LOGINKiaraI finally had the peace to listen. The birds sang louder, the lake shimmered brighter, and even the wind seemed to whirr in softer tones. It had been years since the days of blood and battle, years since I had woken to the echo of my sister’s voice or the weight of my own guilt.Now, I woke to laughter. Brandon’s laughter.He is seven now. A young boy with all golden curls, bright eyes, and the kind of boundless energy that could shake the calmest heart. I watched him from where I sat in the grass, the sunlight spilling over him like the blessing it was.“Slowly,” I warned, smiling despite myself. “Don’t pull too hard, or the light will vanish.”He frowned in concentration, his small hands hovering above the air as little sparks began to shimmer between his fingers. They flickered like fireflies, like threads of blue and silver dancing in the sunlight, tiny pieces of my power finding their way through him.He is the perfect mix of his father and me. “I can hold it, Mam
KiaraMonths had passed since the chaos that nearly tore everything apart, and life had found a slower rhythm. One that felt like a quiet psalm humming through the wind around us.We lived by the lake now, near the fields where so much of our story had begun. The once-broken stones were no longer reminders of pain but markers of rebirth. Ryder rebuilt part of it himself, turning the fields into a small home, a sanctuary of wood and stone wrapped in ivy and sunlight.“He needs more land so he can get in touch with nature as much as he would like to.” Was Ryder’s defense in us moving to our present home. Some days, I still woke before dawn, and the old habits still live within. But instead of battle cries or the echo of swords, I woke to birdsong and the sound of the lake brushing against the shore.Peace had a pulse here. You could feel it in the wind. You could find it anywhere. Brandon was nearly six months old now. He is a curious, bright-eyed, and full of unrelenting wonde
RyderThe mornings had changed. My routines had lightened over the past few months. Once, I remember starting my morning with the sound of steel, the clashing of swords, the bark of commands, and the rhythm of men preparing for battle. Now, they began with softer music. The quiet cry of a newborn, the soft laughter of Kiara trying to soothe him, and the faint rustle of the wind through our open window.Peace had a sound, I realized. It was gentle. Erratic. Alive.I stood by the doorway, leaning on the frame, watching them.Kiara sat on the chair by the veranda, the early light catching the gold in her hair with Brandon lying in her arms, his small fingers curling around hers. She hummed a melody I didn’t recognize, something wordless, ancient maybe, or maybe just born from her.Her scar, the one on her shoulder had faded, but I saw the way she still shifted carefully when she moved, mindful of the wound that nearly took her out of this world. It had healed on the surface, but
KiaraThe morning was silent when I left the house. The air was chill, the birds murmured in a quiet tone, and the trees stood still, too still. Ryder had offered to come with me, but I told him to get some rest and check up with his friend Zane who has been handling the pack since our relocation out of the Manor. This was something I needed to do alone… or as alone as I could be with the tiny weight curled up in my arms.Brandon stirred softly against my chest, his small face pressed into the fabric of my veil. He had fallen asleep before dawn and hadn’t woken since. He is such a peaceful, innocent presence against the heaviness in my heart.The path to Erina’s resting place wound through what used to be a battlefield. Now, months later, grass had begun to reclaim the earth. The once-charred soil was soft again, scattered with wildflowers. It was strange that the world always healed faster than the people who lived in it. Than the people who faced its pain. The breeze brushed
KiaraThe days blurred together after Brandon’s birth. A soft haze of sleepless nights, muted light, and quiet amazement. The air in our small room always carried the scent of something warm, milk, lavender, the faint sweetness of life newly begun. Every sound felt amplified. From the flutter of Brandon’s breathing, to the creak of the floorboards when Ryder paced, and even the soft rustle of fabric as I shifted in bed.It felt like living inside a dream. Everything was fragile, luminous, unreal.My body was slow to recover. The stab wound still ached whenever I moved too quickly, a dull reminder of how close I had come to death. My powers were quieter now, as there were no longer throbbing in my veins like fire, but pulsing faintly like a heartbeat resting between hurricanes. Every time I reached for it, I felt it hum gently beneath my skin, waiting for the right moment to return.But for once, I was not in a rush to summon it.Instead, I let myself heal, slowly, and deliberate
RyderSoft sunlight filtered through the curtains, streaking gold across the warm brown floorboards. The storm had passed sometime before dawn, leaving the air fresh. I could hear birds outside singing their faint, tentative songs, as if even they were afraid to disturb what was happening in this room. In my home. The birds acknowledged my son’s presence, the storm prepared his arrival, and the wind.. The wind renewed its scent for a newborn. Kiara was asleep beside me. Her hair, still damp from the night before, framed her face in soft, tangled curls. There was color in her cheeks again. A colour which looked like life evolving where death had once lingered.And in her arms… was him.Brandon.He was small, impossibly small. Yet his presence filled the entire room. His tiny fingers curled around the edge of Kiara’s blanket, his chest rising and falling with a rhythm that felt sacred.For a long time, I just watched them. My warrior and my son.I had fought in countless battles







