-Luca-

  I caught the sword mid-air without thinking. The second my fingers wrapped around the hilt, the golden glow it had when Sacer held it flickered out, it was instead swallowed by black flames.

  Damian barely had time to react before I swung. The blade cut through the air in a searing arc, catching him hard across the side. He let out a sharp, choked cry and staggered back, his claws scrambling for balance against the blood-slicked ground.

  I landed in front of him, the Mirage Sword burning in my grip.

  Damian’s red eyes—eyes just like mine—were wide with pain. His breath came in fast, uneven gulps. He clutched at his side, fingers slick with blood. His wings twitched like he wanted to run, but they shook too much to lift him.

  Then his face changed.

  The fear in his eyes twisted into something desperate.

  “Don’t,” His voice cracked. “Don’t kill me.”

  I froze.

  Damian took a shaky step back, still gripping his side, his tail dragging behind him. He wasn’t looking at me like an enemy anymore. Not like the monster who burned the capital to the ground. He looked like what he was.

  A kid. A thirteen-year-old kid who had made an irreversible mistake.

  “I-” He winced, sucking in a sharp breath. “I didn’t mean for all this to happen.” His voice was shaking. “I just—I needed to get back at Mr. Calor.” He swallowed, voice cracking. “I wasn’t thinking about anything else. I just wanted-” He stopped himself, shaking his head. His wings curled inward, shoulders hunching like he was bracing for a hit. “I just wanted to make him pay.”

  I let out a slow breath.

  I didn’t lower the sword, but I didn’t move to strike, either.

  "You’ve killed a lot of people, Damian," I said quietly. "Like you told me back in Fatalis, no one’s ever going to let you forget that."

  Damian’s eyes darted to the blade in my hand, then back up to my face. He looked lost.

  I knew that look all too well. I had worn that look. It was the weight of realizing there was no going back. That no matter what you did from this point on, you would always be the person who had done something unforgivable.

  I exhaled.

  "If you're serious about being sorry," I hesitated, but forced the words out. "Then I’ll try to help you."

  Damian stared at me. His hands shook at his sides. He opened his mouth, to ask if I meant it, maybe, but before he could, a sharp, bitter laugh cut through the air.

  "You’ll help him?"

  I turned just as Alden—that was his name, right? I thought I remembered it from before—staggered forward, his hand clutching the bloody stump where his arm used to be. His face was pale, but his eyes; his eyes burned with disbelief. With rage. With something I couldn’t quite name.

  "You," He sucked in a breath, shaking his head. "You knew, didn’t you?"

  I frowned. "What?"

  "You knew about this," he snapped, voice raw. "You were part of this."

  I stiffened. "That’s not-"

  "Don’t lie to me!" he shouted, voice cracking. "The king is dead. Our people are dead. And the thing that did it-" His voice dropped into something bitter and sharp. "He looks just like you. He has your magic. And I’m supposed to believe that’s just a coincidence?"

  I turned to fully face him, frustration rising. "I didn’t—"

  "Luca isn’t responsible for this," Sacer cut in sharply, stepping between us before I could get another word out.

  Alden scoffed, shaking his head. "Of course, you’re defending him." His voice was venomous. "You always do, don’t you?"

  "You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about," Sacer snapped.

  "Oh, don’t I?" Alden let out a hollow laugh. "He’s the Demon King’s reincarnation. And every single time, you give him a pass. Just like before. Just like—" He let out a harsh breath. "Maybe we should start asking ourselves what side you’re really on, Sacer."

  Sacer moved before I could even process it.

  One second, he was still. The next, he was grabbing Alden by the collar, yanking him close.

  "You do not get to question my loyalty," Sacer said, voice low and seething, "Not after everything I’ve done." His golden eyes burned with something exhausted and furious all at once. "I have given up everything for this kingdom. My home. My father. My own damn brother." His grip tightened. "So if you ever—ever—suggest that I don’t care about this place, I swear on everything, Alden, I will knock your teeth out."

  Alden wrenched himself back, shoving Sacer away with his remaining hand.

