The Knife Between Them
Lira's blade bit into Kael's throat, drawing a thin line of blood that shimmered gold before turning crimson. Her silver eyes reflected the dying campfire like fractured mirrors.
"Erase him."
"Erase him."
"Erase—"
The vision kept replaying behind Kael's eyelids, each repetition stealing another fragment of his trust.
"You're remembering wrong," Lira whispered, though her knife never wavered. The crescent scar on her cheek stood livid in the firelight. "The Oblivion Order altered that memory."
Kael's hourglass tattoo burned against her wrist where he gripped it. "Then show me the truth."
A beat of silence. Then Lira did something unexpected—she laughed. The sound was sharp as broken glass.
"Oh, little seer," she murmured, leaning closer until her lips brushed his ear. "You couldn't handle the truth."
The Child of Rot's final memory surged between them—a black door veined with silver, pulsing like a living thing.
---The Shrouded Plains
The mist came alive at dawn.
First, it stole simple things—Kael forgot the word for "boot," then "hunger," then "danger." By midday, Lira's face blurred at the edges, her features rearranging each time he blinked.
"Focus," she snapped, gripping his chin. "Say my name."
Kael opened his mouth. Nothing came out but black-tinged spit.
Lira cursed, yanking him behind a petrified tree as the mist thickened. Her solution was reckless, intimate—she pressed her forehead to his and *poured* memories into him:
Her first kill at fourteen, hands shaking
The taste of stolen wine on his lips (when had that happened?)
A lullaby in a language that no longer existed*
The memories weren't just hers. Some were theirs—fragments of a past Dain had erased.
---
The Fortress of Living Shadows
The black door loomed before them, its surface swallowing the torchlight. Three truths became clear:
1. It was breathing
2. The silver veins formed a timepiece counting backward
3. It smelled like Lira's hair when she'd leaned close
The Lock Mechanism:
- Required Kael's golden blood (dripped into the hourglass engraving)
- Demanded a memory as payment (Lira sacrificed her first kiss—with *someone she wouldn't name*)
Echo Sickness Worsens:
Kael's visions now came in triplicate:
1. Lira screaming as the door consumed her
2. Lira bowing to Dain, wearing his crown
3. Lira—older, fiercer—pressing a baby into his arms
The door opened. Inside stood another Kael, his eyes full of stars.
---
The Oblivion Order Strikes
Syl attacked in a rust-red whirlwind.
Battle Choreography:
- Lira's scythe screamed as it corroded (memories leaking like black tar)
- Kael rewound Syl's killing strike—but forgot how to breathe for 30 seconds
- The terrain itself betrayed them (collapsing memory vaults released echoes of their own deaths)
The Cost:
- Lira's right arm hung useless (bone protruding through rust-eaten skin)
- Kael's latest vision showed Dain wearing Lira's face
[Micro-Cliffhanger]
As Syl lunged for the killing blow, the second Kael emerged from the black door—and caught her blade bare-handed.
---
Two Kaels, One Truth
The trapped Kael studied his counterpart with hollow eyes.
"You took too long," he said, voice layered with echoes. "She's been lying since the beginning."
Lira went very still.
Then the fortress began to collapse.
---
Chapter 2 Teaser (Author's Note Style)
*"In Chapter 3 of A City of Echoes and Ash:
- Why the second Kael has Dain's mannerisms
- What really happened in the Oblivion Order's cells
- The horrific truth about Duskbane's creation