The earth still trembled.
Cracks spread like black veins beneath the soil, and trees groaned with a lament that seemed to come from another world. Aisha barely remembered how she made it back to the cabin, but one image was seared into her mind—the sight of a fallen body among the corpses.
Rasen.
Skiller already knew. He had sensed it even before seeing it.
Him—the one who had transformed him into the first Diurnal, the one who taught him to love the sun—had returned.
And his presence was too dangerous to be exposed.
"I have to hide you well…" Skiller had whispered hours earlier, when he found Rasen among broken branches and dried blood. Now, even with the secret compromised, Rasen still felt like his to protect. His to keep alive.
When Aisha rushed toward the lifeless body, Skiller emerged from the trees, his arm broken, his face shadowed by fear.
"Let me take him inside, Aisha," he said. His voice was soft, but beneath it lay something that wouldn't accept refusal.
She hesitated—then nodded.
Later, in a secluded corner of the refuge…
The air in the room had grown thick after the clash between Sanathiel and Varek, the latter only stopping his attack at the last second, fists clenched to hold back his strike. Aisha, standing at the center of it all, felt the weight of the situation pressing down on her chest. The forest lights flickered between the beasts surrounding them, and there, in the middle of it all, lay the unconscious body of a tall, slender man.
As if the forest itself had rejected him, the creatures withdrew. Aisha steeled herself and recognized him—Rasen.
Her fingers trembled as she reached for his cold hands, trying to warm them. Skiller stepped forward, startling her.
"Let me take him inside, Aisha."
Later, in the dim refuge, Aisha watched Rasen with growing dread. His face was tense, his pallor unnatural—not just from unconsciousness. Something dark moved beneath his skin, something even she could sense now that she understood more about the Nevri and their curses.
The door creaked open.
Aisha turned, expecting Solomon—but it was Varek who entered, his stride calm, his violet eyes burning with something unreadable.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, suspicion sharp in her voice.
Varek didn't answer immediately. His gaze locked onto Rasen, studying him as if he could see what lurked inside.
"It's not just him," he finally murmured, his voice low and grave.
Aisha frowned. "What do you mean?"
Varek stepped forward, leaning over Rasen with unsettling care—like he was afraid of waking something else.
"Sariel resides in his body," he said, the words hitting Aisha like a thunderclap. "My brother Sariel… lives inside your beloved Rasen."
Her breath caught. "Sariel?" Her voice shook. "No… that's impossible. Rasen is—"
"—waiting for the right moment to use him as a new vessel," Varek cut in, his calmness more terrifying than any rage.
The world around her seemed to crumble. Sariel—a name that had always been a distant echo—now loomed over her like a living nightmare. A shiver ran down her spine.
No. Not him. Not Rasen.
Her stomach twisted. The air thickened, as if reality itself was about to collapse.
"How do you know?" she demanded, desperation cracking her voice.
"Because I'm not like them, Aisha. My gifts are different. One of them is seeing what others cannot." His violet eyes bore into hers.
She stared back, torn between confusion and anguish. Varek exhaled, stepping back from Rasen and turning to her.
"It's my responsibility to correct this mistake," he said, his tone unyielding. "Even if it means destroying Rasen's body."
Her legs threatened to give out, but she forced herself to stand firm.
"Then what do we do?" she asked, fear and determination warring in her voice.
Varek crossed his arms, his expression colder than ever.
"First, you stay away from him. Sariel is cunning, Aisha. He knows you have a bond with Rasen—and he will use it to manipulate you."
"Stay away?" she snapped. "That's your solution? I can't just abandon him!"
"I'm not telling you to abandon him," Varek said, his voice softening slightly. "But you need to understand—saving him means facing Sariel. And when the time comes… you'll have to make a choice."
The silence that followed was suffocating. Varek's words hung like a death sentence.
"I can't," she whispered, shaking her head. "I can't do that."
"You'll have to," Varek said, merciless. "There won't be another option."
Before she could respond, Solomon pulled her away from the brothers' argument, clutching an ancient book. He convinced her to try a ritual—one that might summon Rasen's true self back.
The air grew heavy, oppressive. Shadows stretched and writhed like living things. A whisper slithered from the darkness, a presence that made every instinct in her scream run.
Before her, a crystal cup pulsed with her own crimson blood, as if it had a heartbeat.
"Focus, Aisha," Solomon murmured. "Feel the bond. His essence is tied to you."
She closed her eyes, trying to block out the chaos inside her. This is for Rasen. Her blood was the key. This ritual was the lock.
But in the darkness of her mind, something stirred.
A voice—cold, seductive, not hers.
"Do you really think you can save him, little one?"
Her eyes flew open. She searched for the source, but only saw shadows dancing on the walls.
"Did you hear that?" she gasped.
Solomon studied her. "What did you hear?"
"A voice…" Her breath came fast. "It was Sariel."
Solomon smiled—but it wasn't reassuring. "The ritual is working."
Then—BOOM.
The door burst open.
Sanathiel's dominating presence flooded the room before he did, his fury a storm barely contained.
"STOP!" he roared.
Solomon stepped between them, defiant. "You're too late, Alpha. The ritual has already begun."
Sanathiel ignored him. His burning gaze locked onto Aisha.
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" His voice was raw—not just with anger, but something deeper. "You're calling forth something you can't control."
She lifted her chin. "I'm doing what you never dared to. Saving him."
Sanathiel grabbed her shoulders, his grip desperate. "You don't understand—this isn't a game!"
She shoved him away. "And what do you know? All you do is try to control me!"
For a heartbeat, his mask slipped. "I do it because I can't lose you," he admitted, the words barely audible. "I won't lose you."
Her resolve wavered—but she forced it back. "I don't belong to anyone. And I won't stop."
Varek stepped forward, his voice a blade slicing through the tension.
"Aisha, you must decide who to trust. Time is running out… and if you hesitate too long, the next time you look at Rasen, there may be nothing left of him."
As his words hung in the air, the shadows on the wall twisted violently—forming a tall, slender figure. The temperature plummeted.
A whisper filled the room.
"You can't save him, Aisha… but you can join me."
She whirled toward Rasen—
But his body was no longer still.
His eyes opened.
Not Rasen's eyes.
Dark. Empty.
A slow, chilling smile spread across his face.
"Hello, Aisha," Sariel said, using Rasen's voice.
"I've been waiting for you."