The jungle was restless.
The air buzzed with a charge Elara couldn't quite name—half danger, half fate. Thunder growled above the treetops, and soldiers moved like shadows through the mist. The medallion around Damon's neck pulsed faintly with red light, the curse stirred by memories too painful to stay buried.
Ajani stood by the edge of the command tent, watching the horizon. He hadn't slept in two days.
"Whoever crossed that barrier," he said without turning, "they weren't alone."
Elara's chest tightened. "It's him, isn't it? The man I… I was going to leave with."
Damon's face didn't move, but the lines around his mouth hardened. "What does he want now?"
Ajani turned to them. "Redemption. Or revenge. Maybe both."
"And you believe he's working with The Whisperer?"
Ajani nodded. "I saw his eyes. They weren't his anymore."
---
That evening, the base camp's outer sentries returned with another discovery.
A man.
He wore a dark military-style jacket, soaked in rain, his black hair slicked to his sharp features. His lips curved in a knowing smile, but his eyes—his eyes were voids. Familiar. Dangerous.
"Elara," he said.
Elara froze.
"Kieran?"
Kieran Vale. Her former lover. The man she had once believed she could escape with. The man who had promised her a life beyond the spotlight. The man who had vanished without a trace… until now.
Damon's jaw clenched. Ajani stood at the ready.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
Kieran smirked. "Looking for what was mine."
Ajani took a step forward. "You have no claim."
Kieran's voice was like silk wrapped around poison. "We'll see."
---
Later that night, Elara wandered the camp, her thoughts a tangle. Kieran was back. Changed. Twisted. And Damon… Damon had looked ready to rip him apart.
She found Damon at the outer edge of the base.
"You don't trust him."
"I've led men into fire. I've faced monsters in shadow. But nothing unnerves me like him."
"I thought I loved him," she admitted.
"Did you?"
"I don't know. It was more about escape than love."
Damon's voice was low. "And now?"
She met his eyes. "Now I think I've finally stopped running."
They stood close. The medallion at Damon's chest gave a low hum, like it sensed her honesty.
Suddenly, a voice interrupted them.
"Such a tender moment."
Kieran stepped out of the shadows, hands tucked into his coat.
"Tell me, General. Do you think she's worth it? After all she left behind?"
Damon's eyes turned to steel. "Leave."
Kieran laughed. "No. I've come too far. And Elara—she still owes me a goodbye."
Elara stepped forward, trembling. "You helped the Whisperer. Why?"
Kieran's smile vanished. "Because you left me in a world that hated me. And now I've found someone who doesn't."
Damon unsheathed his blade just enough to show the steel. Ajani appeared seconds later, tension humming in the air.
Kieran raised his hands in mock surrender. "Don't worry. I'll wait. The past always comes back."
He disappeared into the dark, leaving behind a storm of emotions.
Elara turned to Damon. "He was my past. You… you're my present."
He reached for her. "Then let's fight for our future. Together."