The crack in the Void Mirror sealed shut behind them, leaving only the echo of Kael's memory lingering in the air like smoke. Elara flexed her fingers, the cursed amulet's chain still coiled around her wrist like a serpent. It was warmer now—almost alive.
Kael stood rigid, his back to her, shoulders tensed as if bracing for a blow. The vision of his past had scraped him raw, and she could see it in the way his knuckles whitened around the hilt of his dagger.
"You saw nothing," he repeated, voice low.
Elara rolled her eyes. "If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."
He turned sharply, his void-black eyes burning. "What do you want? Pity? A confession?"
She stepped closer, close enough to see the faint tremor in his hand—the one he always kept hidden. "I want to know why the hell we're still alive. That mirror should've devoured us."
A beat of silence. Then, grudgingly: "It tried. But the amulet… intervened."
She frowned. "It helped us?"
"No." His lips curled. "It decided we're more useful unbroken."
The chain around her wrist pulsed, as if in agreement.
The tomb had changed again. The walls were gone, replaced by an endless stretch of black sand beneath a starless sky. In the distance, a single torch burned—a flickering blue flame that cast no heat.
Elara's instincts screamed. "This is a trap."
Kael didn't argue. "It's a test. The amulet's testing our compatibility."
She scoffed. "Compatibility? We're not some arranged marriage."
His gaze slid to her. "Aren't we?"
Before she could retort, the torch flared. The blue fire erupted into a wall, rushing toward them like a tidal wave.
Elara reacted on instinct—her silver vines burst from the ground, weaving a shield. But the flames didn't burn. They judged.
The fire wrapped around her, whispering in a language older than time:
"Would you die for him?"
She laughed. "Hell no."
The flames hissed, tightening. Then—
"Would he die for you?"
Her breath caught. Because suddenly, she wasn't sure.
The fire vanished. Kael stood untouched, his expression unreadable.
"You hesitated," he said.
Elara clenched her fists. "You didn't answer at all."
The sand beneath their feet shifted, forming symbols—ancient, jagged runes that glowed crimson.
Elara recognized them. "A binding oath."
Kael's jaw tightened. "It wants a vow."
"Of what? Loyalty? Love?" She snorted. "I'd rather swallow my own dagger."
The runes pulsed, and pain lanced through her—sharp enough to make her knees buckle. Kael wasn't faring much better; a thin trail of blood trickled from his nose.
The amulet was done playing.
Elara gritted her teeth. "Fine. What do we swear?"
The runes rearranged, spelling out a single phrase:
"Blood for blood. Life for life."
Kael exhaled sharply. "A life-debt. If one dies, the other follows."
Elara's stomach dropped. "That's not a partnership. That's chains."
His smile was razor-edged. "Welcome to my world, banshee."
The runes flared, demanding.
There was no choice.
Elara slashed her palm with her dagger, letting the blood drip onto the sand. Kael did the same.
The moment their blood touched, the world screamed.
The pain was unlike anything Elara had ever felt—like her veins were being rewired, her soul stitched to another. When it faded, she was on her knees, gasping.
Kael crouched beside her, his hand hovering over her back. Not touching. Never touching unless forced.
"It's done," he said quietly.
She glared up at him. "You knew this would happen."
"I suspected."
"And you didn't warn me?"
His eyes darkened. "Would you have believed me?"
She opened her mouth—then froze.
A figure stood in the distance. Tall. Hooded. Holding a blade made of shadows.
Kael followed her gaze and went utterly still.
Elara didn't need to ask. She knew.
The real trial had just begun.
The figure stepped forward, lowering its hood.
Elara's breath caught.
It was her.
Or rather, a twisted reflection—her silver hair turned black, her eyes glowing violet with corrupted magic.
The doppelgänger smiled. "Hello, little thief."
Kael's voice was a warning. "Don't listen to it."
The shadow-Elara tilted its head. "Why not? I'm the part of her you'll never understand. The part that hates you."
Elara forced herself to stand. "What are you?"
"Your fear." It raised its shadow-blade. "And your failure."
Then it attacked.