They stepped into a circular chamber, quiet and still, as if holding its breath. The stone walls shimmered faintly with enchantment, and in the center stood five ancient podiums—each cradling a blade that seemed to hum with its own memory.
"Only one at a time," Nova warned, her voice low, eyes glowing gold as they scanned the room. "When some of these are touched, a memory will surface here. In this space. We'll all see it."
Fin's brow creased. He turned to her, his hand grazing hers gently. "How do you know that?" he asked, concern threading his voice. "You didn't mention this before."
Jax's eyes were already on her, mirroring the same question. "Did you dream this?" he asked. "Or is it surfacing now, like something familiar—something from before?"
Nova exhaled. "Elle and I… have been having dreams, but I never said anything because when I woke up, I couldn't remember."
"She would have told you and Fin both. She was in the dark until we got here." Elle added for Nova.
Jax thought back to all the nights Nova woke up startled from bad dreams and his heart cracked. He missed holding her in his arms all night and kissing her. He missed comforting her. He missed everything about her.
"Jax," Nova said, her voice calm but sure, "you're the sword with the sapphire at the top. Cael's is the emerald. Fin's is the center—gold handle, diamond set into the hilt. Elle, you're the dagger next to Cael's. Emerald as well."
Jax stepped toward his sword. It felt like it belonged to him—as if it had always been his. The sapphire stone atop it pulsed gently, reacting to his presence. As he reached out and touched the hilt, his eyes glowed sapphire, and the sword lit up with a bright blue flare.
Instantly, a vision surfaced in the room.
A dark mage stood before him, magic swirling like shadows around him. Jax tried to kill him with magic, but it had no effect. Then he unsheathed the sword, and the moment it left its scabbard, it glowed even brighter. One clean strike—and the mage disintegrated into ash.
The vision shifted.
Nova was running through a corridor—fast, purposeful, not afraid. She was leading something, drawing it in. A dark mage followed, snarling as he chased her. She turned a sharp corner, and Fin appeared, his eyes glowing gold as he cast thick golden chains from his palms. They shot out and wrapped around the mage's arms and torso, slamming him to the ground. He struggled but couldn't move. Jax appeared behind him and, without hesitation, slit his throat. Blood sprayed and the mage dropped.
In the vision—and in real time—Nova raised a hand to her mouth and turned away. Fin noticed, and a cold chill ran through him. She had reacted identically.
Jax placed the sword back in its sheath as Fin stepped forward, approaching the center podium. He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the sword with a gold handle and drew it slowly. The entire blade was gold. He frowned. That was strange—gold was typically far too soft for a weapon. But as he lifted it, the blade felt light in his grip, perfectly balanced. Not heavy or brittle like he expected. It wasn't just gold—it was the same shimmering material as Nova's bow.
A vision flickered to life.
It showed a battle, where Fin shifted and fought Ashbane with magic only. Ashbane threw a sword far, inhumanly far, and he stabbed. Fin fell to his death. Nova came running and tried reviving him but it didn't work.
The scene rewound right to where Fin shifted. But this time, he had the sword.
Fin shifted from his massive wolf form into his human form mid-battle, gold light rippling off his body. As he landed, the sword was part of his armor. Enchanted similarly. Across the battlefield, Alpha Ashbane stood cloaked in darkness, his eyes glowing jet black. A violent clash followed—two titans wielding raw magic and brute strength. The battle surged again in fast motion. Fin blocked Ashbane's strike, spun, and with one brutal swing, slashed his throat clean open. Ashbane's body hit the ground.
The vision faded.
Elle stepped forward, hand brushing the hilt of the dagger. She unsheathed it.
Another vision erupted around them.
She and Nova ran through a stone corridor—clearly a castle, though unfamiliar. Nova moved ahead, silver shields flaring around them, blocking blasts of dark magic that echoed through the halls. They turned a corner, breathless. Nova glanced at Elle, her eyes urgent, and pointed toward an alcove. Elle ducked into the shadows and hid.
A dark figure entered, cloaked in black magic, and stalked toward Nova. She stepped back slowly, drawing it in. As it passed, Elle lunged from behind, plunging the dagger into its back. The creature let out an unearthly scream as the dagger pierced through it. Black magic burst from its body like smoke and fire, swallowing the room. Nova raised a silver shield around them both, but it was too much.
Her silver magic strained—then shifted to gold. Nova's eyes glowed gold, trying to hold the force back, but it shattered through her defenses. Both of them screamed as the darkness slammed into Nova. Her body convulsed. Her eyes turned black. She dropped to her knees, coughing blood, clutching her chest like her heart was burning from the inside.
She said something to Elle. Elle shook her head violently, not wanting to hear it. Nova grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently, her lips mouthing, 'It's okay.' A tear rolled down her cheek. She took Elle's dagger, looked into her friend's eyes, and with a shaky breath, drove it into her own stomach. Elle fell to her knees beside her, a silent scream on her face as Nova collapsed forward.
The vision faded to black.
Jax's breath hitched, his chest tightening as he watched the scene unfold. His heart cracked in two. That will not happen, he swore to himself. He wouldn't allow it.
The vision replayed—identical at first.
Elle stabbed the dark figure from behind. But this time, as the blade pierced it, she yanked it free immediately and threw it across the room. The creature staggered, confused, unbalanced. Elle rushed behind Nova, and Nova raised her shield—already glowing gold. The black magic surged toward them again, thick and violent—but it halted midair. Then, as if being siphoned, it twisted toward the dagger now lying on the floor. The blade absorbed it completely, turning black as pitch.
