Hidden Flame

Prologue: The Forgotten EmbersIn the heart of the sprawling Evershade Forest, where the ancient oaks whispered secrets to the wind and the ground was carpeted with a mosaic of fallen leaves, lay the small, unassuming village of Elmsworth. It was a place where the sun rarely dared to tread, and the shadows danced with a life of their own. This was where Ethan lived, a boy of sixteen summers, with eyes that held a world of unspoken stories and a heart that beat to the rhythm of a forgotten drum.