Chapter 11: The Shadow Who Knows My Name

The light was gone.

The air turned sharp and cold, like the forest itself was holding its breath.

I couldn’t see anything, only feel Revan’s arm pushing me back, Jordan’s voice cursing under his breath, and that presence in the dark. It felt like it was breathing the same air I was, slow and steady.

“Show yourself,” Revan said. His voice was low, hard.

A faint chuckle came from somewhere in front of us. “You sound just like him.”

“Like who?” Revan demanded.

The answer came closer, almost too close. “Your father.”

Revan’s body stiffened. “That’s impossible.”

A flicker of red light broke through the dark. Slowly, the shape of a man appeared at the edge of the doorway. His eyes glowed faintly, and his smile looked wrong, like it didn’t belong to a living person.

I took a step back. “Who are you?”

He turned his head toward me, and the air seemed to shift around him. “You don’t remember me?”

My heart skipped. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“You have,” he said softly. “You were just too young.”

Revan’s mother finally spoke, her voice sharp. “You don’t belong here.”

He smiled. “You should know better than to say that to me, Aria.”

Revan’s mother’s face turned pale. “How did you get through the wards?”

“The same way I always do,” he said. “Through her.” His eyes moved to me again.

I could feel his gaze like a touch I didn’t want. My knees went weak. “Through me? What do you mean?”

He smiled, and I hated that it was almost gentle. “You opened the door when you took the flame. I’ve been waiting for that moment for a very long time.”

Jordan stepped in front of me, blade raised. “You’re not touching her.”

The stranger’s eyes flicked to him. “Still pretending to be her protector? You couldn’t protect her before.”

Jordan lunged forward, fast, but the man lifted his hand. Without even touching him, Jordan went flying back, slamming into the wall.

“Jordan.” I ran to him, grabbing his arm. He was breathing, but barely.

Revan stepped forward, his eyes black with rage. “If you hurt her, I swear—”

“You’ll what?” the man asked. “Kill me? You can’t. I made you what you are.”

Revan froze.

“What are you talking about?” I whispered.

Revan didn’t look at me. His voice dropped. “He’s lying.”

But the man smiled. “Am I?”

Revan’s mother’s voice trembled for the first time. “You died.”

“Not exactly,” he said. “You kept part of me alive when you sealed the flame, remember? You said it was to protect her bloodline. Instead, you protected me.”

She stepped back. “No.”

“Oh yes,” he said, amused. “Your son is part of me. And now that she’s awakened, so am I.”

I stared at Revan. “What is he saying?”

Revan’s fists clenched, his eyes on the ground. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does,” I said quietly. “Tell me.”

He lifted his head slowly, his voice tight. “When I was born, I wasn’t supposed to survive. My mother called on old power to save me. It worked. But it wasn’t just power. It was him.”

The man smiled, pleased. “You see? We’re family.”

Jordan groaned, still on the ground. “You’re a parasite.”

The stranger tilted his head. “Call it what you want. I call it destiny.”

Revan took a step closer. “Why are you here?”

“For her,” the man said simply. “The flame belongs to me. Always has.”

Revan’s mother shook her head. “You’ll destroy her if you touch it.”

“That’s the idea.”

I felt my stomach twist. “You can’t have it.”

He looked at me. “You think you can stop me, little flame?”

“Try me,” I said.

Something inside me stirred, hot and alive. My hands burned faintly gold again.

His smile faded. “Careful. You don’t even know how to use it.”

“Maybe not,” I said, my voice shaking, “but I know it’s not yours.”

He raised his hand, and the ground shook. Cracks split through the wooden floor. The fire that had gone out earlier burst back into life, wild and red.

Revan pushed me behind him. “Get her out,” he told his mother.

She didn’t move. “You can’t fight him.”

Revan looked over his shoulder at me. “I have to.”

“No.” My voice broke. “Not again. I’m not losing anyone else.”

He turned to me, his hand on my cheek. “Then don’t lose faith.”

