“Look at them, Fionn. Your brothers live because you are willing to bear what they cannot…”
Fionn’s eyes flicked to his brothers,
to Torin’s hands as he played in the blood.
to Cillian trying to charm the girl as she lay taking her last breath.
to Donte’s hollow stare.
Then back to his own shaking fingers.
But his attention went to the girl on the floor.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed, the words barely a thread of sound. “I’m so sorry for what I had to do.” He spoke directly to the body on the floor, the life now gone from her eyes”
The Ecliptuari leaned down, whispering into Fionn’s ear like a Serpent. “Do not apologise for allowing the realm to survive Vareth’s curse for a decade. Your hands were marked for this long before you were born.
The Order does not reward innocence, only endurance. Let the fear feed the Hunter. Give into the heart, and it will devour you.”
I reached out, my fingers trembling as they ghosted over his bruised cheek. I wanted to scream into the dead air that he didn’tneed to kill the girl. I wanted to tell Cillian to get up and stop, but he was afraid the Ecliptuari would take his brother’s eye.
I wanted to rip Torin away from the blood and stop him being turned into a psychotic fool.
I wanted to rip Seraphina’s fucking throat out with my bare hands as I watched how she and the man they call Sire manipulated the four brothers into becoming the hunters they are today.
Namarelle tugged at me. We must go, your future awaits.
***
Faintness blurred my vision, and I found myself standing on a deeply polished black floor in a vast white room, surrounded by lit torches that shone like the sun. Through the towering windows, I saw a sky that was not my own. Two moons hung heavy above the horizon, and a red sun was rising—the red sun of Elora. I recognised it instantly.
The air shimmered with a thicker atmosphere, each breath feeling unfamiliar. Though Namarelle was gone from sight, I could feel her presence.
"Behold your future," she whispered.
When the light subsided, I realised I was naked, wrapped in a silk sheet. In front of me stood a large, ornate gilt mirror, its frame covered in writhing carved constellations. I wanted to turn away, to refuse the truth, but the pull was irresistible.
Intense sadness engulfed me as I began to age until I no longer recognised myself. Lines etched across my skin like cracks in porcelain, and my hair silvered strand by strand. My youth dissolved before my eyes, replaced by an older stranger. All the while, the room glowed red as the Blood Moon of Elora climbedhigher, its ancient curse searing through me, burning away what I had been. For a moment I felt connected to it.
Despite my reluctance, I felt drawn to the mirror. The silk sheet clung to me like a shroud, and my fingers trembled against the ruined reflection. All that remained was to see who I bonded with. Suddenly, I sensed their presence as if they stood right behind me.
Now I felt the pressure of Namarelle's hand pulling me off my feet, but I resisted. I had come this far; I needed to see who It was.
"Your fate is inevitable. You made the wrong choice," she warned. “I need to see. I need to know," I insisted.
Namarelle's grip trembled, her voice breaking with strain. "I cannot hold the vision, human."
"No! I’m not finished! This is what I came for," I replied.
For a heartbeat, I seized control. The light flickered, and the force slackened. Namarelle's eyes widened in shock as I fought to stay present. Just then, I noticed something flickering at the edge of my vision. I could have sworn I saw Fionn lurking in the corner of the mirror's frame. His features were blurred. I blinked, trying to bring him into focus. Then his figure shifted and another shadow formed behind me. Cillian's familiar shape emerged. For a moment, shadows danced across his face as the curse seeped into him, contorting his features into an older version just like me. Was I looking at Fionn or Cillian? Or was the curse simply wearing their faces to torment me? I couldn’t understand why both were in the same room.
But then I understood.
I wasn’t seeing one future. I was seeing two.
Darkness began to close in.
And then I met Namarelle’s eyes. She looked hollow, as if dragging me through the vision had drained the last of her strength.
