XXXIII

"No!" Kael’s voice boomed, echoing Kiro’s challenge. "We're going to talk about this." He spat on the ground near Kiro's feet, his eyes burning with contempt. "I want to know why you did it. Why you lied to her, why you let that cunning Princess deliver the final blow. You disgust me. She loves you, and all you could do was tell her she meant nothing. Pathetic."

Kiro’s bewilderment curdled into rage. How dare Kael accuse him of such treachery—of harming Lyra? "Stop it!" he snarled, his words hurried and sharp. "Your petty games won't work! Fight me like a man!" He lunged, but Kael sidestepped the clumsy attack with contemptuous ease.

"We used to be so close," Kael said, his voice laced with a sorrow that made his next move all the more brutal. He drove a powerful kick into Kiro's chest, sending him staggering back. Kael shook his head slowly. "And now look at us. All because of that treacherous Princess and her insidious mind control."

Kiro unleashed a furious volley of slashes, but his blade met only empty air. Kael’s speed was unnatural, a blur of motion that defied his senses. Ignoring Kael’s words, Kiro yelled, "What mind control? I serve the Princess out of honor and loyalty—things you know nothing about!"

With a single, fluid motion, Kael caught Kiro's energy sword by the hilt. The Dragon within him stirred, and he just shook his head. He narrowed his eyes, and with a burst of pure Umbra energy, the blade dissolved into shadows. Kiro stumbled backward, a gasp of terror escaping his lips as he stared at his empty hand, shaken by Kael’s terrifying new power and the chilling clarity in his voice.

"Yes, Kiro," Kael circled him, his voice dripping with sick delight. "Feel the same fear I felt when the Princess and her guards—my own comrades—threw me into a lightless cell. She told me you sold me out. The one secret I entrusted to you, sealed with a blood oath, was given to the one person we swore would never know. I didn't want to believe it. But then I saw how you were around her, the vacant look in your eyes. It didn't take a genius to realize it was mind control. And poor Lyra… she was your second casualty. I saw it all in her thoughts. She still trusts me, you know."

He leaned in closer, his voice a venomous whisper. "The Princess told Lyra she was a shade-born of Kara, a phantom who didn't truly exist. And you agreed with her. You told Lyra she meant nothing to you. You kissed Calista right in front of her. You drove her to the brink of madness. It's taking everything she has not to lose control completely."

The world tilted under Kiro’s feet. "Th-that can't be true! Why would Her Majesty…" His hand flew to his scarlet earring in a desperate, instinctual gesture. Kael’s eyes snapped to the movement. He lunged, tearing the jewelry from Kiro's ear.

The Commander cried out in pain, a sharp, tearing agony followed by a wave of dizzying clarity. "What the—? That was a gift from… oh!" The realization hit him like a physical blow.

"So that was her anchor," Kael remarked, his own anger momentarily forgotten in reflection. "That earring was the link." For a long moment, the two men stood in silence, the space between them filled with the ghosts of their former friendship.

A soft sound broke the stillness. Lyra was stumbling to her feet, her face still a mask of anguish. None of them noticed the fiery sphere hovering above her palm had winked out. As the raw power receded from her, the Dragon stirred uneasily inside Kael. Be careful, you fool! She’s unstable! it warned.

But Kiro, finally free, felt only a profound sense of relief. He couldn't feel the storm of fury still radiating from her. He rushed to her side, wrapping her in his arms. "Lyra! Thank the gods! Listen, if I said anything earlier—"

A Pyre explosion threw him into the air, cutting him off. "Lyra!" he yelled as she unleashed a barrage of enormous fireballs, her breaths coming in ragged, howling gasps. "You'll pay! You'll pay for this! YOU'LL PAY!"

On the ground, Kiro shivered, convinced she was going to kill him. She was lost to her rage. A grim smirk touched Kael’s lips as he watched the scene unfold. Lyra strode confidently to Kiro, grabbed him by the hair, and lifted him with terrifying ease. He cried out, his eyes pleading with the heartless, lifeless green slits her own had become. She drew back her free hand, gathering heat for the final strike. Kiro squeezed his eyes shut, his mind flashing with memories of their time together. Give me another chance, please! he thought frantically.

The darkness has a power of its own, Kiro, a familiar voice echoed as a sudden, bright light filled his mind. It can conceal. It can offer refuge. It is not inherently evil. Never fear the part of you that thrives in the shadows.

Kiro’s eyes flew open. A wail of pure sorrow tore from his throat as he unleashed the power the voice had unlocked. A surge of Umbra energy erupted from him, throwing Lyra backward. She landed in a heap near Kael, unconscious. As Kael knelt to check on the blonde, Kiro panted softly, stunned by his newfound ability. Kael stood, and the Dragon’s eyes within him sharpened. He rushed the newly awakened Umbra Mage, pummeling him to within an inch of his life. The last thing Kiro saw before the world went black was Kael scooping Lyra into his arms and leaping onto his mech. "I'm so sorry, Lyra. Please, forgive me."

