After the bloodbath at the edge of the Bone Forest, the group felt a presence and pressed deeper in. The air got colder. The trees changed. No longer skeletal, now they're watching as well.
Yes. Watching. Eyes blink from bark. Faces form in the knots. The wind doesn't blow, it whispers.
"She is here."
"The prophecy walks."
"Secrets... rot in your marrow..."
They all hear it. All six freeze. Weapons out. Magic humming in their palms.
They enter a clearing known in ancient scrolls as The Hollow of Echoes. It's cursed ground. No one walks here and survives unchanged.
Except... they have no choice.
In the center sat a throne made of bones, wrapped in silver chains that pulsed like veins. A creature lounged there. Genderless. Skin like midnight oil. Horns wrapped in vines. Teeth filed to points. But its eyes? Rhiannan's eyes.
The creature smiled slowly. "Sister."
Cue the what the actual fuck moment.
Rhiannan stepped forward, stunned. "That's impossible." She barked sharply.
The creature rises, each step cracking the ground beneath. "We were born in the same breath. But you were taken to the light... I was left in the dark. One divine. One forgotten."
Kaleb immediately moves to shield Rhiannan.
Sable snarls, demon form twitching.
Liam has a spell locked and loaded.
Elisha growls, "She bleeds, you burn."
Arwen just growls menacingly.
But the creature just laughs. "You think I'm here to hurt her? I'm here to tell her the truth."
The trees react. The forest leans in.
Truth Bomb 1:
Rhiannan was not the only child of the goddess. She was one of twins.
When the Entity attacked the divine realm centuries ago, one baby was stolen and left behind during the escape. The gods thought the child died.
Wrong.
She survived, but was twisted by the Bone Forest itself. Molded into something both divine and corrupted.
Truth Bomb 2:
The reason the Bone Forest didn't fight Rhiannan? It knows her. It loves her. She was supposed to rule it.
Truth Bomb 3 (this one hits the mates HARD):
This creature knows secrets about every single one of them. She walks up to each:
To Kaleb: "Your mother made a deal with a god to save you as a baby. That mark on your back isn't a birthmark. It's a brand."
To Liam: "You're not the last vampire king. Your brother still lives. In hiding. Waiting to take your throne."
To Sable: "You were never meant to be bound to the Entity. It wasn't fate, it was choice. Someone traded your soul for power."
To Elisha: "That golden fire? It's not yours. It was gifted, by the same god who stole your ancestors' memories. You don't know half your own power."
To Arwen: "Your beloved sister? She's fated to become a vessel for the goddess. You may have to choose between saving her... or Rhiannan."
They. Lose. Their. Shit.
The group explodes into arguments and emotions. Mates yelling. Kaleb's pacing like a caged wolf. Sable's punching trees. Liam vanishes and reappears mid rage, trying to calm himself. Elisha is full on dragon growling. Arwen's eyes are wet but he's silent, devastated.
Rhiannan just stares at the throne. "What are you?" She asked softly.
The creature finally answers, stepping forward.
"Your mirror. The part of you no one ever wanted. But I am not your enemy. I came to warn you, he's already inside your castle. One of you is marked."
The forest screams.
The wind howls.
And the creature disintegrates into black mist, leaving behind a silver amulet pulsing with divine energy.
Mo pops out from behind a stump, munching on a glowing mushroom.
"Okay, I did not like that bitch. She had crazy eyes."
Then dead serious:
"But she wasn't lying."
"Take it off. Take it all off. Now."
Rhiannan's voice cracked through the air like thunder, cutting through the chaos as panic set in. Every mate froze.
"If one of us is marked, we're going to find it. Strip."
There was a second of stunned silence before chaos erupted again.
"This is insane," Kaleb barked.
"We can't trust anyone right now!" Arwen growled.
"Don't look at me like that, you scaled bastard," Liam snarled at Elisha.
"Fuck you, fang boy!" Elisha snapped back, eyes glowing, barely keeping the dragon at bay.
"GUYS!" Rhiannan shouted, and they all stopped again. "We do this. Together. Or we're already broken."
With hesitation, shirts were tugged off. Belts were undone. Boots kicked. Pants dropped. Underwear hit the ground. In moments, six warriors stood nude under the twisted sky, moonlight highlighting bruises, scars, tattoos... and secrets.
Sable crossed his arms, his demon eyes burning into each of them.
"There," Kaleb pointed with a guttural growl.
Liam slowly turned his arm, trembling. Beneath the flesh where his arm had regrown lay a shadow, pulsing like an oil stain just under the surface of his skin. His voice was barely a whisper. "I... I didn't even know that was there."
The entire group erupted.
"He's compromised!"
"We trusted you!"
"That thing took your arm!"
"Is it controlling you?!"
"ENOUGH!" Rhiannan's voice boomed with power. Magic flared around her, crackling with violet and gold sparks. "You will NOT accuse my mate like he's some villain! He's been through hell. And if that thing tried to mark him, then we'll fight it together. But you do NOT get to tear him down."
Liam sank to his knees, hands shaking. "What if it's true, Rhi? What if I'm the crack in the wall?"
Rhiannan knelt with him, cupping his face. "Then we fill it. Together."
They retreated, silently, back to the edge of the Bone Forest where the rebellion was gathering their fallen. The air was heavy. The sky wept with drizzle. Mo was quiet on Rhiannan's shoulder.
A massive funeral pyre stood ready, but the dead needed more than fire. They needed honor.
Rhiannan stepped forward. Faenet was live. The world was watching.
She stood barefoot in the forest dirt. Her pale skin was streaked with blood and ash. Her eyes sparkled, her long brown waves tangled around her freckled face.
"These were not soldiers. They were people. Fighters. Family. The best of us. They gave their lives because they believed in a better world. One where tyrants fall and the divine rise."
Her voice cracked. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Her fists clenched.
"I will not let this go unpunished. I swear to you, to them, to the gods themselves: if they take even one more from me, I will rip the heavens down stone by stone. I am DONE being a pawn."
Her magic exploded outward in a storm of silver and violet energy. The trees bent. The air shimmered. The ground rumbled.
Where the dead lay, a sanctuary formed.
Trees grew tall with crystal leaves. Flowers bloomed that had never existed before. A glowing barrier rippled into being, humming with her power. An eternal, impenetrable resting place.
Even Faenet trembled. The world mourned with her.
That night, they slept heavy with grief. Wrapped in one another. Protecting Liam, who still shook.
By morning, Rhiannan stood at the edge of the new sanctuary, hair braided back, eyes blazing with purpose. She summoned her strength, lifting both arms, and a massive portal opened in a storm of starlight.
The rebellion faction and the six stepped through, their hearts shattered and their magic wild.
Back to the dragon castle.
To heal.
To regroup.
And to prepare for whatever hell came next.