The morning after the Hydra's fall broke gray and cold over the marshlands. Mist coiled between the ruins where the Ashborn had camped, muting the world to silence. But inside Ryan's chest, the shard thrummed violently, as if mocking the fragile peace.
He hadn't slept. How could he, after what had happened?
Kaelin's kiss had burned like wildfire — urgent, claiming, raw. Lyra's had been the opposite — deep, anchoring, full of quiet certainty. Two halves of his heart, pulling in opposite directions, and he was still reeling from the weight of it.
Now, as warriors broke camp and sharpened steel, Ryan sat apart, the artifact pulsing warm against his palm. His thoughts tangled with every beat.
Kaelin strode past, her blade already strapped to her hip. She glanced at him briefly, but her usual smirk was gone, replaced by something sharp and guarded. She hadn't spoken a word since the firelight.
Lyra, on the other hand, approached him openly. Her hand brushed his shoulder as she passed, steady as always. "Eat something," she murmured. "The shard won't sustain you forever."
Ryan's stomach tightened. She acted as if nothing had happened — or maybe as if everything had.
---
The Commander's Orders
Hale's voice cut through the morning quiet. "Ashborn! Gather!"
The commander stood at the head of the ruined stair, his armor streaked with ichor but polished to a dark shine. His presence commanded silence instantly.
"The Hydra's death was a victory," he said, his voice carrying across the ruins. "But it was also a warning. The Obelisk fragments stir faster than we expected. One has been sighted near the Ember Spire."
Ryan's head snapped up. The Ember Spire — the jagged tower of black stone they had seen flickering on the horizon the night before.
Hale's gaze fell on Ryan, heavy and deliberate. "The shard-bearer will lead the next trial. His resonance with the fragments is stronger than any of ours. Without him, the corruption cannot be sealed."
Murmurs rippled through the warriors. Ryan's heart pounded. Me? Lead?
Kaelin stepped forward immediately, hand on her sword. "Then I'm with him."
Lyra's staff thudded against the ground as she joined her. "And I."
The two women didn't look at each other, but the tension between them was a blade in the air.
Hale's gaze swept them, unreadable. "Then so be it. But know this — the Spire will test more than strength. It will test the bonds you carry. If those bonds break, so will you."
Ryan felt the shard pulse at those words, as if echoing Hale's warning.
---
Breaking Point
That evening, as the company marched toward the distant Spire, Ryan finally pulled Kaelin and Lyra aside. They walked in silence until the campfires were behind them, the marsh falling quiet.
He turned, frustration boiling over. "We can't keep doing this. Last night—"
Kaelin crossed her arms, eyes flashing. "Last night proved you need to choose, Ryan."
Lyra's voice was quieter, but sharper. "No. Last night proved he isn't ready to choose. And pushing him will only break what we've built."
Ryan ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. "Do you hear yourselves? We just killed a Hydra. The world is tearing itself apart, and you're both—"
"—in love with you," Kaelin snapped.
The words hit like a blade to the chest. Ryan froze. Lyra didn't flinch — she simply lifted her chin.
"Yes," she said softly. "I won't deny it." Her eyes flicked to Kaelin. "And neither should you."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Ryan's throat went dry. "I… I can't—"
The shard pulsed violently, cutting him off, a throb that radiated through his whole body. Both women stepped forward instinctively, one hand each catching his arms. Fire on one side, calm on the other.
And in that moment, Ryan realized what Hale's warning truly meant: if he couldn't hold them together, the shard itself might tear him apart.
---
Toward the Ember Spire
By dawn, the Ember Spire loomed ahead, a jagged tower of black stone wreathed in smoke. Its surface glowed faintly, cracks pulsing like veins of molten fire. The very air trembled around it, heavy with corruption.
Ryan's steps slowed as the shard in his chest thrummed harder, resonating with the Spire. The closer they came, the louder its whispers grew.
Kaelin touched her sword hilt, eyes narrowed. "Whatever's waiting in there, we'll cut it down."
Lyra laid a hand on Ryan's shoulder, grounding him. "No. The Spire isn't a beast. It's a test. And tests… cannot be cut apart."
Ryan swallowed hard, staring up at the Spire's burning crown. His heart was already divided, torn between fire and calm, loyalty and longing.
And now, he would step into a trial designed to break exactly that.