The torches in Fortress Valtheron burned low that night, their flames hissing against the damp chill that seeped into the palace walls. The throne room had long been emptied, but its echoes lingered—laughter at Kael's expense, his father's venomous decree, and the cold smirk on Darius's lips as he prepared to march east with the king's army.
Kael sat at the edge of his bed, the silver veil across his eyes gleaming faintly in the moonlight. His fingers brushed the stone windowsill as though reading the world through touch alone. Rylan stood across the chamber, sharpening his blade, the rasp of steel against stone steady, like a heartbeat.
"You're restless," Rylan said quietly.
Kael tilted his head. "Would you not be, knowing your people bleed while you are told to sit idle?"
"Your father gave his command."
Kael's lips curved into something between a smile and a grimace. "My father's command is not law to me. Not anymore."
Rylan lowered the blade. His eyes narrowed, but there was no hesitation in his voice. "Then you mean to defy him."
Kael rose to his feet, cane in hand, his posture straight as a soldier's. "The rebellion is not what he believes. I can feel it, Rylan. The unrest in Silverwood—it is tied to something greater. Something… calling."
"Calling?"
Kael's veil caught the moonlight, silver threads glowing faintly. "Like a voice I cannot hear, but cannot ignore."
Rylan sheathed his sword, crossing the chamber to stand before him. "If you go against the king, you will be hunted. Not just by him, but by Darius. He would relish the chance to see you fall."
Kael lifted his chin. "Then let him try."
Silence stretched between them, heavy as stone. At last, Rylan placed a hand on Kael's shoulder, his voice steady and resolute.
"Where you go, I go. If it means walking into fire, I'll walk beside you."
Kael's hand covered his friend's in quiet gratitude. "Then the fire shall be ours to command."
---
Far away, beneath the boughs of Silverwood, the forest had grown restless. The villagers whispered of strange omens—animals fleeing deeper into the trees, the river running silver at dusk, and dreams that left them trembling.
In the cramped cottage of Madame Erynis, Liora worked long into the night, her hands raw from scrubbing floors. Seraphine lounged nearby, sipping honeyed wine, her laughter sharp as broken glass.
"You missed a spot," Seraphine drawled, pointing lazily with her jeweled slipper. "Clean it again."
Liora's jaw tightened. She said nothing, her rag moving over the same patch of stone until her knuckles burned. Kaela, ever watchful, leaned against the doorway, her eyes blazing with unspoken fury.
When Seraphine finally tired of her cruelty and drifted off to her chamber, Kaela knelt beside Liora. "One day," she whispered, "I'll slit her throat while she sleeps."
Liora shook her head wearily. "No, Kaela. We cannot become like them."
"You cannot keep bowing forever," Kaela snapped, softer now but no less fierce. "There's fire in you. I see it. You're not meant for chains."
Before Liora could answer, a crash split the night. Outside, screams erupted. The door burst open, and a villager stumbled in, face pale with terror.
"Bandits!" he gasped. "From the hills—they're raiding the village!"
Kaela's dagger was in her hand before the words finished leaving his mouth. She pulled Liora to her feet. "Stay behind me."
The village was chaos. Flames licked the thatched roofs, shadows moved like demons through the smoke, and steel clashed against steel. Liora's heart pounded as Kaela dragged her into the fray, her friend cutting down a raider with a swift strike.
But one broke through the line—a massive man with an axe gleaming red in the firelight. He charged straight for them.
Kaela raised her blade, but the raider's strike was too strong. The force of it sent her crashing into the mud, her dagger skittering away.
"Kaela!" Liora screamed.
The raider's eyes turned on her. His grin was jagged and cruel. He raised the axe high—
And the world exploded.
The ground shook. The flames roared higher, bending toward Liora as if the fire itself obeyed her. Her scream became a burst of raw power, silver light erupting from her hands. The raider was hurled backward, slammed against a burning wall, lifeless before he hit the ground.
The villagers froze, staring. The flames twisted unnaturally, spiraling around Liora but not burning her. Her hair whipped around her face, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly brilliance.
Kaela scrambled to her feet, awe and terror mingling in her gaze. "Liora… what are you?"
Liora staggered, the light flickering, before collapsing to her knees. Her chest heaved, her hands trembling. "I… I don't know."
But far away, in the cold fortress of Calderis, Kael did know.
He jolted upright in his bed, his heart pounding. The ripple had become a wave, crashing through his soul. He could feel her—her power, her fear, her awakening.
Rylan rushed to his side. "What is it?"
Kael's voice shook with something between wonder and dread.
"She has awakened fully. The other half of destiny. Rylan… I must reach her before my father does."