with it the scent of salt and the distant cry of seabirds. Down below, the restless ocean churned, its waves crashing against stone with relentless fury.

  At the edge of the precipice stood a boy cloaked in gray, no older than 14, his hand wrapped tightly around a pendant that shimmered faintly with a beautiful blue light.

  They called it the Year of Falling Stars- The year when the skies rained fire and the balance of the Five Nations broke. Some said it was the return of the Ancients. Others whispered of a seal weakening, a shadow long forgotten beginning to stir.

  But to Cael, it was the year his village burned, the year his brother vanished without a trace.

  A gust of wind whipped his hood back, revealing his blond hair and sea-green eyes. He didn't flinch. His gaze stayed fixed on the horizon, where the sun bled into the clouds.

  "What a peaceful sky..." He thought to himself.

  Behind him, hooves clattered against stone.

  "You're late," Cael muttered without turning. He tried not to sound annoyed. "You sure kept me waiting."

  A young woman in traveler's leathers reined in her horse beside him. Her hair was the color of raven feathers, her eyes sharp as steel. She dismounted with ease and tossed him a rolled parchment.

  "My apologizes, little guy! The roads have more twists than a dragon's tail!" She exclaimed with a smirk. "I just got word that they moved the council meeting to Sundown. Something about a sighting near the old ruins."

  Cael caught the parchment and gave her a long look. "...Another sighting?"

  She nodded. "Third one this week."

  The pendant pulsed softly. Cael's fingers tightened around it.

  He didn't say anything for a moment, letting the sound of waves crashing below fill the silence between them. The woman shifted her weight, crossing her arms and glancing out over the cliffs.

  "Still thinking about him?" She asked, voice gentler now.

  Cael didn't respond right away. Then, with a slight nod, he murmured, "If the sightings are real... if they're connected to what happened two years ago, then he might still be out there."

  The woman—Aeris—let out a quiet sigh. She was 22, a scout for the Frontier Guild, and one of the few who took Cael seriously when others saw only a boy chasing ghosts.

  "Maybe," she said, "But... Those are only rumours, you should calm your head. And besides, even if they were true, going into those ruins half-cocked won't help either of you."

  Cael turned toward her. "I'm not rushing in!"

  "You're standing on the edge of a cliff holding a glowing pendant and muttering to the sea. Feels pretty close to me, little guy."

  That earned her a faint smirk, one that vanished almost instantly.

  She sighed again and moved beside him, resting one hand on her hip as she looked at the sky. "Though between you and me, the council must be worried. They wouldn't have moved the meeting to Sundown unless this sighting was different. They want all scouts and junior scouts present."

  Cael gave a reluctant nod. "Guess that means I don't get to skip this one."

  Aeris grinned, already turning back toward the path. "You're a Junior Scout now, remember? That fancy badge of yours means you get to sit through all the boring parts and risk your neck in the field. Congratulations."

  He followed her down the slope, boots crunching against loose gravel. Her horse waited near a stunted tree, while Cael's smaller mare—Dustfoot—nickered softly at his approach.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  "Think they'll actually tell us anything useful this time?" He asked, loosening the reins of his horse.

  Aeris shrugged, adjusting the strap of her satchel. "If we're lucky. But between you and me, the council's been twitchy ever since the last ruin flared. They'll say just enough to sound in control... and leave out everything that matters."

  Cael mounted Dustfoot in one fluid motion. He was still new to riding, but Aeris had drilled him enough times to make it feel natural. Most days.

  He also liked it whenever he managed to NOT embarrass himself in font of her.

  As they started along the trail back to town, Cael stole a glance at her—raven-black hair catching the light, the way she sat tall in the saddle, totally at ease.

  There was a mysterious quiet strength in how she carried herself, the kind you didn't notice until you realized you were always watching.

  He looked away quickly.

  "You've been quiet," Aeris said after a while, her voice soft. "More than usual, I mean."

  Cael hesitated. "Just thinking."

  "About your brother again?"

  "...Yeah. And the pendant he gave me before he vanished. It's been pulsing more often lately. Only when I'm near the cliffs."

