The Call Beneath the Leaves

The wind played softly with the leaves when Arlen suddenly heard a whisper, quiet and strange:
Wake up.

He froze, his heart leaping, and turned his gaze to Kael. “Did you hear that?”

Kael looked at him, serious but completely calm. “No. I didn’t hear anything.”

Arlen stiffened slightly, trying to make sense of the sound, but his thoughts tangled. There was something deeper in those words, something he couldn’t grasp. He stood beside Kael, only a few meters away from the girls, yet the feeling that something was calling him lingered.

Meanwhile, Liora sat with Elara and Saira, explaining herbs and calming Elara. Suddenly, she too heard the whisper. It felt close, present, as if trying to say something important, but she could not catch the meaning. She paused, confused, her eyes drifting toward the trees, thinking it was merely her intuition.

Neither of them knew the other had heard it as well. Arlen believed the whisper was in his own mind, while Liora thought it was just a feeling. The air grew tense, filled with something unspoken and unresolved.

Liora murmured quietly to herself, “Who was that meant for? I asked the forest, but it didn’t answer…”

Arlen stood a few steps away, head tilted toward the trees, his thoughts in chaos. He didn’t understand the meaning behind the words, only that he needed to.

Neither he nor Liora knew the whisper had reached both of them. That ignorance lingered in the air like a faint vibration, trembling with tension.

Arlen stepped a little farther from the girls, eyes fixed on the forest’s edge where morning light blended with shadows. The whisper still echoed in him.
Wake up.
Why now? Why him? He couldn’t explain it. But something about the words felt like a summons, something bigger than him. A weight of responsibility pressed on him, yet something in him felt drawn toward it, curious, almost pulled.

His gaze drifted to Liora. She sat beside Elara and Saira, calm yet somehow distant, as if her mind was far away. Her presence brought him warmth, but his thoughts kept circling around the whisper, around a truth he could almost feel but not name.

“What if it really is important?” he muttered. “What if… it’s meant for me?”

He didn’t want to disturb Liora or reveal his inner turmoil. So he simply stood there, shoulders slightly tense, hands in his pockets, listening to every rustle and shift of the forest.

The whisper moved like a shadow around him, subtle yet relentless. Arlen felt he needed to be ready for whatever was coming. A feeling settled in his chest: whatever it was, it had begun.

Liora leaned over a small pile of herbs, her fingers brushing gently over the leaves, when something unusual caught her attention. The wind shifted differently, the leaves brushed against her hand, and she felt a faint pulse in the air, as if nature was trying to speak.

“This… isn’t normal,” she whispered.

Elara and Saira watched her, though they still didn’t understand what she had sensed. Liora looked toward Arlen, who stood several meters away, eyes distant, thoughts far beyond the clearing.

“Is this… connected to you, Arlen?” she asked under her breath.

The air around her tingled with something unexplainable.
Both she and Arlen had heard the same whisper, though neither knew the other had heard it too. Something important was stirring.

Liora inhaled deeply, trying to refocus on the herbs, but her thoughts drifted restlessly. Something significant was unfolding, though still hidden.

Kael observed Arlen, who stood apart, clearly troubled by his thoughts. He quickly decided his friend needed something to pull him out of his head.

“Listen,” Kael said, his tone carrying a familiar mischievous grin, “I know a temporary cure for that overthinking.”

Arlen eyed him cautiously. “And what cure is that?”

Kael walked toward the old forge, grabbed a sword, and lifted it. “This will wipe your mind clear.”

In one swift motion, he tossed the blade through the air toward Arlen.

Arlen caught it instinctively. “Seriously?”

Kael stepped closer, still wearing that grin. “Of course. You’ll have to focus if you want to spar.”

Arlen tightened his grip around the hilt. The weight of the weapon pulled his thoughts sharply back into the moment. The tension, the confusion, all eased for just a heartbeat.

“Ready?” Kael asked, stepping back to give him space.

Arlen nodded, exhaling softly as he took a stance.

The three girls turned toward them, watching. Liora held her breath for a moment, her eyes tracking Arlen’s movements.

Saira rolled her eyes. “Naturally. Kael and his eternal need to show off.”

Elara nodded faintly, still weak, but her gaze followed the scene with quiet curiosity. Liora allowed a small smile, knowing well how Kael couldn’t resist a dramatic moment.

Arlen felt their eyes on him, but this time he refused to be distracted. He centered himself, following Kael’s movements carefully.

Kael smirked. “Just make sure you look impressive afterward. Someone’s watching you.”

Arlen ignored the comment, though his grip tightened just a little.

They began. Kael struck swiftly, but Arlen responded with calm precision. His movements grew smoother, more fluid, the sword flowing like an extension of his will.

The girls watched, and Liora felt something freeze inside her. His movements were no longer ordinary. Something within him had awakened. Something more.

Her heart leapt. Something pulled her toward him.

Her gaze locked with his as he completed another elegant swing. There was something in his eyes—something that resonated with her. Something that shouldn’t matter, but did. Something powerful.

“Is he the one who’s meant to wake up?” her intuition whispered.

Warmth and a faint ache surged in her chest. A feeling she didn’t want to admit.

Arlen had no idea she was watching him like that. He didn’t know that every movement stirred something in her. She didn’t know that the whisper he had heard echoed subtly within her too.

The silence between them held an unseen energy, a moment where the future still hid in the shadows, yet its paths were already forming beneath their feet.