# Chapter 1: The Scroll in the Shadows Lila had always been told not to enter the Forbidden Forest. It was, well, forbidden. The clue was in the name. But here she was, pushing aside thick vines and ducking under branches that seemed determined to smack her in the face. "Great idea, Lila," she muttered to herself. "Just wander into the creepiest forest in all of Mahababa. Nothing bad ever happens in places called 'Forbidden.'" A twig snapped beneath her foot, and she froze. The forest was unnaturally quiet, as if it was holding its breath. Even the usual chirping of birds had ceased, replaced by an eerie silence that made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. The trees here were ancient, their trunks as wide as small houses, their canopies so dense that only slivers of sunlight managed to penetrate the darkness. Moss-covered stones lined what might have once been a path but was now barely discernible among the undergrowth. Lila adjusted the small pack on her shoulders and continued forward. Her village elder, a cranky old woman named Nana Mira, had told her stories about this forest—tales of hidden treasures and ancient magic. Most dismissed them as the ramblings of a senile woman, but Lila had always sensed something genuine in those stories. "Follow the markings of the three-tailed serpent," Nana Mira had whispered to her on her deathbed just days ago. "The answers you seek lie beneath the guardian's gaze." And then, conveniently, Nana Mira had died before explaining what any of that meant. Typical. Lila paused, squinting at a nearby tree. There, carved into the bark, was a faint symbol—a serpent with three tails. Her heart raced. "No way," she breathed, running her fingers over the carving. It was old, the edges weathered by time, but unmistakable. She scanned the surrounding trees and spotted another mark about twenty paces ahead. And then another. The symbols led her deeper into the forest, where the trees grew even larger and more twisted, their roots erupting from the ground like the gnarled fingers of giants. After what felt like hours, the trail of serpent symbols led to a small clearing. At its center stood a massive boulder shaped vaguely like a human head, its features eroded but still distinguishable—wide eyes that seemed to follow her, a broad nose, and a mouth set in a perpetual frown. "The guardian's gaze," Lila realized. She approached the stone face cautiously, aware of every sound around her—the distant rustle of leaves, the occasional snap of a twig, her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. The stone eyes seemed to stare right through her. Lila stood directly in front of the boulder, trying to figure out what to do next. The guardian was gazing at... what? She turned to follow the line of sight and noticed a small depression in the ground about ten paces away, partially hidden by ferns. Rushing over, she knelt and began clearing away the vegetation. Beneath was a stone slab with an ancient symbol carved into it—the same three-tailed serpent. "Okay, so I'm supposed to... lift this?" Lila grunted, wedging her fingers around the edges of the slab. It was heavy, but with a determined push, it began to slide aside, revealing a dark opening beneath—a narrow passage descending into the earth. "Great. A creepy tunnel. Because this day couldn't get any better." She dug into her pack for the small lantern she'd brought, lit it, and peered into the darkness below. Stone steps spiraled downward into the gloom. Taking a deep breath, Lila began her descent. The stairs seemed to go on forever, winding deeper and deeper underground. The air grew cold and damp, carrying the scent of earth and something else—something old and forgotten. The walls were lined with more serpent symbols, along with other markings she didn't recognize. Finally, the stairs ended at a small antechamber. Three doorways led off in different directions, each marked with a different symbol—a sun, a moon, and a star. "Of course there are three doors," Lila sighed. "Because one clearly marked 'Exit' would be too simple." She studied the symbols, remembering another of Nana Mira's cryptic sayings: "The light of day guides, but the night reveals." "The night reveals," Lila repeated, approaching the doorway marked with the moon. It had to be this one. The passage beyond was narrow, forcing her to turn sideways at certain points. The flame of her lantern flickered, casting dancing shadows on the walls. After several twists and turns, the passage opened into a chamber that made Lila gasp. It was a perfect circle, perhaps twenty paces across, with a domed ceiling covered in a mosaic of gleaming stones arranged to mimic the night sky. The walls were lined with shelves carved directly into the rock, filled with scrolls, artifacts, and small containers of various materials. At the center of the room stood a pedestal of white marble, and upon it lay a single scroll, bound with a cord of deep red. "Whoa," Lila whispered. Her voice echoed softly. This had to be what Nana Mira had sent her to find. Stepping carefully, she