The forest screamed in silence. Fog clung between ancient branches, swallowing the faint light of the moon. Amidst the damp undergrowth, hurried footsteps echoed — fast, desperate.
Selene ran. Her breath hitched, blood flowed from the base of her arm, red seeping through her torn black cloak. The sky quivered with the echo of magic, and the very earth seemed to hunt alongside them. The Holy Council was closing in.
"She's headed west!" a man's voice bellowed from behind, followed by a burst of blue light from a destructive spell, flying straight at her.
With the last of her strength, Selene raised her hand. A dark aura wrapped around her wrist, and magic surged — a murky violet beam shattered the attack and summoned a wall of black smoke. But she knew it would only buy time, not save her.
She collapsed beside an ancient tree. Her body trembled — not from fear, but from sorrow. One by one, her allies had fallen. She was alone. The world called her "The Forbidden Sorceress," but no one ever knew why she chose this path.
"If this is my end… let me be the one to choose it," she whispered.
Selene pulled out the locket hanging from her neck. A pale green light pulsed within. The Ritual of Shadows — a forbidden art, but the only way to stop her soul from vanishing.
She placed the locket on her chest and softly recited the incantation.
"My soul, leave this shadow. Seek a light yet untouched…"
A small flash burst forth — not loud, but quiet, enveloping her body like mist. In an instant, Selene could no longer feel the world. All sound vanished. Her body slumped at the foot of the tree. But her soul still lived — floating in the void.
In the space between worlds, Selene saw the silhouettes of bodies ready to receive a soul — corpses still warm, weak forms waiting for death. But only one glowed.
A girl. Young. Frail. And blind. Lying motionless on a ragged mattress in a small, secluded valley hut. No one nearby. Her body called out — not with strength, but with purity.
Selene resisted. She had been a battle sorceress. Living as a blind girl without power was a prison. Yet, the light from that body grew stronger… and it pulled her in before she could choose.
Dripping water. The scent of dry grass. Stillness.
Selene awakened.
She wasn't in the forest. Not in darkness. But everything… was white. And… empty.
She tried to rise, but her body was weak. Her hands were thin, bones sharp beneath skin. When she tried to open her eyes, only darkness greeted her.
"Why… can't I see?" Her voice was hoarse.
She touched her own face — her eyes were there, but no light. Blind.
Slow footsteps outside made her freeze. An old woman entered, carrying a bowl of water and a wet cloth.
"Oh, dear. You're awake." The voice was full of warmth and relief.
Selene didn't answer. She simply listened — with ears and intuition. She could feel the absence of magic in this body. Everything was sealed. She was trapped in a form not her own.
"Who… am I?" she asked, testing.
The woman gave a bitter smile. "You're an orphan. We found you collapsed at the forest's edge a week ago. Nearly dead. But now… God has saved you."
Selene stayed silent. Maybe it wasn't God who saved her. Maybe this was punishment.
The days that followed moved slowly. The body was too weak to move freely. Every step needed help. But Selene adapted — learned to listen to rustling leaves, smell damp earth, hear the wind through the window cracks.
She kept her secret well. No one knew who she really was. They only saw a blind girl with no name. The old woman called her "Luma."
Quietly, Selene let the name stick.
But in her soul, a fire still burned. She was not just a fugitive. She was still Selene — and she would rise again.
On the seventh night, Selene stood outside the hut, reaching for a sky she could not see.
The night breeze brushed her face, and from afar, the caw of a crow echoed. The sound haunted her heart. She knew — the old world had not let her go.
She whispered softly,
"You may be blind… but I won't lose to the darkness."
And beneath the moonlight, in a body fragile and eyes that saw nothing, a shadow began to rebuild itself — slowly, but surely.
To Be Continued…