The night was cold, the air thick with the scent of burning herbs and whispered chants. The girl lay bound on the stone altar, her wrists raw from struggling against the enchanted ropes. Above her, masked figures in dark robes moved in rhythm, their voices weaving a spell meant to summon something ancient—something *hungry*.
*Why is this happening to me?* she thought, her chest tight with fear. *I only wanted to see the world beyond the palace walls. And now…*
She had always been protected—her family's wealth, her hidden talismans, even the secret magic in her blood. But none of it mattered now. The ritual's power had silenced her charms, leaving her helpless as the dagger gleamed in the moonlight.
*Where is my family?* The question burned worse than the ropes. When her elder sister had been taken years ago, their father had moved mountains to bring her back. Yet now, as her own blood dripped onto the altar, **no one came.**
A tear slipped down her cheek. *Oh, God of all things,* she prayed silently, *if you save me, I'll spend my life helping others. I'll feed the hungry, free the enslaved—I'll never bow to anyone but you. Just… please. Don't let me die like this.*
Then—a voice.
Soft, amused, curling through her mind like smoke.
**"Perhaps I'm the answer to your prayer."**
She stiffened. *An angel?*
**"A jinn."**
*What's a jinn?*
**"Angels are made of light. I am made of fire and soul. Some of us are kind. Some are cruel. Right now, I'm feeling… generous."**
The dagger hovered.
**"Save me!"** she begged.
**"I will,"** the jinn said, **"but I have a condition."**
*Anything.*
**"Marry me."**
She choked. *"What?"*
**"A thousand years together."**
*"I'll be dust in a century!"*
**"Then bargain, little queen."** His voice was warm, teasing. **"Or die in moments."**
Her heart raced. **"Five years."**
**"Too short. How will you even learn my name?"**
**"Ten. Final offer."**
A pause. Then—laughter, rich and bright.
**"Deal."**
Darkness wrapped around her, soft as a lover's embrace. The last thing she heard was the cult's shouts—**then the world vanished.**
---
### **The Escape**
When the darkness faded, she was **flying.**
No—*the jinn* was flying, his will guiding her body like a puppet. Wind screamed past them as they shot toward the treeline.
But one cultist stood firm. **"Praise to my Lady!"** he cried, and a shield of crimson light flared to life before them.
The jinn cursed. **"If we hit that, we're finished."**
*"I have a talisman!"* she thought desperately.
**"Then use it, wife!"**
She reached for the teleportation charm—
**The world tore open.**
They crashed into a massive tree, tumbling into a hollow of tangled roots. The jinn's presence flickered, his voice faint.
**"I shielded you… with half my soul. A little gratitude would be nice."**
She touched her ribs. No wounds. No pain.
The jinn's whisper was a brush of warmth against her mind:
**"Ten years, my queen. Let's make them unforgettable."**
Then—**silence.**
---
### **A New Journey Begins**
The girl sat up, breathless. Around her, the ancient tree hummed with magic. Somewhere beyond its roots, the world waited—a world where her family had abandoned her, where a jinn now owned her heart for a decade.
But as she looked down at her unmarked skin, she smiled.
*Maybe this isn't the end. Maybe it's the first real adventure of my life.*Dizziness make her unconscious. ** The world came back in fragments—**the smell of damp earth, the groan of ancient wood, the sharp ache of her body pressed against gnarled roots.** Liora blinked, her vision swimming as she pushed herself up on trembling arms.
*Where... am I?*
The last thing she remembered was **the altar, the chanting, the knife—**and then *him*. The voice in the darkness. The bargain that saved her life.
A dry chuckle echoed inside her skull. **"Took you long enough to wake up."**
She startled, nearly slipping on the moss. *"Who—?"*
**"Your dashing rescuer,"** the voice purred, smooth as embers. **"Though I suppose 'husband' is the proper term now."**
Liora's face burned. *"That was a bargain, not a wedding."*
**"Semantics."**
She huffed, rubbing her sore wrists. **"Who *are* you?"**
A pause. Then—
**"Kael,"** he said, the name curling around her like smoke. **"Jinn of the Hollow Star, former terror of the Southern Wastes, and as of ten years ago… your devoted partner."** His tone dripped mischief. **"Your turn."**
She hesitated. Giving her name felt like handing him a piece of herself—but what choice did she have? **"Liora,"** she muttered. **"Of House Veyth. Not that it matters now."**
Kael's presence sharpened. **"Veyth? As in the *Imperial* Veyths?"**
She stiffened. *He knows.*
Before she could respond, a **hiss** cut through the air.
Liora spun—just as a **serpent the size of her arm** lunged from the shadows, fangs bared.
**"Move!"** Kael roared.
She threw herself sideways, but the serpent twisted mid-air, striking again—
—only to **freeze** inches from her face, suspended in a shroud of **violet-black energy.**
Kael's power thrummed through the clearing. **"Ugly thing, isn't it?"**
Liora gaped as the serpent **dissolved into ash.**
**"You could do that the whole time?!"**
His laughter was a warm scrape against her mind. **"Not the *whole* time. That little stunt cost me the last of my strength."** A beat. **"Unless…"**
**"Unless what?"**
**"Unless you let me borrow *your* magic for a bit."**
She recoiled. **"Absolutely not!"**
**"Then I hope you're good at running,"** Kael said cheerfully—as **dozens more hisses** erupted from the trees.
---
### **The Dance of Fire and Fang**
Liora ran.
Branches whipped at her arms as she wove through the monstrous trees, the serpents' **scales rasping against bark** behind her.
**"Faster!"** Kael urged.
**"I'm trying!"** She risked a glance back—and stumbled.
A **serpent coiled to strike—**
—only to **explode** as a whip of dark fire lashed out from Liora's own hand.
She stared at her fingers. **"Did *I* just—?"**
**"No,"** Kael said smugly. **"That was *me*… with *your* magic. Tastes like sunlight and stubbornness, by the way."**
Liora wanted to strangle him. **"You *stole* it?!"**
**"Borrowed,"** he corrected. **"Now—**"
Another serpent lunged. This time, Liora **let Kael's guidance flood her limbs.** She pivoted, her palm flaring with borrowed power, and **slammed it into the creature's jaws.**
It **screamed** as violet fire consumed it.
**"See?"** Kael crooned. **"We make a good team."**
She gritted her teeth. **"We're not a *team*."**
**"Ten years says otherwise."**
---
### **Aftermath**
Panting, Liora leaned against a tree. The forest had gone quiet again.
**"They'll be back,"** Kael said quietly. **"The *Vipera Noctis* always return."**
She wiped sweat from her brow. **"Why are they here?"**
**"Because this forest thrives on lost things,"** he murmured. **"Lost souls. Lost magic. Like yours."**
A chill crept down her spine. **"What do you mean?"**
Kael hesitated—then sighed. **"Your family didn't abandon you, Liora. Someone use magic to let the world forget you."**
Her breath caught.
**"But don't worry,"** he added, his voice softening. **"I never forget a debt… or a wife."**
Liora swallowed hard. **"We need a plan."**
**"Already have one,"** Kael said. **"Find the *Starblossom*—a flower that can restore my strength. Then we hunt whoever erased you."**
She studied the shadows between the trees. **"And if I say no?"**