Chapter 4: **The Hunt Begins**

The sun had set, leaving the forest shrouded in darkness. The thick canopy of trees made it hard for even the moonlight to break through. The forest felt alive, with the rustling of leaves and distant cries of animals echoing in the still air.

Seraphina was in her small wooden house, sitting by the fireplace. Her grandmother sat in her old rocking chair, her face calm but tired. She had been acting strange all day, as if something was bothering her.

“Grandma,” Seraphina said softly, “is something wrong?”

Her grandmother looked at her with sad eyes. “I feel... uneasy, my dear. There is a heaviness in the air. I think danger is coming.”

Seraphina frowned. “Danger? What kind of danger?”

Before her grandmother could answer, a loud noise echoed through the forest. It sounded like footsteps—many of them. The ground seemed to tremble with each step, and the sound grew louder and louder.

Seraphina’s heart started to race. “What is that?”

Her grandmother stood up quickly, her frail hands trembling as she gripped her wooden staff. “They’ve found us,” she said in a trembling voice. “Seraphina, you must hide!”

“Who found us? What’s going on?” Seraphina asked, panic rising in her chest.

But her grandmother didn’t answer. She grabbed Seraphina’s arm and led her to a hidden trapdoor in the floor. “Stay here. Don’t come out until I tell you it’s safe.”

“No, I won’t leave you!” Seraphina cried, tears filling her eyes.

Her grandmother cupped her face with both hands. “You have to listen to me, child. Your power is a gift, but it’s also a curse. There are people out there who will do anything to use you for their own gain. You must stay hidden.”

Seraphina hesitated, but the sound of voices and the clanking of metal armor grew closer. She nodded reluctantly and climbed down into the small space beneath the floor. Her grandmother closed the trapdoor and covered it with a rug.

Outside, the forest was filled with shadows. The dark shaman led the group of royal guards through the thick trees. His long black robes dragged on the ground, and his twisted staff glowed faintly with a strange, dark light.

“Remember,” the shaman said in a cold voice, “we need the girl alive. Do not harm her. Kill anyone else who stands in our way.”

The guards nodded, their swords gleaming under the faint moonlight.

As they approached the small house, the shaman raised his staff. The black mist that surrounded him spread out, creeping along the ground like smoke. It slithered up the trees and seeped into the cracks of the wooden house.

Inside, Seraphina’s grandmother could feel the dark energy. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her own magic was weak, but she would do everything she could to protect her granddaughter.

The door to the house burst open, and the guards stormed in. The shaman stepped inside last, his eyes scanning the room.

“Where is she?” he asked in a low, menacing voice.

The grandmother stepped forward, holding her staff tightly. “You will not touch her,” she said firmly.

The shaman tilted his head, amused. “And who will stop me? You?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she raised her staff and muttered an incantation under her breath. A soft light began to glow around her, pushing back the dark mist.

The shaman frowned. “Impressive,” he said, “but it won’t be enough.”

With a wave of his hand, the dark mist surged forward, colliding with the light. The room filled with a blinding flash as the two powers clashed. Seraphina, hiding beneath the floor, felt the ground shake. She covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out.

Her grandmother fought with everything she had. She sent bursts of light magic at the shaman, forcing him to step back. But she was old, and her strength was fading. The shaman’s dark magic was too strong.

“Foolish woman,” the shaman said as he raised his staff again. “You should have stayed out of my way.”

He unleashed a powerful wave of black magic that struck the grandmother. She cried out in pain as the force threw her against the wall. Her staff fell from her hands, and the light around her faded.

Seraphina couldn’t stay hidden any longer. She pushed open the trapdoor and climbed out. “Grandma!” she screamed, running to her side.

The grandmother looked up at her with tears in her eyes. “Seraphina... you shouldn’t have come out...”

The shaman smiled, satisfied. “So this is the girl,” he said, his dark eyes narrowing as he studied her.

Seraphina glared at him, her hands clenched into fists. “Leave us alone!”

The shaman chuckled. “Such fire. But you will come with me, whether you like it or not.”

He raised his staff, and the black mist swirled around Seraphina, wrapping around her like chains. She struggled, but it was no use. The magic was too strong.

Her grandmother reached out, her voice weak but filled with determination. “You will not take her...”

The shaman sneered. “And how will you stop me? You can barely stand.”

The grandmother closed her eyes, summoning the last of her strength. A small orb of light formed in her hand. She threw it at the shaman, and for a moment, the black mist disappeared.

But the effort was too much for her. She collapsed to the floor, her breathing shallow.

“Grandma!” Seraphina cried, tears streaming down her face.

The shaman’s expression turned cold. “Enough of this,” he said. He raised his staff one last time, and a dark beam of energy struck the grandmother.

“No!” Seraphina screamed as she watched her grandmother’s lifeless body fall to the ground.

The shaman turned to the guards. “Take the girl. We’re leaving.”

The guards grabbed Seraphina, who struggled and screamed, but she couldn’t break free. They dragged her out of the house and into the forest.

As they disappeared into the night, the house grew silent. The only sound was the faint rustling of the trees, as if the forest itself was mourning the loss of the brave woman who had given her life to protect her granddaughter.

Seraphina looked back at the house one last time, her heart breaking. She felt anger, sadness, and fear all at once.

She couldn't predict her fate, she didn't know where she would be taken, and whether they would kill her cruelly.

But she could sense that all this seemed to be related to the dark energy in her.

No matter what, she had to be strong and figure everything out. She needed to avenge her dead grandmother!