Elisia and Haelia exchanged looks of wide-eyed disbelief, their mouths agape. Kiro sighed, running a hand through his disheveled hair. He looked up at the Terra Mage, his eyes swimming with remorse. "Don't you see? We've all been played. The Princess has been controlling me from the start. I betrayed Kael, I hurt Lyra, and I didn't even know. I just… I want to know why." His voice cracked. "And I want Lyra back."

Haelia hopped down from her perch on a rock and dusted herself off. "Kiro, I believe you." The simple, honest statement made Elisia’s head snap in her direction.

Kiro took a sharp breath, a fragile smile touching his lips. "Thank you."

"Yeah! Me too," Elisia chirped, pulling them all into an impulsive group hug. "Besides, we're all Fated Mages now, right? We have to stick together!"

Haelia chuckled. "That's right!"

Their infectious enthusiasm made Kiro laugh, a real, genuine sound despite the ache in his heart. He knew what he had to do: find Lyra, expose the Princess, and uncover the truth. He nodded, his expression hardening with resolve as he stepped back. "Ladies, let's head back to the base. We need to rally everyone. We're going to save Lyra."

Kara, Aden, and Reya were gathering the last of the survivors, preparing for departure. Their orders were clear, but now they had a new, unspoken objective: find Anya. Exhausted, Kara collapsed onto the front steps of the base. Reya noticed her heavy sigh and came over. "Hey! What's up?" Kara asked, her smile painfully fake.

"Kara, please," Reya said gently. "I know something's wrong."

Tears welled in Kara’s eyes. "I'm just worried about Lyra, that's all. And with Anya missing and the others still gone…"

"And Haken?" Reya asked, her voice soft. Kara flinched.

"Haken can handle himself," she stated, her tone a little too sharp. Before Reya could press further, Kara pointed toward the lake. "They're back!"

Reya squinted against the rising sun. Kiro, Elisia, and Haelia were cresting the hill, but Lyra was not with them. Kara’s shoulders slumped. Haelia rushed over to her and began recounting the story in a breathless, jumbled torrent of words. Though Reya couldn't hear the details, she saw Kiro wince. The next thing she knew, Kara shrieked, "WHAT!?" and launched herself at him. Kiro cried out in alarm as Reya moved to intervene.

"Kara! Please! CALM DOWN!" Elisia yelled, straining to hold her back.

"What is going on here?" Reya’s voice cut through the chaos. She raised her hands, sending a sphere of water splashing over all of them. Everyone froze, dripping and shocked into silence. "Now," she said, her voice calm but firm, "will someone please tell me what happened?"

Elisia slowly released her grip on Kara and began to recount Kiro’s story, this time emphasizing the part about the mind-controlling earring. When she finished, a heavy silence fell over the group.

"It all makes sense now," Reya said, her expression one of dawning horror. "I knew Kiro was acting strangely around the Princess. I just assumed it was loyalty. I never would have suspected the earring. It's sinister, but brilliant! I wonder—"

"Reya! Seriously!" Elisia interrupted, aghast. The Mage of Aqua flushed with embarrassment.

Kara’s gaze met Kiro’s, and in his eyes, she saw the profound depth of his feelings for Lyra. Her own anger dissolved, replaced by a wave of shared sorrow. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "For freaking out on you."

"I still hurt her," he said, his voice heavy with guilt. "But it wasn't my will."

Kara nodded, understanding. A new resolve hardened her voice. "Well, I think we all know what our next step is. We split up. We search for Anya, for Lyra, and for the Warden Stones."

The others nodded in agreement, turning to follow her back toward the ruins of Ravenhold. Kiro fell into step beside her. She glanced at him, a small, encouraging smile on her lips. But before she could speak, a vision tore through her mind. The world dissolved. The air grew frigid, and a biting wind whipped around her. She was standing in a world of white, a vast, snow-covered landscape. She heard a haunting melody on the wind, a song that was abruptly shattered by a piercing scream.

The familiar vista of the cliff appeared. The water below churned with jagged shards of ice. Kara saw herself, dressed as the Princess, staring down into the abyss. The scream echoed again, closer this time, and she was paralyzed by terror. She knew what was coming. Haken would appear. She would turn. He would kill her. She fought against it, refusing to accept the inevitable, but an unseen force, as if she were moving through water, compelled her to turn. Over the cacophony, she heard a snickering laugh. The figure behind her surged forward before she could see its face, and she was falling, tumbling toward a sea of broken glass. As the world shattered around her, a sing-song voice whispered in her mind.

"One to the sky, three to the earth. For the six to return, a new rebirth."