  Edric, who had been watching with an expression somewhere between amused and exasperated, finally sighed. "Alright, everyone, deep breaths."

  "Shut up," Sacer and Alden snapped at the same time.

  Edric rolled his eyes. "Just trying to lighten the mood, damn."

  "This isn’t a joke," Alden seethed. "That kid-" He gestured behind me.

  I turned to look at Damian, then my heart stopped. Damian was gone.

  I looked up sharply, scanning the sky… there. A dark shape in the distance, wings beating furiously as he fled, blood trailing in his wake.

  "He’s going to come back," Alden spat. "And more people are going to die." His gaze flicked back to me, filled with open distrust. "And when that happens, you’ll regret letting him go."

  I held his stare, but didn’t respond.

  —

  Three days had passed since the battle, and while the fires had finally died out, the smell of smoke still clung to the air, mixing with the scent of dust and blood. The streets were covered in rubble, buildings reduced to little more than broken foundations, and the weight of what had happened here hung over everything.

  But people were moving. Working.

  Soldiers and civilians alike dug through the wreckage, clearing paths, salvaging what they could. Some built makeshift shelters for those who had lost their homes. Others carried the wounded to whatever space could be repurposed into a medical ward.

  And then there was me.

  I wiped the sweat from my forehead, rolling my shoulders before hauling another broken wooden beam onto the growing pile of debris. My muscles ached, my hands stung with raw blisters, but I didn’t stop. I wouldn’t stop.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Even if I wanted to, I knew how many eyes were on me.

  Not staring outright but I could hear them.

  "That’s him."

  "The black flames… it was him, wasn’t it?"

  "Why is he still here?"

  "I saw him fighting. He was on our side."

  "Was he? You saw what he did with that sword. He’s just like that other monster."

  I ground my teeth together and tossed another chunk of wreckage onto the pile. I knew what they saw when they looked at me.

  Not Luca the farmhand. Not the kid who grew up in a quiet village with his brother.

  But that’s okay. I’m okay. I’ve made peace with that.

  "You keep frowning like that, people are gonna start thinking you’re as broody as your brother," Edric said, dropping a few splintered planks beside me.

  I huffed. "I am my brother’s brother."

  "Yeah, but at least Sacer gets called the Hero while people look at you like you just kicked their dog." Edric stretched his arms behind his head, tilting his head toward the workers. "Kinda sucks, huh?"

  "You get used to it," I muttered.

  Edric whistled low. "That’s depressing."

  I didn’t respond, just kept moving.

  Sacer was a few feet away, stacking stones into a wheelbarrow. He worked quietly, his jaw set, focused entirely on the task at hand. He hadn’t said much since the fight ended.

  Edric, however, had no problem filling the silence.

  "You know," he mused, "if they’re gonna make you out to be some terrifying demon, you could at least act the part. Maybe glare more. Float a little. Maybe throw in a mwahaha every now and then-"

  I shot him a dry look. "Do you want people to be afraid of me?"

  "Eh." He shrugged. "Might be fun."

  "You’re ridiculous."

  "I’m practical," he corrected. "Look, I’m just saying-"

  "Edric," Sacer cut in, voice flat. "Stop antagonizing my brother."

  Edric gasped. "Antagonizing? I would never."

  Sacer gave him a look.

  Edric just grinned.

  I shook my head, grabbing another beam. The whispers were still there, the tension thick in the air, but for a moment, it felt almost normal.

  Edric let the silence stretch for a moment before sighing and propping his hands on his hips. "Okay, but for real," he said. "Are we gonna talk about it, or are we just gonna pretend we didn’t see you throwing around black fire three days ago like your taika wasn’t supposed to be busted?"

  I stilled.

  Sacer finally looked up.

  I let out a slow breath, setting the beam down and pulling the Mirage Sword from my hip. The golden glow it had when Sacer held it was long gone. Now, it looked like an ordinary silver blade, dull in the afternoon light.

  "I can’t produce fire like I used to," I admitted. "But my mana still flows through my body normally. If I let it run through the sword—like an extension of my arm—I can use my fire affinity that way. Sort of."

