The forest burned violet.
Sunrei stood at the cliff's edge, watching the unnatural fire spread through the trees below. The Eclipse moved like liquid through the undergrowth, their hollow eyes glowing in the predawn gloom. They weren't attacking. Not yet.
They were waiting.
Kaelis wiped her knives clean on her trousers, her jaw set. We can't fight that.
Cael's missing brand scar pulsed in time with the distant flames. We don't have to. We just need to reach the First Brand before they do.
Sunrei's hands curled into fists. Where is it?
A whisper brushed against his ear not Lithriel's voice. Lina's.
Where it all began.
The wind shifted, carrying the scent of salt and iron from the east.
Sunrei knew that smell.
The shore.
The place where this nightmare had started.
They moved like shadows through the dying forest.
The Eclipse ignored them, their attention fixed on some unseen signal. Sunrei's brand ached with every step, the markings pulsing like a second heartbeat.
Kaelis kept close, her knives ready. They're not even looking at us.
Cael's gaze darted to the treetops. They don't need to. The First Brand calls to them. To all of us.
Sunrei remembered the mural the figure in silver robes pressing a brand to a kneeling man's wrist. The kneeling man with his face.
How do we destroy it?
Cael's smile was razor-thin. We don't.
Then
The trees parted.
The shore stretched before them, littered with the wreckage of forgotten ships. And there, at the water's edge, stood a lone figure.
Lithriel.
No Lina.
Her silver hair whipped in the wind, her too-thin frame draped in tattered robes. She turned as they approached, her hollow eyes locking onto Sunrei.
Brother.
Her voice was wrong.
Too deep.
Too many layers.
Sunrei's brand screamed.
Kaelis's knife was in her hand before Sunrei could blink. Stay back.
Lina laughed a sound like breaking glass. Or what? You'll kill me? She spread her arms. Again?
Sunrei's breath caught.
Memory:
His hands, slick with blood.
Lina's body, limp in his arms.
Lithriel's whisper: This is the only way.
The memory shattered as Lina lunged.
She moved faster than should have been possible, her fingers closing around Sunrei's throat. He barely registered the impact as she slammed him into the sand, her weight impossibly heavy.
You left me, she hissed, her breath rancid. You left us all.
Black fluid dripped from her lips, sizzling where it hit Sunrei's skin.
Kaelis and Cael moved as one
Lina flicked her wrist.
They froze, their bodies locking mid-step.
Sunrei struggled beneath her, his brand flaring. Let them go!
Lina's head tilted. Make me.
Then she pulled.
Not on his body.
On his memories.
The world dissolved.
Sunrei stood in a field of white flowers, the sky above him a perfect, endless blue.
Lina sat beside him, her silver hair gleaming in the sunlight. She looked real here. Alive.
Do you remember this place?
Sunrei's throat tightened. No.
Lina plucked a flower, twirling it between her fingers. It's where we buried Mother. Where you promised to protect me.
The memory surfaced hazy, fractured.
A small grave.
A child's hand in his.
A vow: No matter what.
Sunrei's hands shook. What happened to us?
Lina's smile faded. You broke your promise.
The field burned.
Flowers blackened. The sky darkened to violet.
Lina's form twisted, elongating, her skin splitting to reveal the hollow darkness beneath.
Lithriel stared back at him.
You became the monster you swore to destroy.
Sunrei gasped back to reality, his body convulsing against the sand.
Lina Lithriel leaned over him, her hollow eyes gleaming. The First Brand is waking. And when it does, the Eclipse will have its king.
She reached for his wrist.
Sunrei's brand exploded.
Violet fire engulfed them both, the heat searing Sunrei's skin. Lina shrieked, her form flickering between girl and monster as the flames consumed her.
You can't fight it! she screamed. The brand is part of you!
Sunrei grabbed her shoulders. Then I'll burn with it.
The fire spread.
Sand turned to glass beneath them.
Somewhere in the flames, Lina whispered:
Find me.
Then she was gone.
The fire died as suddenly as it had begun.
Sunrei lay on the shore, his body wracked with pain. Kaelis and Cael stirred nearby, freed from whatever hold Lina had on them.
The Eclipse still stood at the tree line, their hollow eyes fixed on the horizon.
Waiting.
Always waiting.
Cael hauled Sunrei upright. What did she mean? Find me?
Sunrei's brand pulsed weakly.
He knew.
Somewhere, in the ruins of his memories, Lina was still alive.
And the First Brand was the key to reaching her.
The first rays of dawn painted the shore in gold and crimson.
Sunrei turned to the sea.
There, on the farthest wreck, something glinted in the light.
A figure.
A brand.
A beginning.
Sunrei took a step forward.
The Eclipse moved as one.
The war wasn't over.
It was just beginning.