“I love you, Mom,” I whisper, my voice trembling, fragile beneath the weight of everything I’m about to lose.
“I love you, too, my dove,” she says, her gaze softening for one last heartbeat, before the weight of duty settles back over her like armour. And then she turns, walking back toward her soldiers, toward the battle, toward the darkness.
In that moment, I realize, truly realize, that I’m leaving behind more than just my mother. I’m leaving the woman who gave me life, who nurtured me, who protected me with everything she had. The woman who sacrificed everything, even herself, to ensure I would survive. Every part of me wantsto scream, to run to her, to beg her to come with me, to be selfish. But I can’t, Elgar’s fate depends on it.
I don’t know how I manage to move, but somehow, my legs carry me forward, toward the young lycan. His eyes flicker to my mother, and then back to me, as if he can see the war inside me, the confusion, the desperation. But his expression doesn’t soften. If anything, it hardens.
“Where are we going?” I ask, my voice small and fragile.
I have to move, to do something, anything, to help. But my body feels hollowed out, as if parts of me are already gone. A shell, barely holding together.
Kai lowers himself in front of me, his head turning slightly to the side, urging me to climb on. I hesitate for just a heartbeat, then obey. My hands tremble as I grip his fur, warm, real. I’m leaving everything behind, my home, my family.
The life I once knew.
Anguish rises sharp and deep in my chest, an ache too big for words. On instinct, I bury my face in Kai’s fur, letting myself believe for just a moment that I’m safe. That this warmth might last.The tears fall quietly, clinging to that one fragile thread of comfort–though I know it’s nothing but an illusion.
Behind us, land burns, fire devouring everything in its path. A destructive force, as blinding light explodes in the distance. Its wave ripples toward us, heat melting the snow in its wake.
The world is changing, and so am I.
65
Kai
SURPRISE, SURPRISE
The way Avilyna’ssoul reaches for mine feels similar to a forgotten melody. Familiar, intimate, as if I’ve been humming it my whole life without ever knowing the tune.
My breath catches as she arches her back, and in that instant, a blinding burst of light erupts from her. It shoots into the sky, radiant and pure, illuminating the world for one breathless, eternal second. Before the darkness swallows it whole again, leaving behind only silence.
Still reeling, I leap into action. Pulling her from the warm stream, I lift her in my arms, holding her close as I carry her to where she left the blanket. As soon as Vi is on the ground, she doubles over. And I feel it, something inside me rips open—a sharp, gut-deep pull, as if her pain istetheredto my own.
Avilyna screams–raw, guttural, filled with pain. The sound slices through the cold air, sharp and primal. Her body convulses in the snow, thrashing as if something inside her is trying to tear its way free. Her spine bows unnaturally, fingers digging into the snowed earth, clawing for something solid as her body betrays her.
A snap, followed by the wet rip of flesh giving way, and wings emerge. Massive, creamy at the base, scorched by moonlight andfading to a stark white that catches the stars’ glow. Streaked with blood, dripping down her spine. Soaking the snow, steaming against the cold.
These wings weren’t born clean; they were earned through pain. With time, her skin will thicken and harden as she gets stronger, as I did with my lycan. Each movement of her wings sends gusts of air rippling through the cliffs, scattering snow.
They're breathtaking and radiant. Terrifyingly beautiful, these wings of light, just like she is, my little terror.
But then, it hits me.
A punch to the chest, pain that makes my breath catch. As if the world is folding in on itself, collapsing under a weight I don’t understand. A sharp claw twists through my mind, searing, unstoppable pain. And then everything comes flooding back. Drowning in screams, smoke, destruction, the forest, a harpy, Sammy, Nekros’ dark grin…
And her.
Then fire eats everything, while blood drips down my chin.
"I remember,"I choke out, my voice low, rough, as if it's been dragged from the depths of the mountain caves. And I do, I remember everything. The memory lock is gone, and with it, the illusion.
Fists clench, I wipe my face, my pulse crashing in my ears, deafening. She’s on her knees in the snow, shaking, glowing, bleeding. And all I want is to hold her and make it stop, but I can’t move. Because Vi, myVi, she’s the reason Sammy is dead.
That truth is the blade in my chest, twisting with every breath. Cutting through the part of me that still cares for her.The part that wants,needs, to believe she didn’t mean for any of this to happen. The part that would do everything to protect her…
My thoughts are a mess, not knowing if I want to save her or scream until my throat gives out. I’m unravelling, bleeding from the inside out, while she’s coming apart in front of me.
“Kai,” she whispers, voice splintered. “I’m sosorry.” Tears stream down her face. For a moment, just one, Avilyna looks so broken it’s unbearable, so I look away, coward.
