The small room was a prison of shadows, lit only by a single candle flickering on a worn wooden table. Its weak flame cast jagged patterns across the cracked walls, mirroring the turmoil in Zairen's soul. He stood in the center, his broad frame tense, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles gleamed white under his skin. His dark gaze burned with a fury Elyra had never seen before—a storm of rage, betrayal, and a deep, aching sorrow that made her chest tighten. She stood near the window, her breath shallow, her hands trembling at her sides. The air was thick, heavy with the weight of their shared past and the wounds that had torn them apart.
Zairen's shout broke the silence like thunder. "Why are you here, Elyra?" he bellowed, slamming his fist against the doorframe. The wood creaked loudly, the sound sharp and jarring, making Elyra heart jump. Her pulse raced, her mind spinning as she faced her brother—not the kind boy who once shared his bread with her, who laughed with her under the stars, but a stranger consumed by rage. His jaw was tight, his face twisted with fury, and the hurt in his gaze cut her deeper than any blade.
Elyra took a step back, her body trembling. She'd known Zairen her whole life—the brother who played with her in Kaelridge's estate sunny fields, who chased her through the estate's halls, shouting "Sis! Sis!" with laughter in his voice. Now, that same brother's fury stared her down, and the shock of it made her stomach twist. "I… I came to see you," she whispered, her words shaky, barely escaping her lips. Her fingers knotted together, trying to hold herself steady against his storm.
Zairen's eyes widened, then narrowed. A harsh, bitter laugh burst from him, cold and sharp, nothing like the joyful giggles of their childhood. "You came to see me?" he mocked, his tone thick with disbelief. "The great Elyra, Kaelridge's perfect prodigy, chosen to carry our family's magical legacy, came to see a failure like me? Hah!" His laughter grew louder, jagged, cutting through the room like broken glass. "What's the game this time? Did you come to throw more insults? To tell me I should've died? That I shouldn't have awakened my power? That I shouldn't have stepped foot outside that cursed place? Tell me, Elyra, why are you here?"
Her throat tightened, guilt and sorrow choking her. His words were daggers, each one slashing through the fragile hope she'd brought here. She shook her head, her vision blurring as grief surged inside her. "Zairen, please," she said, her words quivering. "I didn't mean what I said before. I was stupid, childish. I came to beg for your forgiveness." Her voice cracked, the words small against his towering anger. "I want to bring you home."
Zairen's laughter stopped abruptly, replaced by a sneer that made her heart sink. "Home?" he spat, his voice dripping with scorn. "What home? The one where I was tortured every day? The one where I went hungry, where I was lucky to get a single meal? The one where people like you—you—looked at me like I was nothing? Like I was better off dead?" His voice cracked, and for a moment, Elyra glimpsed the boy he used to be, the one who'd used to laugh who used to play. But that boy was gone, buried under years of pain and betrayal.
Elyra's eyes filled with tears, her vision blurring as she shook her head. "Zairen, I was wrong. I was immature, stupid. I said things I didn't mean. I… I hurt you, and I'm so sorry." Her voice broke, and she pressed a hand to her chest, as if she could hold her crumbling heart together. "Uncle and Aunty—they only want what's best for you. They're strict, yes, but they love you. Aunty treats me like a daughter, and you… you're like their son."
"Shut up!" Zairen roared, his voice shaking the walls. He stepped closer, his eyes blazing with a fury that made Elyra's knees weak. "Don't you dare talk about them like they are fucking god. I had only one mother, Elyra, and she's dead. I don't need another. And you—" He pointed a trembling finger at her, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "You're their precious prodigy, the owner of Kaelridge estate, the perfect one. Me? I'm nothing but a failure in their eyes. Your brother, the embarrassment. Don't pretend you care about me now."
Elyra's tears spilled over, streaming down her cheeks. She shook her head desperately, her voice rising with emotion. "You're not a failure, Zairen! You've never been a failure! Please, stop saying that. I… I care about you. I want to take care of you. Please, come home with me. The training here, with the elite soldiers—it's too dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt." Her voice cracked, and she reached out a trembling hand toward him, her heart breaking at the distance between them.
