The silence in the proving chamber is deafening.
The glow beneath our feet fades, leaving only the dim red veins pulsing weakly through the walls. My breathing is ragged, my pulse still racing from the bond test, but Justin's hand remains tight around mine—our fingers still trembling from what we saw. From what we almost became.
Freyr stands at the edge of the platform , his expression carved from stone. There's no satisfaction. No pride. Only calculation.
"You should understand…" he says, voice flat. "Passing and surviving is not the same as victory."
The words coil in my stomach like a curse.
I want to say something—-to demand what this was really about, why he forced us into that nightmare—-but the weight of the trail still clings to me like smoke. My voice catches in my throat.
Justin steps in closer, his shoulder brushing mine, grounding me. I feel him watching Freyr with the same guarded suspicion that's been simmering since the moment Freyr stepped into the hall. But there's something else beneath it now—something raw, frayed at the edges.
Freyr tilts his head, studying us like we're puzzles he's already solved. "The bond between you is....inconvenient," he murmurs. "But now it's undeniable."
Justin's jaw clenches. "You used it against us."
"I revealed it to you," Freyr corrects smoothly, the faintest trace of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "You should thank me."
I force my hand free of Justin's grasp, stepping forward despite the exhaustion anchoring my limbs. "What do you want from me?" My voice cracks, but I don't care. "You have your proof. You pushed us to the edge. Now tell us why."
Freyr's gaze slides to me, sharp and cold. "Because The Court will come for you, Sarah. Now that the bond has surfaced, they will see you as more than an asset. They'll see you as a threat."
My stomach turns. "The Seelie? Or the Unseelie?"
A cruel glint flickers in Freyr's eyes. "Both."
I stagger back a step, the weight of his words sinking into me like ice. Justin is there instantly, his hand at the small of my back, steadying me—-but I feel him stiffen, the same dread tightening his stance.
"They fear you, Sarah," Freyr continues, voice soft now, almost intimate. "Not because of what you are—but because of what the bond makes you capable of. You're no longer a pawn to them. You're a rival. And now that you've survived the proving ring….they'll know they waited too long to kill you."
The air leaves my lungs. My fingers dig into the pendant at my chest, its pulse unsteady now, frantic—-as if it senses the danger pressing in from all sides.
Justin's voice is low, dangerous. "Then what's your angle, Freyr? Why keep her alive? Why help her at all?"
Freyr's smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Because unlike them….I see the bigger picture."
The chamber grows colder, the shadows stretching longer across the obsidian floor.
"You're standing at a crossroads, Sarah," Freyr says. "You can let them hunt you. Run until they bleed you dry. Or you can learn to use the darkness inside you. Wield it before they strip it from you."
I swallow hard. "And what do you get in return? My loyalty?"
Freyr's smile sharpens. "I get balance."
His gaze flicks between Justin and me—-assessing, waiting for the cracks to show.
"Consider this your invitation," he says at last, stepping back into the shadows. "Rest while you can. Tomorrow, the real tests begin."
He vanishes into the darkness, his presence lingers like a cold hand on the back of my neck.
I let out a shaky breath, slumping to the edge of the platform. My hands tremble, and for a moment, I let them.
Justin crouches beside me, his breath warm against my shoulder. "Sarah…."
"I know," I whisper. I don't need him to finish. I feel it too. We've stepped into something we can't step out of.
For the first time since all this began. I'm not sure if I'm more afraid of The Court…..or of what I'm becoming.
And worst of all—-part of me doesn't want to run anymore.
Part of me wants to fight.
Even if it means losing the girl I used to be.
*********
Justin's POV
I can still feel it—--the bond between us.
It burns beneath my skin, raw and exposed after what Freyr forced us into. Sarah sits beside me, her breathing unsteady, her fingers wrapped tight around that stupid pendant. I can see the fight still warring in her eyes, the way the darkness pulled at her, and how close she came to letting it win.
And I couldn't stop it.
Couldn't stop her from stepping onto that proving ring.
Couldn't stop Freyr from pushing her to the edge.
I clench my fists, jaw tight as I glare at the shadows Freyr disappeared into. He's playing a game I don't understand yet. But what I do know? He wants her to break. He wants her to fall into the darkness. To need him.
And I won't let that happen.
Not while I'm still breathing.
Sarah shifts beside me, the tremor in her hands betraying the mask she's trying to hold onto. I reach for her without thinking, my hand setting over hers. She flinches—-but doesn't pull away.
"We'll figure this out," I say quietly, though my voice is rougher than I mean it to be.
His gaze snaps to mine, and for a moment everything else fades—-The Court, the bond, Freyr's threats. There's only us. And the war raging behind her eyes.
"You shouldn't have come after me," she whispers.
I shake my head. "I didn't have a choice."
Her lips tremble at that, but she says nothing.
The bond pulses between us—-a living, breathing thing now. It's stronger than before. Tangled. I can feel her magic brushing against mine, testing the edges of whatever this is becoming between us. It's not just a thread anymore. It's a chain.
And if I'm being honest? I'm not sure I hate it.
But I can't say that aloud.
Not yet.
I press my forehead to hers, closing my eyes. For a moment, the cold walls of Nox fade, and there's just her warmth. Her breath mingling with mine. The girl I met at school. The girl I lied to. The girl I'm still lying to.
I feel her hesitate—-then lean into me, just slightly.
"I'm scared," she admits, her voice breaking on the word.