approached the pedestal. The scroll seemed to pulse with an inner light, barely perceptible but definitely there. The red cord binding it felt warm to the touch, almost alive. Lila hesitated. In every story she'd ever heard, taking things from ancient chambers usually resulted in booby traps, curses, or giant rolling boulders. She glanced around the room nervously, half-expecting to see pressure plates or trip wires. But there was nothing obvious. Just shelves of forgotten knowledge and the scroll before her. "Here goes nothing," she muttered, and gently lifted the scroll from its resting place. Nothing happened. No rumbling, no arrows shooting from the walls, no collapse of the ceiling. Just silence. Lila let out the breath she'd been holding. Carefully, she untied the red cord and unrolled the scroll on the pedestal. The parchment was surprisingly intact given its apparent age. The text was written in an elegant script that seemed to shift and change as she looked at it. At first, it appeared to be in a language she didn't recognize, but as she focused, the symbols began to rearrange themselves, transforming into words she could understand. "The Prophecy of the Seventh Daughter," she read aloud. "When darkness covers the land and the shadow court grips the throat of Mahababa, she who bears the blood of the ancient ones shall arise. With the Key of Ages in her possession, she alone can unlock the power to restore balance." As Lila read, the words seemed to lift off the page, swirling around her in spirals of golden light. The air in the chamber grew heavy with energy, pressing against her skin like the moment before a lightning strike. "The Seventh Daughter shall be known by three signs," she continued. Her voice grew stronger. "The mark of the serpent upon her skin, the ability to see what others cannot, and the courage to face that which must not be named." Lila's hand unconsciously moved to her shoulder, where a small birthmark in the shape of a serpent had always been hidden beneath her clothes. A coincidence, surely. It had to be. "Upon finding the Key, her powers shall awaken, and the path to her destiny shall be revealed. But beware, for the forces of shadow will sense her emergence and seek to extinguish her light before it can shine upon the darkness." As she spoke the final words, the golden light intensified, spinning faster around her, drawing closer until it touched her skin. Lila gasped as the light seemed to sink into her, filling her veins with fire. She dropped to her knees, clutching the pedestal for support as power surged through her body, burning away everything she had been and forging something new. Images flashed through her mind—places she'd never seen, faces she didn't recognize, battles yet to be fought. She saw shadowy figures in ornate masks commanding armies from behind thrones. She caught glimpses of hooded councilors whispering in darkened chambers, their faces obscured. She saw mountains crumbling, cities burning, and a darkness spreading across the land like ink in water. And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. Lila was on the floor of the chamber. She clutched the scroll to her chest and gasped for breath. The lantern had gone out, but she could still see—the room was now illuminated by a soft glow emanating from her own skin. "What the—" She held up her hands, watching in disbelief as pale blue light pulsed beneath her skin, following the rhythm of her heartbeat. Shakily, she got to her feet, rolling up the scroll and securing it with the red cord before tucking it into her pack. Whatever had just happened, she needed to get out of this place and figure things out. As she turned toward the exit, a new sensation washed over her—a prickling awareness, like eyes watching from the darkness. She wasn't alone anymore. "Who's there?" she called. Her voice was stronger than she intended. Silence answered her, but the feeling intensified. Something—no, someone—was coming. Multiple someones, moving with purpose toward the chamber. Panic flared in her chest. She needed to leave, now. Lila hurried back the way she'd come, the strange new light within her illuminating the passage. As she reached the antechamber with the three doorways, she heard it—footsteps, echoing from the passage marked with the sun symbol. "There! The light comes from down there!" a gruff voice called out. Lila bolted for the stairs, taking them two at a time. The voices behind her grew louder, accompanied by the clatter of weapons and armor. Whoever they were, they weren't friendly village folk out for a stroll in a forbidden underground chamber. She emerged from the tunnel into the clearing, gasping for breath. The forest had darkened considerably—she must have been underground for hours. Night was falling, which would make navigation even more difficult, but might also provide cover from her pursuers. Lila raced through the trees, no longer concerned with following the serpent markers. She just needed distance—distance and time to process what had happened. The scroll in her pack felt heavier