  Edric raised an eyebrow. "So… you just reroute your magic into something else?"

  "Pretty much. Kinda like what you guys do already."

  He let out a low whistle. "Weird. But cool."

  I huffed a quiet laugh. "Thanks."

  Sacer nodded slightly, thoughtful. He looked like he wanted to say something but held back.

  I sheathed the sword and turned back to my work. But then-

  "Farmhand?"

  The voice—familiar, impossible—stopped me cold.

  I turned before I could stop myself.

  And there she was.

  Marei.

  She stood just a few paces away, dark hair pulled back, brown eyes wide and bright, full of something I couldn’t quite place. I barely had time to register her expression before she moved. Suddenly, she was there, throwing herself at me, arms tight around my middle.

  For a second, I couldn’t breathe.

  She was real. Solid. Here.

  I was afraid. Afraid this was a dream. Afraid of what I should say. Afraid of what she would say. I had dreamed about this moment so many times, imagining the words, imagining how I’d finally tell her everything I needed to say.

  I swallowed hard. "I’m sor-"

  The slap came before I even saw it.

  My head snapped to the side, the sting burning across my cheek.

  I blinked, stunned.

  "Do not start that!" Marei shouted.

  My cheek was still stinging from the slap, but honestly? I was too stunned to focus on that. Because Marei was furious. Not the kind of anger that burned out in a few minutes. No, this was deeper. The kind that had built up over months. And now that she finally had me in front of her?

  "How could you make me worry like that?!" she yelled, shoving me hard enough that I nearly tripped over a broken piece of rubble.

  "Marei, I-"

  "No!" She jabbed a finger at my chest. "You don't get to talk yet! You just vanished, Luca! Gone without a word! No note, no message, nothing!" She threw her hands up. "And then I start hearing rumors about some black-flamed demon setting the world on fire, and guess what?! I thought it was you!"

  "I know, I-"

  "Don’t you dare apologize!"

  I flinched. "I wasn’t-"

  "Were you about to say sorry?!"

  "No!" I said quickly. Then, realizing I absolutely was, I backtracked. "I mean, okay, maybe, but-"

  Smack!

  "Marei!" I yelped, stumbling back, holding my cheek. "Will you stop hitting me?!"

  "Then stop being an idiot!" She grabbed my shirt and yanked me closer, her bright brown eyes burning with frustration. "Do you have any idea what it was like not knowing what happened to you?! Not knowing if you were okay?!"

  I opened my mouth, then shut it.

  I risked a glance at Sacer and Edric. They were slowly backing away. Like they were afraid if they moved too fast, she'd notice them. Sacer—the fearless Hero of the people—actually looked scared. Edric caught my gaze and gave me a helpless shrug, as if saying: You’re on your own, man.

  Traitors.

  "And another thing!" Marei snapped, pulling me back into her fury. "Do you know how many times I imagined seeing you again?! Do you know how many times I thought about what I’d say to you?!"

  I swallowed. "...This?"

  "No!"

  "Oh."

  "I thought I’d say something dramatic!" she went on, throwing her arms in the air. "Like, ‘You have a lot of nerve showing your face here!’ Or maybe something really cutting like, ‘I don’t even know you anymore.’" She scoffed. "But no! I see your stupid face, and all I can think about is how much I want to slap you!"

  "Well, mission accomplished…" I muttered, rubbing my face.

  "Don’t be a smartass!"

  "I’m trying to keep up!"

  She let out a frustrated groan and shoved me again, though not as hard this time. "I swear, if you ever do something like that again-"

  "I won’t," I said quickly. "I swear."

  Marei clenched her jaw. Her breathing was uneven, her hands shaking slightly at her sides. And then, just like that, all the fire drained out of her. Her shoulders slumped. Her face crumpled. And before I could react, she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around me.

  I barely had time to catch her.

  For a long moment, neither of us spoke. She buried her face against my shoulder, gripping the back of my shirt like she was afraid I’d disappear again.

  Then, in a small, choked voice, she whispered, "I missed you."

  I squeezed my eyes shut, swallowing the lump in my throat.

  "I missed you too.”