Snow fell again as they crossed into the northern reach of the Forgotten Vale, where trees stood like blackened bones and wind spoke in ghost-voices. The air was colder now—not just with weather, but with something older. Watching. Waiting.
Kael held her coat tighter. "This place gives me the creeps. Like we're walking through a haunted book."
"It was once a battleground," Roen said. "Thousands died here when the Hollow Crown first rose."
"That explains the ominous ambiance," Veylan muttered.
Ahead, Aeren walked in silence, his thoughts swirling. Since rejecting his future self in the Echoed Flame, he felt something inside him shift. Not broken. Not healed. Becoming.
They stopped at the base of a stone pillar etched with hundreds of names.
Elira ran her fingers over the oldest one. "This was the site of the Pale Circle's betrayal."
"The what-now?" Kael asked.
"The Pale Circle," Roen answered. "They were a cabal of seers and warlocks who sided with the Hollow Crown in its earliest days. Twisted their gifts to serve prophecy."
"And they're still around," Aeren said. "Aris summoned them."
Kael frowned. "Great. Cults with ancient trauma. Just what I needed."
---
That night, they were ambushed.
Pale-robed figures emerged from the mist like living wraiths. Silent, except for the chime of glass bells around their necks.
Aeren stood tall. "I know what you are."
One stepped forward. A woman with eyes like cracked porcelain. "We have waited for you, Flame-Bearer."
"Then you know I won't join you."
She tilted her head. "You already have."
The ground shifted.
They were no longer in the forest, but within a circle of salt and mirrors. Each reflection showed a version of themselves—broken, bloodied, dying.
Kael drew her dagger. "This again? Really?"
The Pale Woman raised a hand. "Face your truths, or be consumed by them."
Aeren stepped forward. "No. I already chose. I reject your visions."
The mirrors shattered.
Light exploded.
When the air cleared, the Pale Circle was gone.
---
Back in the forest, Elira examined the place where they had stood. "Illusion magic… but powerful. Old."
"They were testing us," Veylan said. "Poking for weakness."
Kael dusted glass from her coat. "They're gonna need better mirrors."
Aeren stared into the fire that night, and Kael sat beside him without a word.
After a while, he spoke. "Every time we win, it feels like a warning."
She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Then let's keep proving them wrong."
He smiled slightly. "You know, you're surprisingly reassuring for someone who steals everything not nailed down."
"I only steal emotionally significant objects. And muffins."
He laughed.
For a moment, the world didn't seem so heavy.
---
In the Hollow Court, Aris stood in her chamber of stars. The Pale Circle knelt.
"He resisted," one whispered.
"Good," Aris said. "Let him grow."
She turned, and the stars in her eyes burned brighter.
"When he reaches me… I want him whole."