The forest blurred around them as they ran, Elara dragging Elisia behind her while Kael stayed at their rear, sword drawn, scanning the shadows for any sign of the creature that had torn through the veil. The ancient temple lay in ruins behind them, buried under dust, blood, and the consequences of a spell gone wrong.
Elara didn't stop running until they reached the hollow trunk of a great elderwood tree. Moss draped its bark like a curtain, and inside, a hidden crevice formed a small refuge. She shoved Elisia inside gently and turned to Kael, whose chest was heaving with exertion and pain.
"You're bleeding," she said, reaching toward his forehead.
Kael swatted her hand away with a grunt. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not." She pressed her hand over the wound, and warmth spread from her palm. Light shimmered under her fingers, and the cut slowly closed.
Only then did she turn back to Elisia.
Her sister sat curled in the corner, knees drawn to her chest, cloak dusted with ash. The fire in her eyes had dimmed, but not disappeared.
"I didn't mean to summon that thing," Elisia muttered. "It wasn't in the spell... it wasn't supposed to answer me."
Elara crouched beside her, ignoring the pain in her own legs. "You called to darkness. Darkness answered."
"I only wanted to see," Elisia whispered. "To understand. The grimoire said if I could unbind my true magic, I could—"
"Rule?" Kael interrupted, leaning against the entrance of the hollow. "Destroy? Become a god?"
"No." Elisia looked up, her voice brittle. "I wanted to undo what happened to Mother."
Elara froze. "What?"
"You don't remember, do you?" Elisia's eyes glistened. "You were barely five. But I remember it all. I remember the fire. The way her eyes turned black before she vanished into smoke. They told us it was an accident. A magical burst from inside her. But it wasn't. She was taken."
Elara's breath caught. "Taken by what?"
Elisia stared at her. "By that."
A silence followed that revelation, so heavy it pressed against their lungs. Elara sat back, shaking her head. "But why wouldn't anyone tell us?"
"Because they were afraid," Elisia said, voice hard. "Afraid of what we might become. Afraid that if we learned the truth, we'd go looking for her. Just like I did."
Kael's voice was cold. "And in doing so, you opened a doorway to something worse."
"I didn't mean to." Elisia's voice broke, her fingers trembling. "I thought... I thought I could control it. But I was wrong."
Elara sat in silence, torn between fury and sympathy. Her sister had made terrible choices. But beneath it all, her pain was real. Her motives, twisted though they were, came from love—and loss.
"Can it follow us?" she asked Kael.
He shook his head. "Not yet. It's tied to that ruin. It needs a proper vessel to move freely in this world."
"A vessel?" Elisia asked.
"A body," Kael explained grimly. "Something powerful enough to contain it. Which means it will be hunting."
Elara's stomach turned. "People like us."
Kael nodded. "Mages. Blood-bound. Magic-wielders. Anyone strong enough to be a host."
Silence fell again, this time stained with dread.
"So what do we do now?" Elisia asked, her voice small for the first time.
"We stop it," Elara said, standing. "Together."
Kael looked at her like she was mad. "You want her to come with us? After what she just did?"
"She's the only one who knows what it is. She read the grimoire. If we're going to seal it back—or destroy it—we need her."
"She also nearly got you killed."
"And she's my sister," Elara said firmly. "She needs a chance to fix what she's broken."
Elisia looked up, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You'd forgive me? Just like that?"
"No," Elara said quietly. "But I'll give you the chance to earn it."
Kael growled under his breath, frustrated, but didn't argue further. He knew better than to challenge Elara when she made up her mind.
"Then we move before sunrise," he said. "That thing will start searching soon."
"Where do we go?" Elisia asked.
"To the Archives," Elara replied. "There are spells there—ancient ones, sealed by the Elders. If anyone ever sealed something like this before, the knowledge will be there."
"Won't they block us?" Kael asked.
Elara's expression was grim. "Not if I take the Mark."
Kael straightened, alarmed. "No. Elara, that's permanent. Once you take the Mark of Truth, you can never lie again. Not even to protect someone."
"It's the only way the Archivists will open the vaults. We don't have time to beg for mercy."
Elisia watched the exchange with wide eyes. "You'd really do that? For me?"
"No," Elara said. "For everyone that thing might kill if we don't stop it."
Elara turned her back to them both, trying to steady her breathing. The Mark of Truth wasn't just a magical vow—it was a branding of the soul. Once taken, it bound your words forever. Lies would burn on your tongue. Secrets would rot from your lips. She would never again be able to protect someone with silence or spare someone pain with omission.
But if it meant sealing the creature that had nearly taken her sister—and their mother—it would be worth it.
At least, that's what she told herself.