Then Cael entered. But he wasn't himself. His posture was wrong, his eyes distant—glassy, unaware. Elle screamed at him not to touch the blade and lunged for him. Nova stepped in front of him, trying to push him back with her magic, trying anything to stop him. He didn't even flinch.
He shoved Nova violently across the room. Her body slammed against the stone wall, her head cracking the window behind her. Before she could recover, he flung Elle next—sending her sliding next to Nova. Blood streamed down Nova's face as she forced herself to her feet, eyes wild, screaming something—someone's name—tears flooding her eyes. She reached for the dagger with her magic, trying to pull it away before he could get to it.
Then Jax ran into the room, a blur of movement. He saw Cael—his brother in arms—bending down, reaching for the dagger like a man possessed. Jax screamed, diving toward him.
The vision cut to black.
"He was possessed or something there Elle. He'd never do that. And if we find ourselves in that castle, wherever it is, we'll send Cael home." Nova said aloud. Elle's eyes were red and she looked visibly shaken.
Jax broke the silence, voice firm. "We'll find that thing's weakness. Maybe the answer is you throw the dagger from a distance and I kill the dark magic. There is always another way and we will come up with a solution."
Elle nodded, silent. Swallowed hard. But her hands were still trembling.
Nova took a breath, already dreading what was coming. On a podium lay a dagger, identical in size to Elle's, though far more intricate. The handle was wrapped in a braided gold pattern, a large diamond sat embedded in the center of the handle, with sapphires under. Where the blade met the hilt, two flawless rubies gleamed on either side. The blade itself was silver and shimmered like moonlight. It looked like it could be the counterpart to either Fin's golden sword or Jax's sapphire-topped blade
She swallowed and drew it from its sheath.
A vision snapped to life around them.
A dark mage stood before Riven Ashbane, handing him a dagger. Ashbane's eyes glowed black as ink. The scene shifted violently to Ashbane stabbing Nova. Subtle and precise. He pulled her off the cliff's edge and Jax and Fin jumped after them.
The vision faded.
Nova, Fin, and Jax all three recalled that terrifying day well and didn't need a reminder. Elle looked horrified, not realizing that had already happened.
The vision lurched again, faster this time, dragging her into another night—the night that still haunted her dreams. The night she and Fin were attacked.
Jax had been gone, unreachable. She had felt abandoned. Exposed. Violated. And Fin… Fin had died in her arms and clawed his way back. She instinctively stepped back, as if putting even a few inches between herself and the memory might keep it from consuming her. But the scene kept playing. And she looked away at first.
The vision took hold.
It started with Nova being forced to shift and Fin fighting a huge beast. Nova was unable to move. The dark mage approached her and started to touch her face, whispering in her ear. His hand traced down her neck, back down her full body, deliberate and vile.
Nova tried to turn her face away from him, but every movement and struggle hurt her more and more. The mage laughed, dark and low, feeding on her struggle.
Fin's body was thrown against a tree and the beast stabbed him multiple times. The mage grabbed her hand and kissed it like it was the source of life. He sliced her palm and sucked from it, eyes with pleasure. He inhaled her scent again, his expression twisted with lust and hunger. Nova still fought to pull away, as he slashed other arm, filling a very large vial with her blood. He walked through a portal and as soon as it snapped closed, the tension holding Nova slacked.
She stumbled over to Fin, leaving a trail of blood. She shook her head at the hand the mage just sucked on and picked up a rock to slash her other palm. Silver blood poured on Fin's wounds but nothing happened. Tears streaked her face as she hesitated for only a heartbeat—then she placed her wrist against his mouth, forcing life back into him.
The scene paused.
Jax and Fin both tensed, rage vibrating through them as they watched. Fin's jaw clenched; he hadn't realized the full extent of what had happened.
The scene rewound.
It followed the mage walking through the portal, showing the other side. Ashbane in his war room meeting with this mage.
The dark mage held out the vial of Nova's blood. Ashbane took it, lifting it slowly to his nose. His eyes darkened with something foul—arousal, hunger—twisted into one. The scene jumped forward. The mage returned alone, to the snow-dusted clearing where it all happened.
Crimson streaks still stained the ground. He crouched low, dipped a finger into the blood, and tasted it—his eyes fluttering closed as if savoring something sacred.
Behind him, Ashbane emerged in silence, watching. Without a word, he shifted into his massive wolf form and sprinted into the darkness.
The scene cut to black.
"Let's leave here. Elle, can you grab Cael's sword? Another scene will play when he unsheathes it." Nova said, trying to not react to what she just saw.
She didn't wait for a response. Her steps carried her toward the far wall, where her eyes flared gold. Runes pulsed to life, crawling across the stone like veins until an archway carved itself into existence. Through it, they could see Cael—standing silently at the entrance.
Nova stepped through without looking back. She didn't acknowledge what she'd witnessed had turned her stomach.
"That son of a bitch," Jax yelled, fury crackling through every muscle. His fists curled at his sides, the rage behind his eyes breaking free. "How dare he."
Fin's jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful. Then, without warning, he turned and slammed his fist into the stone wall beside the archway. The sound echoed like thunder, stone cracking under the force. Blood spilled from his knuckles, dripping down his wrist, but he didn't react. He just stood there, chest heaving, eyes hard.
Jax shook his head slowly. "I should've been there," he said, voice rough with guilt. "I should've known." His magic flared around him, in response to his rage. The air warping with the weight of it, charged and dangerous.
"He touched her." Fin's voice was low, violent, trembling with rage. "Like she was his to violate." He turned his head slightly, voice darker now. "I'm going to kill Ashbane. And every last mage working with him. I'll rip them apart piece by piece."