The Forest Trap

Ember Frost’s POVHenry wasn’t the same man we had met before. Back then, he carried himself with energy, like someone who always knew what to do next. Now, he looked worn out. His hair was all over the place, and the lines on his face had deepened. There was something heavy about him, like he’d been carrying too much for too long. He reminded me of someone who had spent days just trying to survive, with nothing left to give.We had no idea what had happened to him out there, but it was clear it wasn’t something small. The moment he brought up the last fifteen days, his expression changed.His face tightened, and his eyes drifted off like he wasn’t really in the room anymore. It was as if he had been pulled back into those moments, whether he wanted to or not. Whatever he went through… it had shaken him badly.“It wasn’t just a trip,” he said quietly. “It felt… off. Like being stuck in some kind of a nightmare you can’t wake up from. Everything was cold, empty, and dangerous. I kept m

Medina’s Arrival

Ember Frost’s POVHe paused, then continued, his voice dropping to a low, strained whisper.“The tree moved.”He glanced at us, making sure we were following every word, his eyes wide and haunted.“Not like trees swaying in the wind. It moved. Its limbs shot at me—fast, piercing. They tore through my skin like thin spears. I didn’t even have the strength to fight back. I was too tired… too weak to do anything.”I swallowed hard, a shiver crawling down my spine. The thought of being utterly powerless against a living tree—something that should have been still, rooted, safe—made my stomach churn.“But… it didn’t kill me. That’s the strange part. It just held me there, like some helpless animal trapped in a snare. Its needles flexed, almost like fingers, and lashed at me. Stinging pain shot through my arms and legs as they twisted and coiled around me, relentless and unyielding.”“I couldn’t fight back. My muscles refused to obey. Every attempt to push away felt like dragging through thi

Shattered Illusions

Ember Frost’s POVI knew right away what it was. The devil’s mark… the same one we’d been chasing all this time. The reason the elders even performed the Memory Veil ritual.For a split second, I almost felt a spark of hope, like this discovery might save me. But it vanished almost immediately. Nothing comes without a cost. The more I looked at her, the more the feeling of unease settled in. Medina. Every movement, every word—it all felt rehearsed, like she was hiding something beneath her calm exterior.Henry exhaled slowly, voice low. “I didn’t believe a word she said,” he admitted. “So I played along. I told her I was still too weak to move around, that I needed a few more days to rest. She agreed. But… something about her just didn’t feel right.”He paused, as if replaying it all in his head.“I didn’t trust her for a second,” Henry admitted. “So I told her I wasn’t feeling well and needed a few more days to rest. Just an excuse to keep my eyes open. During that time, I noticed he

Two Faces, One Truth

Ember Frost’s POVOrion didn’t respond right away. He just looked over at Henry, his eyes lingering a second longer than usual.I caught on to what he meant without a word. I gave one last glance toward the room, then quietly followed him into the hallway, leaving the door shut behind me.The moment we were alone, he exhaled, his expression tightening.“I don’t trust this,” he said under his breath. “Not yet. We don’t even know if that man in there is really Henry.”I frowned slightly, but didn’t interrupt.“The timing alone is off,” he continued. “He shows up out of nowhere, right when it’s just the two of us around? Asking for help like that? It feels planned.” He shook his head. “You don’t know him. And I haven’t seen him in years. Even if something’s wrong, we might not catch it.”He paused, like he was putting the pieces together in his head.“And that story of his…” Orion shook his head slowly. “I’m trying to make sense of it, but I can’t. It just sounds off—especially the part

Too Real to Be a Lie

Eira’s POVBefore Elder Anna left, she pulled me aside and told me to keep an eye on Henry. She said she didn’t trust anyone else with it.“You may not be the strongest,” she said quietly, “but you’re the least suspicious. That’s what matters. No one looks twice at someone like you.”I frowned a little, not sure what she meant. Someone like me.“They’re too obvious,” she went on. “People watch them. They expect things from them.” Her gaze softened slightly. “You, on the other hand… no one pays that much attention.”I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or insulted.“You’re not tied to any role,” she added. “No assigned duties, no fixed position. You can move around freely without raising questions. Stay close to Henry, talk to him if you have to. Just don’t make it look like you’re trying.”She paused, then gave me a faint, knowing look.“Even if no one says it out loud, you’ll be the one watching everything. In a way… this rests on you.”At the time, I nodded like I understood. Like

A Perfect Imitation

Eira's POVEmber told me they weren’t planning to leave Henry where he was. He was still down at the foot of the mountain, and they intended to send him back to the palace—whether he agreed to it or not.From the way she said it, it didn’t sound like a simple request. More like a decision that had already been made.“But even if we send him back,” I said, “that still doesn’t prove who he really is.”I paused, then added, “We’d just be bringing the same question back home… with no clear answer.”To make matters worse, even Elder Anna’s tracing spell showed nothing. Everything seemed normal… and that was the problem.So what were we supposed to rely on next? A DNA test? The thought almost felt pointless.If whatever we were dealing with could copy a person’s bloodline… even their soul… then copying a body wouldn’t be much harder, would it? At that point, what was left that we could actually trust?I wasn’t sure what I had said that triggered it, but something must have clicked for Ember.