They left the River of Names behind before dawn broke fully, the weight of Marian's warning still heavy between them. The mist clung to their clothes like memory — impossible to shake.
Ash hadn't spoken since the message appeared. His silence wasn't cold, just burdened, like he was afraid to say something that might make it more real.
Elira, meanwhile, couldn't stop thinking about the final line Marian had written in fire.
> Trust no one with a silver tongue.
"What do you think she meant?" Elira finally asked as they followed the trail back toward the cabin. "The Hollow Flame. The silver tongue."
Ash's jaw tensed. "The Hollow Flame was a myth. A figure in stories Marian used to tell. It was never supposed to be real."
"But what if it is?" She turned to him. "What if that's why we don't remember? What if someone took our memories because we knew who the Hollow Flame was?"
He stopped walking. "You think we forgot by choice?"
"No. I think someone made us forget."
The trees swayed around them as if reacting. Leaves rustled. A crow cawed in the distance.
And then—
A snap of a branch.
Ash turned instantly, hand moving to the small knife at his belt. "We're not alone."
Elira tensed. "What—?"
From the underbrush, a figure emerged.
He looked young — maybe twenty, with a long coat dusted in ash and a scarf that hid most of his face. His eyes, though, were striking: bright grey, almost silver.
"Peace," he said, raising his hands. "I mean no harm."
Ash didn't lower his stance. "That depends on who you are."
"Elira Vale," the stranger said, gaze locked on her. "You called to the river. It answered."
Her breath caught. "How do you know my name?"
"I was sent to find you. By someone who's still fighting."
Elira stepped forward cautiously. "Who?"
"Her name was Marian."
Ash finally lowered the knife, just slightly. "Was?"
The stranger's eyes darkened. "She knew she wouldn't survive what was coming. But she left something behind — for you. Both of you."
Elira looked to Ash, then back to the stranger. "What's your name?"
He hesitated, just a fraction too long.
"They call me Kale."
That pause made her uneasy. But his voice was steady — almost too steady.
She remembered Marian's warning. Trust no one with a silver tongue.
"Where are you from, Kale?" Ash asked, stepping beside her now.
"A place that's already burned," he said softly. "But we don't have time for stories. They know you visited the river. If we stay here, they'll find us."
"Who will?" Elira asked.
Kale met her eyes. "The ones who serve the Hollow Flame."