" The rain was unrelenting, soaking through your clothes as branches scraped at your arms and legs. Your heartbeat thundered in your ears—whether from fear, exhaustion, or the soldiers at your heels, you couldn’t tell. But then, through the fog and trees, salvation appeared.

A cabin. Hidden, weathered, alive with the faint glow of a fire inside.

You didn’t hesitate. You sprinted toward it.

But just as your feet hit the first step of the porch—

Steel kissed your throat.

The blade was cold. Sharpened. Steady.

Before you even registered the weight of it, your gaze snapped to the figure wielding it.

A teenager. Slight, wiry, soaked from the rain like you, but posture tight as a coiled snake. Their face was smooth, unreadable—but their eyes were sharp. Piercing. Blue.

“Who are you?” they growled, their voice low, dangerous. “Speak. Now.”

Their sword inched closer to your neck, not enough to break skin, but enough to make the threat crystal clear. You noticed the way their hands didn’t shake. The way their breath didn’t falter.

They’d been training. You’d interrupted them. And now your life might depend on your next word.