The fortress had not known peace in years, but after the entity's assault, even the shadows seemed uneasy. The air pressed thick and heavy, every corner of the ancient halls whispering warnings Elena could not name.
She walked through the ruins in silence, her mark faintly glowing beneath her sleeve. Every pulse of silver was a reminder of the bond, a reminder that she was no longer entirely her own. Kael followed at a distance, his presence steady yet weighted, as if he carried the weight of the entire Veil on his shoulders.
Neither spoke much after the battle. Words felt fragile, and silence seemed safer. But silence was not peace—it was only the pause before the storm.
That storm came sooner than Elena expected.
It began with a voice.
Not Kael's. Not the entity's.
Her mother's.
"Elena."
The word sliced through the corridor like a blade of memory. Elena froze, her breath caught, her heart slamming against her ribs. Slowly, she turned toward the sound.
And there she was.
Her mother stood at the far end of the ruined hall, dressed in the same worn apron she always wore in their small cottage, her hands dusted with flour, her smile warm and bright.
"Elena," she said again, voice trembling with affection. "You came back."
Elena's knees nearly buckled. "No… no, this isn't real."
Kael was at her side in an instant, his shadows rising like a shield. His voice cut low and sharp. "Don't listen."
But Elena's heart ached, her eyes burning with tears she didn't want to shed. "It's her. It sounds like her."
Her mother stepped closer, the illusion so perfect it made Elena's breath stutter. The scent of bread carried on the air, the softness in her eyes exactly as Elena remembered.
"You've been gone so long," her mother whispered. "Come home. Come back to me."
The mark seared against Elena's skin. She staggered, clutching at her arm, torn between the desperate yearning in her chest and the shadows pulling her back.
Kael grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were fierce, but beneath the fire burned something else—fear. "It's not her. It's never her. It's the entity."
Her mother's expression flickered, just for a moment—her smile warping, her eyes sharpening with hunger.
Kael's shadows lashed out, striking the illusion, but instead of shattering, it laughed.
"Elena doesn't believe you," the voice taunted, twisting into something darker, crueler. "She wants me to be real. Because you, shadow-bearer, can never give her what she's lost."
Elena trembled, torn between the two forces. Her mother's hand reached out, soft and beckoning. Kael's grip held firm, grounding her.
"Elena," he said, his voice breaking. "Look at me. Don't let it take you."
Her chest heaved, tears spilling free. "I don't… I don't know if I can."
"Then let me carry it," Kael snapped, his shadows surging higher. "You don't have to fight it alone."
The illusion's face twisted, its form warping into something monstrous. Silver chains coiled around it, binding its shape, as the entity's true voice bled through.
> "She was weak, and so are you. You will break as all the others have."
The chains lashed out, wrapping around Elena's wrists, her throat, pulling her toward the shadow of her mother. Her breath choked, her vision blurring.
Kael roared, shadows exploding from him, tearing at the chains—but they tightened, feeding on Elena's hesitation, on her longing.
"Elena!" Kael's voice thundered through the storm of magic. "Choose! Choose me—choose yourself!"
Her heart cracked under the weight of it. Her mother's face—warm, loving—pulled at her soul. Kael's eyes—fierce, unyielding—anchored her to the present.
Her mark burned hotter than ever, silver fire searing through her veins. She screamed, wrenching her hands free, the light blazing out in a burst that shattered the illusion to dust.
Silence fell, heavy and suffocating.
Elena collapsed to her knees, sobs tearing from her throat. Kael was beside her in an instant, his shadows curling around her like a shield, not restraining but protecting.
"It wasn't her," she gasped, her voice broken. "It wasn't—"
"I know," Kael murmured, his tone uncharacteristically soft. He knelt in front of her, his hands steadying her trembling form. "But it felt like it. That's how it works. It knows your heart, Elena. And it will use it."
Her tears fell freely, hot against the cold stone. "I don't know if I'm strong enough."
Kael's hand brushed her cheek, a touch so rare, so hesitant, it stole her breath. His eyes, dark and haunted, locked onto hers.
"Then I'll be strong for both of us."
Her heart twisted painfully, not from the entity's grip this time, but from the raw truth in his voice. She leaned into his touch, just for a moment, letting herself believe.
Later that night, they sat in the great hall, the fire casting long shadows across the stone. Elena's eyes were still red from crying, her body heavy with exhaustion.
Kael stood at the hearth, staring into the flames. His silence was heavier than usual, weighted with things unsaid.
Finally, Elena broke it. "The entity used my past. My mother. What did it use against you… before?"
Kael's hand tightened against the stone mantel. For a long time, he didn't answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was rough, like a blade dulled by use.
"My brother."
Elena blinked. "You… you had a brother?"
Kael's shadows shifted uneasily. "Had. He was Marked before you. Stronger than me. The entity took him. Broke him. And I—" His voice caught, his jaw tightening. "I couldn't stop it."
Her chest ached, her throat thick with unspoken grief. She had never heard him speak of family before, never seen him this bare.
"I swore I wouldn't let it happen again," Kael continued, his gaze fixed on the flames. "But the bond makes you a target. It's only a matter of time before it tries harder. Before it—"
He broke off, his shadows curling tighter.
Elena rose, crossing the hall to stand beside him. Without thinking, she slipped her hand into his. His shadows flinched, but didn't pull away.
"You won't lose me," she said softly, her voice steady despite the fear clawing at her. "Not like that."
His eyes met hers, raw and unguarded. For a moment, the shadows stilled completely, as if even they believed her.
But the entity was not finished.
That night, Elena dreamed again.
She stood in the cottage she had grown up in, the scent of bread filling the air, the warmth of her mother's hands brushing her hair. Her father laughed in the next room, her brother teased her from the table.
It was perfect. Too perfect.
The mark seared against her skin, warning her. But the voices, the smiles, the comfort—she wanted to believe. She ached to believe.
Then Kael's voice broke through, faint and distant.
"Elena. Wake up."
She turned, and there he was—standing in the doorway, shadows clinging to him, out of place in the home of her childhood.
Her mother's hand gripped her wrist. Too tight. Too strong.
"Elena, don't listen," Kael called, his voice urgent. "It's not them. It's the entity."
Her father's laughter twisted into a scream. Her brother's face melted into shadow. Her mother's grip turned into chains.
Elena cried out, torn between the comfort of what she'd lost and the reality clawing to reach her.
Kael stepped forward, his shadows cutting through the chains, his hand reaching for hers.
"Choose me," he pleaded, his voice breaking. "Choose the truth."
Tears blurred her vision. She reached. Their hands met.
The dream shattered.
Elena woke in Kael's arms, her body trembling, her face wet with tears. His grip was firm, grounding, his voice low and fierce.
"I've got you," he whispered. "You're still you. I won't let it take that."
Her breath hitched, her heart slamming against her ribs. She clung to him, not out of weakness but out of the desperate truth—they were stronger together.
For the first time, she believed it.
And the entity, watching from the shadows beyond, seethed.
Its game had only just begun.