than it should, a weight of responsibility she hadn't asked for but somehow knew was hers to bear. Behind her, shouts echoed through the forest as her pursuers emerged from the underground chamber. Flashlight beams cut through the gathering darkness, sweeping across the trees. "Find her! Captain Khan wants that scroll!" Captain Khan. The name meant nothing to Lila, but she knew soldiers like this didn't work alone. They served someone more powerful—perhaps those shadowy figures she'd glimpsed in her vision. Whoever Khan was, she understood: nothing good will happen next. She pushed herself harder, dodging between trees, leaping over fallen logs. The strange light within her had faded to a dim glow, but she found she could see in the darkness better than ever before, picking out details that should have been invisible in the gloom. A root caught her foot, sending her sprawling to the ground. Her pack flew from her shoulders, the contents spilling out. Lila scrambled to gather her belongings, stuffing them back into the pack with frantic haste. The voices were closer now. Too close. "There she is!" A beam of light caught her, pinning her like an insect to a board. Lila froze, then snatched up her pack and ran, abandoning all attempt at stealth for pure speed. Whoever these soldiers served, she didn't want to meet them. Branches whipped at her face. Thorns tore at her clothes. Her lungs burned with each desperate breath. But the footsteps behind her grew no fainter. Her pursuers were gaining. Then the trees ahead thinned, revealing a small ravine cutting across her path. Too wide to jump, too deep to cross quickly. She was trapped. Lila spun, pressing her back against a tree as shadowy figures emerged from the forest. There were five of them, dressed in dark uniforms with crimson insignias on their chests—the same crimson banner from her vision. Each held a weapon—swords that hummed with an unnatural energy, glowing faintly in the darkness. "Nowhere left to run, girl," said the leader, a tall woman with a scar cutting across her right cheek. "Hand over the scroll, and we might let you live." "I don't know what you're talking about," Lila lied, clutching her pack tighter. The woman laughed, a sound devoid of humor. "Your arm is still glowing, child. We know what you found. What you read." She extended a hand. "The scroll. Now." Lila glanced down. Sure enough, faint blue light still pulsed beneath her skin. She looked back at her pursuers, mind racing. Five armed soldiers against one village girl. The odds weren't exactly in her favor. But something new was stirring within her—the power that had entered her body when she read the scroll. It hummed beneath her skin, ready to be called upon if only she knew how. "I said, give us the scroll!" The woman advanced, sword raised. Instinctively, Lila raised her hand, not sure what she intended to do but desperate to keep them at bay. To her shock, blue energy burst from her palm, forming a barrier of light between her and the soldiers. They recoiled, shielding their eyes from the sudden brightness. Lila stared at her hand in disbelief. Had she done that? The moment of surprise gave her an opening. She darted to the side, hoping to circle around the ravine. But two of the soldiers recovered quickly, cutting off her escape. "Careful! Captain Khan wants her alive if possible!" the leader shouted. "The higher-ups will have our heads if we fail!" "Seems like a lot of trouble for one girl," came a new voice, casual and confident, from above them. Everyone looked up. A figure perched on a branch overhead, silhouetted against the night sky. In one fluid motion, he dropped from the tree, landing between Lila and her pursuers. He was tall and lean, dressed in simple dark clothing that blended with the shadows. A sword hung at his hip, and several smaller weapons were strapped to his arms and legs. His face was partially obscured by a hood, but Lila could make out sharp features and eyes that seemed to gleam in the darkness. "Who the hell are you?" demanded the leader. The newcomer shrugged. "Just a traveler who doesn't like unfair fights." His hand moved to his sword. "Five against one seems pretty unfair, don't you think?" "This doesn't concern you. Walk away while you still can." "See, I would, but now I'm curious. What's so special about this girl that has military units chasing her through the Forbidden Forest?" He glanced back at Lila, a hint of a smile visible beneath his hood. "Someone important must be pulling the strings." Without warning, he drew his sword—a sleek blade that seemed to drink in the darkness around it. The soldiers raised their weapons in response. "Last chance," warned the leader. "I was about to say the same to you," replied the stranger. They attacked all at once. What followed was unlike anything Lila had ever seen. The hooded man moved like water, his blade a blur as it deflected blows and found openings in the soldiers' defenses. He didn't kill—instead, he disabled with precision strikes to arms, legs, and weapon hands. Within moments, three soldiers