The forest reeked of poisoned honey.
Kael stumbled through the trees, his bare feet sinking into moss that squelched like rotting flesh. Moonlight filtered through the canopy, casting skeletal shadows that twitched as if alive. His stolen cloak—stiff with dried blood and ash—chafed his neck, but he welcomed the pain. It reminded him he was still human.
Or something close to it.
A twig snapped behind him. He whirled, the black glass shard trembling in his grip.
"Show yourself," he growled.
Silence.
Then—laughter.
It was a cruel, familiar sound, echoing through the trees like shattered glass. Varyn.
Kael's pulse roared. He followed the sound, ignoring the thorns that clawed at his legs. The forest thickened, leaves dripping with venomous sap that hissed where it struck the ground.
He found his brother at the heart of a clearing, kneeling beside a twisted oak. Varyn's armor gleamed silver in the moonlight, untouched by the forest's decay.
"You're slower than I remember, brother," Varyn said, not turning.
Kael's grip tightened on the shard. "Why did you do it?"
Varyn stood, his face a mask of mock pity. "Why?" He laughed again. "Because Father loved you. Because she loved you. Because I loved you—and you never saw me."
A branch cracked overhead.
Kael glanced up—and froze.
A girl crouched in the tree, her dagger aimed at his throat. She had Lira's face. Lira's eyes. But her gaze was hollow, a puppet's stare.
"Kill him," Varyn ordered.
The girl leapt.
Kael dodged, the blade grazing his shoulder. He grabbed her wrist, time thrumming in his veins.
Steal her seconds. Age her to dust.
But her eyes—Lira's eyes—locked onto his.
He hesitated.
The girl slammed her forehead into his nose. Pain exploded, hot and bright. She twisted free, dagger flashing.
"Fight, you fool!" Varyn taunted. "Or is your heart still as soft as Mother's?"
Kael's vision blurred. Not from pain—from rage.
He lunged, shard slashing. The girl parried, her movements fluid, familiar. She fought like Lira. Danced like Lira.
"Who are you?" he demanded, deflecting a strike to his ribs.
She didn't answer. Her dagger nicked his cheek, blood mingling with his tears.
Varyn smirked. "Meet my masterpiece. I rebuilt her from Lira's ashes. Her body. Her skills. But none of her… weakness."
The girl's blade plunged toward Kael's heart.
Time slowed.
Kael saw it then—the faint scar on her collarbone, shaped like a crescent moon. Lira's scar.
His breath hitched.
He dropped the shard.
The dagger stopped a hair's breadth from his chest. The girl trembled, muscles straining against an unseen force.
"Lira," Kael whispered.
Her empty eyes flickered.
Varyn snarled. "Kill him!"
The girl screamed—a raw, broken sound—and flung the dagger away. She clutched her head, collapsing to her knees.
Kael reached for her. "It's me. It's—"
An arrow hissed through the dark, piercing Varyn's shoulder. He staggered, cursing.
"Until next time, brother," he spat, vanishing into the shadows.
The girl scrambled backward, wild-eyed. "Stay away!"
Kael froze. "I won't hurt you."
She bared her teeth. "Liar. You're a monster. I've seen your face in my dreams."
He flinched. "What dreams?"
Before she could answer, the forest erupted in howls. Shapes moved in the dark—hulking, twisted things with glowing amber eyes.
The forest's guardians.
The girl seized his arm, her touch ice-cold. "Run. Or you'll die here."
"Why help me?"
Her gaze faltered. "I don't know."
They fled, the creatures' snarls echoing behind them. Kael risked a glance at her—the curve of her jaw, the way she gripped his hand.
Lira. Not Lira. A shadow. A lie.
But for now, a lifeline.