Morning sunlight filtered through the woven canopy of Anikin's tree-home, casting soft dapples of gold across the floor. Birds chirped gently beyond the open arches, and the scent of sweet herbs wafted through the air. The group had spent the night in relative calm, though the lingering weight of suspicion from the Shadowkin villagers still hovered like mist.
Ariwin entered the common room with a soft rustle of her robes, her expression gentle yet resolute. Her dark gray skin was faintly marked with glowing violet sigils—her own connection to the Icehart pulsing quietly beneath the surface.
She approached Luther, who stood near one of the curved windows, polishing the blade he had carried since their escape from Aeloria.
"I wanted to apologize," she said softly. "Farakin… he speaks too often with his fear, and too little with his heart. He is a good man, truly. But we've seen too many friends vanish under foreign steel to be welcoming."
Luther looked at her, nodding once. "Fear has its reasons," he said. "I've seen what men are capable of. He's not wrong to be cautious."
Ariwin smiled faintly. "Still, thank you for understanding. We are not your enemies, Luther of Aeloria. And I believe you are not ours."
The tension that had hung between them softened, and she placed a hand briefly over her heart before withdrawing. "May your stay here be safe."
As she left the room, Selena leaned against one of the wooden beams, watching the exchange. "You handled that well," she said with a knowing smirk. "Didn't punch anyone. I'm impressed."
"I'm saving my energy," Luther muttered with a wry grin. "Might need it later."
Selena chuckled, then drifted off toward Kael and Stormclaw, who were currently engaged in what looked like a heated conversation about a squirrel Kael insisted had insulted them.
Arya sat not far from Luther, cross-legged on the floor, tending to her arrows. She hadn't said much since the confrontation with the guards the day before, but she looked up now, her voice soft.
"You were ready to take all of them on," she said, not quite meeting his eyes. "For us."
Luther sheathed his sword and shrugged. "I'd rather bleed than run. Always have."
Arya smirked faintly. "You're reckless."
"And you're too quiet for someone who's thinking so loudly," he replied, stepping a bit closer.
Their eyes locked. For a moment, the world faded around them. No jungle, no prophecy, no danger. Just two hearts, uncertain, but drawing closer in silence.
Selena watched from a distance, arms crossed and smiling. She nudged Kael with an elbow. "You see that?" she whispered. "It's happening."
Kael rolled his eyes. "They're both too stubborn to admit it."
"And you're too young to understand," she teased.
"I'm literally a prodigy," Kael snapped, then turned back to Stormclaw. "Don't listen to her. She's in love with babies and drama."
Stormclaw chuffed and nudged Kael with his nose, nearly knocking him over.
⸻
Later that evening, as the sky turned lavender and the stars blinked into place above the treetops, Selena stepped outside for air. The soft wind whispered through the leaves, cool and refreshing against her skin. She walked to the edge of a shallow cliff overlooking the jungle and closed her eyes.
A sharp, almost musical ringing filled her ears—and the world fell away.
In her vision, she stood in a vast white space. Snow drifted upward, not down, and time bent around her like ripples in water.
Jaina stood before her once more, ethereal and serene.
"Selena," Jaina said, her voice calm yet urgent. "The time draws near. Within weeks, one of your companions will face death itself."
Selena's heart clenched. "Who? Tell me who it is."
But Jaina shook her head. "That is not for you to know—not yet. But there is a way to save them. A cost, yes, but a path."
"What must I do?" Selena asked.
"You must touch the Icehart," Jaina said. "Only by accepting its memory can you gain the knowledge you need. It will show you what no spell or scroll ever could."
Selena hesitated. "And if I fail?"
"Then your friend will die," Jaina said simply.
The vision shattered like glass, and Selena gasped, falling to her knees beneath the jungle sky.
Back inside, Arya looked up, sensing something was wrong. Kael, too, turned his head. Even Stormclaw stirred uneasily.
Selena stood slowly, her expression haunted but resolved.
The path ahead had just changed. And she would need the strength to walk it.