I swallow hard, hating the fear in her voice, hating myself for being part of the reason it's there. "So am I."
We stay like that for a long minute, suspended in the fragile space between what we've survived and what's waiting to devour us next.
But I know this can't last.
Because Freyr's right about one thing—--we've set something in motion neither of us fully understand. And if I don't figure out what this bond is, someone else will.
And they'll use it to destroy her.
The thought makes something cold settle deep in my chest.
I tighten my hold on her hand.
I won't let that happen.
Even if it means breaking the bond myself.
Even if it means betraying her…..again.
************
Natalia's POV
The night feels colder than it should. The moon is suffocated behind thick clouds, casting the streets in a darkness that suits my mood. I perch on the rusted fire escape outside my window—-my spot. The only place in this miserable mortal town that feels like mine. Below, the world sleeps, blissfully unaware of the storm twisting inside me.
My fingers curl around the railing, nails biting into the chipped paint until they ache. The pendant around my neck throbs, warm against my skin, like it's alive….like it knows what I'm thinking. My treasure. My stolen birthright. And she doesn't even know what it is. What it means.
Sarah.
Her name tastes bitter on my tongue.
She doesn't deserve it. Any of it.
The whispers are louder tonight. They slither into the cracks in my mind, cold and soft, curling into promises I can't help but want. Truth. Retribution.
"You see it now, don't you?" The voice cuts through the night, silk-wrapped steel. I don't flinch. I was expecting them.
"Took you long enough,"I murmur, not bothering to look back. I keep my eyes fixed on the empty street, pretending they're not here. Pretending I don't care.
But I do.
They step into the half-light. I don't need to see their face to know who they are. One of the Court's shadows. One of the ones my parents warned me about. The ones I don't fear anymore.
"You're ready to see her for what she is," they say, smooth, coaxing. "For what she took from you."
I don't answer. Not right away. My grip tightens until the pain shoots up my arm, grounding me. The bitterness in my chest speaks louder than words.
"She doesn't belong here," I finally say, the words sharp, ugly. "She doesn't belong with them. She's not special. She's not even strong."
But the pendant throbs harder, as if mocking me. Or agreeing. Sometimes I can't tell.
"But she is," they whisper in my ear. "And you feel it, don't you? The bond between her and the boy. Justin."
At his name, my stomach knots. My brother. My family. He's supposed to protect us, protect our legacy. And now he's tangled up in her lies, in her weakness.
"I can make her see," I whisper, almost to myself. "I can make her remember she doesn't belong."
"You could," the figure agrees, their voice curling into something sweeter. "Or you could let the Court show her. Let them give you the power to take back what's yours."
I turn then, facing them fully for the first time, staring into the shadows where their face should be. "Why now? Why me?"
They laugh, low and knowing. "Because you've already let them in. You already wear their gift around your neck."
I glance down. The pendant pulses under my touch, alive, like it was never stolen. Like it was always mine.
The figure doesn't touch me. They don't have to. Their words are enough. "She's waking up. And when she does, she will choose them. She will always choose them…..unless you take the choice away."
I swallow hard, heart pounding. The truth falls from my lips before I can stop it. "You want me to bring her to the Court?"
"No." Their voice is almost a purr. "We want you to break her first."
The shadows pull back, leaving me alone with the cold.
But the words stay. They wrap around me like chains. Like promises.
I clutch the pendant tight, my nails digging into the silver until they draw blood.
Next time, Sarah.
Next time you see me….I won't be playing nice.
The pendant pulses once.
Then the whispers return.
This time...I let them in.
**********
Freyr's POV
The night breathes heavy through the skeletal remains of the old forest. Even beyond the glamour cloaking this realm, I feel the fracture lines deepening. The girl—-Sarah—--is closer to the edge than she realizes. The others sense it too, though they bury their fears behind veils and riddles. But I see through them. I always have.
I linger at the border of the mortal world, where the veil is thinnest, my presence nothing but shadow upon shadows. My senses stretch through the rift, brushing along the tangled threads of the girl's awakening bond. It burns brighter now. Like a wound exposed to air.
She's changing.
The bond between her and the boy—-Justin—-festers. It was never meant to form. Never meant to bind them like this. And yet….it does. A thread spun from instinct and old blood.
I clench my fists, feeling the familiar sting of old regrets crawl up my arms like ghosts. I warned them. I warned The Court what would happen if they let the Lightborn line fade into obscurity. Hidden like a caged flame. And now, the girl's bloodline wakes—-hungry, blind, and angry. And the boy, with all his borrowed power? He's no shield against what stirs beneath her skin.
My brother's mistakes still lingers in the air. Poison, slow, and suffocating.
I snarl lower under my breath.
I remember his face. The boy's father. I remember the betrayal. The lies. The choices that led us to this fragile brink.
And now? Even the mortals feel it. The girl's protectors stumble in the dark, clinging to borrowed magics and false comforts. They don't see the blade pressing against their throats.
I should intervene. I should curb the unraveling before the Courts tear themselves apart over a girl they once deemed unworthy of notice.
But still…..I hesitate.
Because when I look into the threads binding Sarah and Justin, I see something the others refuse to see.
Possibility.
Destruction, yes,
But also—-balance.
If she survives what's coming.
I step back into the veil, letting the mist swallow me whole. My voice slips into the night, soft as ash on the wind:
"No. We want you to break her first."
I vanish into the black.
And the game begins again.