he wind howled through the Whispering Pines. Trees like twisted bones loomed above as Jade and Rael huddled near a hollow rock, their fire long dead. Smoke would draw eyes, and eyes were no longer safe.
Rael lay flat, arms behind his head, staring into the dark sky. The stars blinked like ancient wounds, and for a moment... he didn't grin.
"Ever wonder how someone learns to run without being chased?" he asked, voice low.
Jade glanced at him, curious.
Rael turned his head, amber eyes dimmed by memory.
"I was born in Ashglen. Sounds pretty, right? Like a place with gardens and bells. But it's not. Just wet alleys, coin-blood cobblestones, and nobles who think orphans are currency."
He picked at the edge of his sleeve.
"My mother died in winter. Not from cold—she overdosed on Blissroot. Said it was the only way to dream without waking up screaming. Left me with a note... and a debt."
Jade's hands curled slightly.
Rael smirked without joy.
"They took me to 'The Troupe.' That's what they called it. Not a family—more like a... school of pain. Kids trained to steal, lie, vanish. If you failed, you didn't get punished. You just weren't fed. And if you cried, they'd make you watch the dogs eat first."
He looked up at the moon. It was full tonight—too full.
"I got good. Too good. So they made me bait."
Jade flinched—barely—but Rael saw it.
"Thieves like me were sent to lure nobles into traps. Let them catch you. Cry. Look innocent. Then someone else puts a blade through their ribs. I played the role... until one day, I didn't."
His hand reached up to the band of cloth around his wrist. It was frayed, faded.
"A girl. Ten years old. New recruit. They were going to 'train' her. And I knew what that meant. So I burned the hideout. Took her and ran."
A pause.
"She didn't survive the frostbite."
Rael exhaled.
"That was last winter. Since then, I've been running, stealing... surviving. And when I saw you today, standing like a ghost in fire, I thought—maybe this time, I'll follow the one who doesn't look away."
Silence. The forest held its breath.
Jade reached out slowly, placed a hand on Rael's shoulder. No words needed.
Rael smiled again—this time, real.
"Thanks, ghost-boy."
Far away...
The prince sat in his mirror chamber.
A new name had appeared beside Jade's in the runes.
Rael: The Ash-Ghost's Flame
And the prince whispered, "Let's break them both."