  Aeris gave him a sidelong glance. "You think it's reacting to something?"

  "I don't know," he said. "But it's not random. I can feel it—like it's trying to... pull me somewhere."

  She was silent for a moment, the only sounds the rhythmic clop of hooves and the wind whispering through dry grass.

  "Cael," she said at last, "if there's something calling you, you tell me or one of the other Scouts. No matter how strange it sounds. You're not alone in this, got it?"

  He blinked, surprised by the firmness in her tone.

  "...Got it," he said quietly.

  A small smile touched her lips. "Good. Because I didn't drag you through survival drills and lecture you on rune etiquette just for you to run off playing hero without backup."

  Cael managed a weak chuckle. "I'm not THAT reckless."

  She shot him a knowing look. "Says the boy who tried to fight a ruin-stalker with a stick."

  "It was a sharp stick."

  Their laughter echoed across the hills, brief and warm. For a moment, the weight on Cael's chest lifted—just a little.

  The road to Sundown curved through wind-swept highlands, dry stone fences crumbling along the edges. The sun had dipped lower now, casting long shadows across the hills, and the scent of heather mixed with the ever-present salt in the air.

  They rode without speaking for a while. Cael's thoughts wandered, the way they often did during long stretches of travel. He kept one hand near the pendant tucked beneath his cloak, not because it was glowing, but because it comforted him. A habit more than anything.

  Ahead, Aeris rode tall in the saddle, her posture loose but always alert. She didn't fidget. She didn't hum. She just watched—the road, the horizon, the sky. She always made him feel a little like a child still playing at being a scout.

  "That's a B rank Scout for you..." He thought to himself.

  Dustfoot snorted as they climbed a gentle rise, and Aeris slowed her horse, glancing back. "Let's stop here a moment."

  Cael followed her eyes. To the west, the cliffs sloped down into a shallow valley, and beyond that, tucked into a bend of the coast, lay Sundown. A patchwork of rooftops clustered around a stone tower, its weathered banner faint in the wind. Smoke curled up from chimneys, pale and unhurried.

  He dismounted without a word, boots crunching on the dry grass. Aeris was already off her horse, resting her arms on a low boulder as she looked down at the town.

  "I remember when Sundown was just a few sheds and a rickety dock," she said. "Now they've got a smithy, a grain house, and even a tavern that doesn't smell like old socks."

  Cael gave her a sideways look. "That's a pretty low bar."

  She grinned. "Welcome to the frontier."

  They stood there a moment longer, watching the slow movement of life below. Somewhere distant, a gull called out. The light was fading, but not gone.

  Cael rested his forearms on the same boulder, watching the distant rooftops of Sundown catch the last light of day. He could see faint movement near the docks—figures unloading crates, maybe fishermen wrapping up for the evening.

  He exhaled slowly. "They really called everyone in for this?"

  Aeris nodded, her gaze steady on the valley below. "Scouts from as far as Oakwall, from what I know. That doesn't happen unless someone higher up is losing sleep."

  He frowned a little. "You think it's just about another sighting?"

  She hesitated, then gave a short shrug. "Depends on how spooked they are. They'll act like they're in control, say what they need to... but if this was just another false alarm, they wouldn't be pulling people in from every corner."

  He nodded slowly, chewing on that. Then he glanced down at the pendant beneath his shirt. It hadn't flickered or warmed. Just the same quiet weight as always.

  Still, something about being this close to the sea always made him feel like he was standing on the edge of a story that hadn't started yet.

  "You good?" Aeris asked, watching him.

  "Yeah," he said, blinking. "Just thinking."

  She gave a short nod and moved toward her horse. "Let's not keep them waiting, then. If we ride steady, we'll reach the gates before the lanterns are lit."

  Cael mounted up again, more out of habit than readiness. His legs were already sore.

  As they started down the winding trail, the last stretch of day fading behind them, Cael cast one last glance at the open sky.

  Not because something called to him.

  Just because it felt like the kind of moment that might matter later.