Before I could answer, the man laughed. “Touching. Really.”

Revan turned back to face him. “If you want her, you’ll have to go through me.”

The man’s eyes gleamed red. “That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

They collided in a flash of light.

The force threw me backward. I hit the wall hard. The air filled with the sound of crashing, claws, growls, metal scraping against stone. The tree trembled around us like it was alive and terrified.

Revan moved like a storm, fast and furious. The stranger met him with ease, blocking every hit with one hand. Sparks flew where their blows met.

Jordan tried to stand, blood dripping from his mouth. “Lora, you have to get out.”

“I’m not leaving him.”

“Then help him,” Revan’s mother said sharply. “The flame is bound to you. It listens to you.”

“I don’t know how.”

“Then feel.”

I closed my eyes. The heat under my skin pulsed harder, like it wanted to be set free. I focused on Revan, on the sound of his heartbeat, the strength in his voice when he called my name.

The light inside me exploded outward. The air rippled. The stranger turned his head too late. A wave of golden fire shot from my hand, hitting him in the chest. He screamed, the sound twisting into something inhuman.

Revan fell to his knees, gasping for air.

The man stumbled back, his form flickering like smoke. “You think you can burn me out? I am in every part of him.”

Revan looked up, blood running down his jaw. “Then I’ll burn too.”

“Stop,” I said, shaking my head. “There has to be another way.”

Revan’s mother’s voice broke. “If he dies, you die too.”

The man grinned weakly. “And if she doesn’t finish what she started, I’ll just come back again.”

I could feel my power still humming, begging to be used. My heart raced. My whole body shook.

Revan’s hand found mine, his voice raw. “Lora. Do it.”

Tears blurred my vision. “I can’t.”

“You can,” he said softly. “You have to.”

The stranger’s smile widened. “You won’t. You love him too much.”

Maybe I did. Maybe I always would. But I couldn’t let the world burn for it.

I looked at Revan one last time. “Forgive me.”

Then I let go.

The light burst from me again, stronger than before. The whole room filled with gold. The stranger screamed as the light tore through him, splitting his shadow apart. The sound was deafening.

Then silence.

When the light faded, the room was still. Smoke curled through the air. The tree groaned softly, as if sighing after holding its breath for too long.

Revan lay on the floor, barely breathing.

I fell beside him. “Revan. Please.”

His eyes opened just enough to meet mine. “You did it.”

“No,” I whispered. “We did.”

He smiled faintly. “Told you not to lose faith.”

His hand went limp.

“Revan.” I shook him. “Revan.”

Nothing.

Jordan pulled me back, his voice breaking. “Lora, he’s not gone. Not yet. But you have to move. The forest is collapsing.”

I couldn’t breathe. The air was full of smoke and dust. The walls of the hollow cracked as the magic holding it together began to fail.

Revan’s mother appeared beside us, her eyes glowing bright gold. “Take him. Go.”

“What about you?” Jordan asked.

She looked at her son, her voice soft. “My place is here.”

“No.” I grabbed her arm. “You can’t stay.”

She smiled sadly. “Someone has to seal what was opened.”

Before I could argue, she touched my forehead. The world tilted, light swallowing everything again.

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on cold ground outside the forest. The trees behind us burned silently, golden fire licking at the sky.

Jordan was beside me, holding Revan in his arms.

“He’s breathing,” he said. “Barely.”

I crawled closer. His face was pale, lips cracked, but his chest still moved.

I touched his cheek. “Stay with me.”

His eyes flickered open for a second. “You shouldn’t have saved me.”

“I couldn’t let you go.”

His lips curved faintly. “Then don’t.”

His hand fell away, limp again.

I pressed my forehead against his. “I won’t.”

Behind us, the forest groaned one last time before collapsing into ashes.

A single sound broke through the quiet. Not a cry. Not a growl.

A heartbeat.

Not mine. Not Revan’s.

It came from inside me.

And it was stronger than ever.