---
Kael didn't trust her.
Not yet.
But the crystal she gave him pulsed with Damon's signature — and that was no coincidence.
Inside the ruined tower they had taken shelter in, Elira lit a small blue flame with a flick of her hand. It danced in her palm, casting flickers of light on her face. She sat across from Kael with the confidence of someone who had danced with death and made it kneel.
"Where did you get this memory shard?" Kael finally asked.
"I stole it," she said bluntly. "From Damon's courier. He's moving between Mortalis and Elyndor every full moon now. Planning something big."
"And you expect me to believe that?" Kael's voice was hard. "That you're just helping me out of kindness?"
Elira leaned forward. "No. I expect you to believe I hate him more than you do."
Her eyes flared with something — not anger. Not vengeance. Pain.
Kael said nothing. But he saw it.
"I was one of the Nexari, trained in the immortal arts," she continued. "Until Damon sold our location to Lucien's men. They killed my sister. I survived. Barely."
There it was — the mystery she hid behind those clever smirks.
"You had a sister?" Kael asked.
"Her name was Cyris," Elira whispered, eyes distant. "She always wore her boots on the wrong feet and believed stars were just holes in the sky where the light leaked through."
Kael softened for a second. "I had a sister too."
Silence.
Then a sudden thud. A heavy gust of wind blew through the tower, scattering ash and dust.
Kael was on his feet instantly. "That wasn't the wind."
"No," Elira said, drawing two obsidian daggers. "They're here."
---
Attack from the Hollowed
Creatures emerged from the mists — tall, thin, with hollowed faces and no mouths. Their howls came from inside the bones.
Kael's Aetherion surged. Blue lightning arched from his fingers, slicing one creature in two. Elira danced through them like a shadow, her daggers glowing violet. She wasn't just elegant — she was lethal.
"Not bad for a mortal," she teased between strikes.
Kael smirked. "Not bad for a liar."
Elira laughed — actually laughed — and for a moment, in the middle of chaos, it felt almost normal.
---
The Crypt of Mirrors
After the battle, they discovered the source: an old crypt hidden beneath the tower. On the walls, Kael saw symbols in a language he didn't recognize — glowing in his presence.
"What is this place?" he muttered.
Elira crouched, brushing dirt off a sigil. "It's one of the Veil Keys."
"Veil Keys?"
"There are six scattered across Mortalis," she said. "Whoever finds them all can open the gateway between the realms permanently."
Kael stared at the glowing walls. "Lucien wants this."
Elira nodded. "And he'll kill thousands to get it."
Kael clenched his fists. "Then we find the rest before he does."
She held out her hand. "Partners?"
He hesitated — then took it.
Her touch was warm.
Her loyalty... felt real.
---
Meanwhile… In Elyndor
Lucien Drax stood beneath a glass moon, his long silver hair rippling in the wind.
Beside him, Lyra Hale placed a kiss on Damon's cheek. She smiled — but her eyes flicked briefly toward Lucien, almost uncertain.
Lucien turned away.
"Let them dance for now," he murmured. "Kael will come. And when he does... he'll learn why his blood matters."
---
Back in the crypt, Elira opens the second chamber door.
Inside, a giant mural shows Kael's face—engraved in gold.
Below it, the inscription reads:
> "The Child of Flame and Star shall choose between vengeance… and the end of the world."
Kael stared at it, breath catching.
"Elira…" he said. "Why is my face here?"
---