Zairen stared at her, his chest heaving, his eyes searching her face. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a flicker of softness, a trace of the brother who used to braid her hair when she was little. But then his gaze hardened, and he stepped back, shaking his head. "Don't you dare pity me with your crocodile tears, Elyra," he said coldly. "I don't need your sympathy. I don't need you. Get out of my sight."
Elyra's heart shattered at his words, but she refused to give up. She took a step closer, her hands clasped together as if in prayer. "Zairen, please," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "I'm begging you. I'm sorry for everything. I'll take any punishment you give me. I'll do anything to make this right. Can't you give your sister one chance?" Her voice broke into a sob, and she looked into his eyes, searching for the brother she'd lost.
For a moment, Zairen's expression softened, and Elyra's heart leaped with hope. She saw a flicker of the boy who'd once call her Sis!Sis!,with a smile,who'd once chased her through the fields,who'd shared his dreams with her under the stars. But then, like a storm rolling in, his face darkened. A memory flashed in his eyes—Elyra's betrayal, the moment she'd stood by as the hero tried to kill him, the moment she'd chosen power over family. His jaw tightened, and the warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, unyielding rage.
He leaned in close, his voice a low, dangerous whisper in her ear. "I will never forgive you, Elyra. Not now, not ever. You don't get a second chance. Now get out of my room before I make a scene and drag you out myself."
Elyra's knees buckled, her body trembling as his words sank in. "Zairen, please," she sobbed, her voice barely audible. "Uncle and Aunty are worried about you. They care about you."
"I don't care about them!" Zairen snapped, his voice rising again. "They're not my family. They never were. And you—" He pointed at her, his eyes burning with a mix of pain and fury. "You're not my sister. Not anymore."
Elyra froze, her breath catching in her throat. The words hit her like a physical blow, stealing the air from her lungs. "How can you say that?" she whispered, her voice trembling with shock and hurt. "What's happened to you, Zairen? What turned you into… this?"
Zairen's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Let's just say my eyes are open now. I see you for what you are. I see everything."
Elyra's heart pounded, a mix of regret and anger rising in her chest. "Zairen, if you train under Viscount Draven, you'll bring shame to Kaelridge. Our family's name, our legacy—it'll be tarnished. People will say a A Kaelridge abandoned our techniques to train with viscount soldiers."
Zairen's laughter was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade. "Oh, so that's what this is about? The precious Kaelridge name? You care more about that than you ever cared about me." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "Fine. I renounce it. I abandon the Kaelridge name. I don't want it. I don't need it."
Elyra's eyes widened, her heart lurching. "What? How can you say that? You are Kaelridge! You're my brother!"
"No, I'm not," Zairen said, his voice cold and final. "And the worst regret of my life is that you're my sister."
The words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Elyra's anger flared, her emotions spiraling out of control. Without thinking, she raised her hand, and a burst of wind magic erupted from her palm, slamming Zairen against the wall. He hit it with a sickening thud, a trickle of blood spilling from his mouth as he slumped to the floor.
Elyra gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as horror washed over her. "Zairen!" she cried, rushing toward him. "I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"
Zairen pushed himself up, his eyes blazing with fury. "Stop it!" he roared, his voice raw with pain. "Get out, Elyra! Now!"
Tears streamed down her face as she backed away, her heart breaking with every step. She paused at the door, looking back at him one last time, her voice trembling. "I'll come back, Zairen. I'll keep coming back until you forgive me."
Zairen didn't respond. He staggered to his feet, his breathing ragged, and stumbled to a chair. He pulled a potion from his ring, downing it with a grimace before slumping back, his eyes distant. "Damn it," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "She ruined everything."
As the door clicked shut behind Elyra, Zairen's mind drifted to his pastlife. He remembered the day she'd returned from her training with the royal mage, how she'd apologized to him with tears in her eyes. For the first time in years, he'd felt a spark of hope, a flicker of happiness. Things had gotten better for a while—small moments of warmth in a cold, cruel world. But it hadn't lasted. The blame, the scorn, the pain—it had all come crashing back, worse than before. And now, here he was, alone again, nursing wounds both physical and emotional.
He leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes. "Let's stop thinking," he whispered to himself. "Maybe tomorrow will be better."
But deep down, he wasn't sure he believed it.