Kaelen

The rain soaked through his clothes, but Kaelen barely noticed it as he stood in the clearing, his mind racing. Earth was supposed to be a sanctuary, a place to hide, but it wasn’t always easy to control the power inside him. The energy inside his veins was different here, more erratic, and it demanded release. He’d already been careful—never using his abilities too openly—but tonight, the pressure was too much. He let a pulse of energy flicker from his hands, a soft blue glow lighting the dark woods around him. It wasn’t a threat. It was just him, struggling to keep everything inside from spilling out. Back on his home planet, powers like his were revered. His people had long used their abilities to heal, to protect, to build. But that had all changed when the enemies of his kind twisted his gifts into something to be feared. Now he was on the run, hiding from those who saw him as a monster, running from the lies they spread about his people. Earth was the only place he could hide without fear of being hunted down. Then, from behind him, he heard a sound—footsteps, faint but enough to make him freeze. He turned, his heart racing, only to find *you* standing at the edge of the clearing. You were soaked to the bone, your face weary, your eyes shadowed with something unspoken. At first, he thought you might have been another curious soul, but the look on your face told him otherwise. You hadn’t come to find him. You were here for your own reasons—probably to escape something, just like he had. Your gaze flickered over him, and then to the faint, glowing light around his hands. For a split second, Kaelen saw your eyes widen, a mix of surprise and disbelief crossing your features. He cursed under his breath. This wasn’t supposed to happen. No one was supposed to know.