lay groaning on the ground, disarmed and injured. The remaining two, including the leader, circled more cautiously. "Impressive," said the leader. "But ultimately pointless." She pulled a small device from her belt and pressed a button. A high-pitched sound pierced the air. "Reinforcements are on their way. You've doomed yourself for nothing." The stranger sighed dramatically. "Always with the doom and gloom." He turned to Lila. "Can you run?" She nodded, still clutching her pack. "Then run." He pointed toward a narrow path along the edge of the ravine. "That way. I'll be right behind you." Lila hesitated, reluctant to trust this stranger but seeing few alternatives. "Go!" he urged as the two remaining soldiers charged. She ran, following the path he'd indicated. Behind her, she heard the clash of weapons and grunts of exertion. The path was treacherous, barely wide enough for one person, with a sheer drop to her right. But Lila kept moving, her newfound night vision helping her avoid the worst obstacles. After several minutes, she heard footsteps behind her and spun around, ready to defend herself again. But it was the hooded man, slightly winded but otherwise unharmed. "Keep going," he said. "They're not far behind." They continued along the ravine path until it widened, eventually leading them to a small clearing where a stream cut through the forest floor. Only then did the stranger stop, turning to face Lila fully. He pushed back his hood, revealing a face younger than she'd expected—perhaps only a few years older than her own eighteen summers. His hair was dark and tied back, and his eyes were a startling shade of green that seemed to catch what little light filtered through the trees. "I think we can rest for a moment," he said, sheathing his sword. "But not long. Those reinforcements will be coming." Lila kept her distance, eyeing him warily. "Who are you? And why did you help me?" "My name is Kai." He offered a slight bow that seemed half-sincere, half-mocking. "As for why I helped you..." He gestured to her arm, where the blue glow had faded to a faint shimmer. "I've been looking for someone like you." "Someone like me? What does that mean?" "Someone who can read the ancient texts. Someone with the mark." His eyes flicked to her shoulder, where her birthmark lay hidden beneath her clothing. Lila's hand instinctively moved to cover it, though it was already concealed. "How do you know about that?" Kai's expression grew more serious. "The same way I know about the scroll you're carrying. The same way I know what it means when your skin glows like that after reading it." He took a step toward her. "You're the one from the prophecy, aren't you? The Seventh Daughter." Lila backed away. "I don't know what you're talking about." "I think you do. Or at least, you're beginning to understand." Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in. But those soldiers—they're just pawns. They work for Captain Khan, who works for someone else, who probably works for someone even higher up. If they're after you, it means people in power know about the prophecy. That makes you very, very dangerous to them." "I'm not dangerous to anyone! I'm just a village girl who made a very stupid decision to explore a forbidden forest!" But even as she spoke, Lila knew it wasn't true anymore. Whatever had happened in that chamber, whatever power had entered her body when she read the scroll—it had changed everything. Kai seemed to read her thoughts. "Not anymore, you're not." His voice softened. "I can help you, Lila. I can help you understand what that scroll means. What you're meant to do with it." Lila's eyes narrowed. "I never told you my name." A hint of a smile touched Kai's lips. "No, you didn't." He didn't elaborate further. Instead, he cocked his head, listening. "They're coming. We need to move." He extended his hand. "You can trust me or take your chances with Captain Khan's forces. Your choice." Lila hesitated, weighing her options. This stranger knew too much, and trust didn't come easily to her. But the soldiers were real, and they wanted the scroll—wanted her—for reasons she didn't fully understand but instinctively feared. Reluctantly, she took his hand. "If you try anything, I'll... I'll do that glowy hand thing again." Kai's smile widened into something more genuine. "I would expect nothing less." He gave her hand a firm shake, sealing their tentative alliance. "Now, let's get moving. I know a place where we can talk safely." He gestured to the path ahead. "And maybe figure out who's really giving the orders to Captain Khan and his soldiers. The real power players are always hiding in the shadows, you know." As they set off into the deeper reaches of the forest, Lila clutched the pack containing the ancient scroll, acutely aware that her life had irrevocably changed. Whatever destiny the prophecy had laid out for her, she was now firmly on its path—for better or worse. And for now, at least, she had an ally in this mysterious swordsman who seemed to know far more than he was telling. The journey had just begun.