Lightning cracked in the distance.
Not natural lightning—this was twisted, sharp-edged, tinged with green.
Riven stood near the edge of the tavern's mist barrier, sword in hand. Beside him, Kaela's flame-lit eyes scanned the haze. The encounter with the shadow beasts had left them both tired—but something worse approached now.
The silver-eyed girl was gone, but the pressure in the air said otherwise.
"She was watching us," Kaela murmured. "She wasn't one of the beasts. She was something else."
"I felt it," Riven replied.
Then the wind shifted—and a figure appeared through the fog.
A girl, clad in tattered white, her cloak fluttering behind her like broken wings. Her long hair was silver-blonde, tangled in streaks of blue, and her eyes were the color of a thunderstorm. She held a staff across her shoulders, glowing faintly with runes.
She stopped twenty paces away, and said nothing.
Kaela immediately stepped forward. "Who are you?"
The girl didn't respond.
Riven took a step forward. "You were watching us."
Finally, she spoke.
"You should not exist."
Her voice was cold. But not emotionless—more… restrained. Like she was holding back something far worse.
Kaela narrowed her gaze. "You know what he is?"
"I know what he was," the girl replied.
Lightning snapped at her heels, crackling along the staff. "You're the last Ashen. The Sovereign who broke the sky."
"I don't remember," Riven said, truthfully.
"You will."
She leapt forward.
The wind howled. Thunder boomed above as the girl moved faster than sight. Riven raised his sword, barely catching the edge of her strike. Her staff spun around, slamming into his shoulder with force that knocked him off his feet.
Kaela reacted instantly—fire burst around her like a storm, forming a wall between them. "He's not your enemy!"
"He will be," the girl snapped.
Kaela clenched her fists. "Then go through me."
The wind surged again—and the two girls collided.
Kaela's flames lashed like serpents, but the storm-girl danced between them. Her name was still unknown, her movements elegant but brutal. Each strike of her staff pushed Kaela back, and sparks flew every time magic met magic.
Riven forced himself up.
He didn't want this fight. But she wasn't listening. Whoever she was—she wasn't here to talk.
And then he saw it.
The flicker of hesitation.
For just a moment, as Kaela slipped on the wet stone and almost fell, the girl didn't strike. Her staff paused midair. She stepped back instead of forward.
Kaela didn't notice it—but Riven did.
He shouted, "Stop! She's not trying to kill us!"
The storm-girl's staff slammed into the ground, cracking the floor with lightning.
"You don't know what you are, Riven. But I do. You destroyed kingdoms. You betrayed everyone who loved you. And I…"
Her voice caught. Her fingers trembled on the staff.
"I came here to kill you before you become him again."
Riven's fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword, but he didn't raise it. Not yet.
The storm-girl—her eyes filled with an emotion he couldn't name—took a shaky breath. "I saw what you did. Years ago. Or maybe days… Time breaks near you. The Sovereign's return always does."
"I'm not him," Riven said softly. "At least… I don't think I am."
Her gaze flicked to the crest burned onto his hand. "You carry his mark."
"I carry a sword and a broken memory," he said. "If I become something dangerous, then stop me. But not like this. Not when I haven't done anything yet."
The wind around her eased—only a little—but the air remained sharp, like a storm waiting for permission to break.
Kaela stepped forward, breathing heavily, her flames crackling out. "He's not the one you're chasing. I would know. I've felt his magic up close. I've seen him fight beside me."
The storm-girl slowly lowered her staff.
"…I need proof."
"Then stay," Riven said. "Don't fight us. Watch. Decide for yourself."
A long pause.
Then she spoke. "My name is Lyss."
---
They sat around a fire inside the tavern's rear chamber—one Kaela hadn't known existed. The faceless bartender didn't speak, but had silently provided tea.
Lyss sat cross-legged across from them, her staff at her side. She kept her distance, but her eyes rarely left Riven. Not with suspicion now, but with something else. Curiosity, maybe. Or guilt.
Kaela sipped her tea, arms crossed. "So… you were sent to kill him?"
Lyss nodded. "By the Highmist Enclave. My people were exiled after the Faded Wars. We kept ancient watch scrolls. They lit when your crest returned."
"Your people don't forgive easily," Riven muttered.
"We don't forget either."
Kaela leaned toward Riven, slightly too close. "Guess that makes two of us who broke something sacred."
Lyss narrowed her eyes. "You're fire-blooded. Nobility?"
"Was," Kaela said with a shrug. "I walked out when they tried to marry me to a corpse."
"A what?"
"Long story," Kaela said, turning away.
There was a heavy silence.
Riven broke it with a small, tired laugh. "You both tried to kill me. Now we're drinking tea. That's got to be some kind of cosmic irony."
Lyss looked down. "I didn't come here to make friends."
Kaela rolled her eyes. "Then maybe stop staring at his face like you've seen it in your dreams."
Lyss flushed. "I have. In visions."
"Same difference."
Riven chuckled again. "You two really don't get along, huh?"
Both girls answered at the same time:
"She's reckless."
"She's uptight."
They glared at each other.
The tension could have cracked the table.
Riven leaned back and held up both hands. "Okay, I'm going to need very clear rules if I'm going to keep breathing between you two."
Kaela smirked. "Fine. Rule one: If she tries to kill you again, I get to burn her boots."
Lyss huffed. "Rule two: If she keeps hovering around you like a cat in heat, I get to bind her with wind."
"Oh please," Kaela said sweetly. "You'd just enjoy tying me up."
Riven nearly choked on his tea.
---
Later that night…
Riven stepped out of the tavern to breathe.
The mist outside shimmered, the sky above strangely still. He heard footsteps behind him.
Lyss stood there, arms folded.
"You're reckless," she said.
"Me? I didn't try to kill anyone today."
She frowned, then slowly exhaled. "I came close to losing control."
"Your magic?"
She nodded. "I've… struggled. Ever since I was a child, the wind listens to my fear before it listens to me."
He studied her. "You stopped. You didn't kill us."
"I saw something in your eyes."
Riven smiled softly. "Regret?"
"No… mercy."
She hesitated, then sat beside him. Their shoulders brushed. A spark passed between them, and she pulled away quickly.
"I'm not used to being close to people."
"You fought well," he said.
She looked at him sharply. "Why are you complimenting me?"
"Because you deserve it."
Silence.
Then: "Do you remember her?"
Riven turned. "Who?"
"The girl from your past. The one they call Sovereign. You must have had someone."
His heart tightened. "I don't know."
"If I killed you… would you come back again?"
"I don't want to come back. I want to stay me."
She didn't answer.
Instead, she whispered, "I dreamt of your face for years."
Riven looked at her.
Their eyes locked.
Then Kaela's voice shouted from inside the tavern, "If you're going to kiss him, at least do it properly!"
Lyss turned red. "We weren't—!"
Riven laughed.