Chapter 30: Echoes of the past
The air in the war room was staler than usual.
Everyone had gone quiet after Cain's final words. For once, no one had a joke. No snark. Just a collective realization that they were standing on the edge of something... ancient. And dangerous.
Lucien finally broke the silence. "Okay, so who wants to summon daddy dearest from the underworld and ask him why he ruined our lives?"
Ayden rolled his eyes. "You joke too much when you're scared."
"I live in fear, Ayden. Humor is my trauma response."
Cain rubbed his temple. "We need to figure out where he hid the soul shard."
Selene leaned over the map laid out on the table, her fingers tracing the red-inked locations Cain had circled. "If we go here," she pointed to a place marked Valemire, "there's a legend about a well that echoes your soul's deepest secret. It might react to Ezekiel's magic."
Ayden nodded slowly. "That's near the border of the old war zone. We'll be exposed there."
Lucien grinned. "So, y'know... perfect place for an emotional breakdown. Let's go."
Eira sat by the windowsill of her temporary room, a notebook balanced on her knees. She hadn't written anything in years. But now, she found herself scribbling names. Cain's. Selene's. Lucien's, with an annoyingly perfect jawline.
She crossed out Cain's.