“No! Please! I’m right here!”
A silver flash. A final scream.
Then silence.
And she was gone.
The chains burned as I pulled against them. My arms shook. My chest heaved.
Pain exploded in my jaw—another blow. I crashed sideways, choking on my own breath.
Then— another scene.
Another horror.
My parents—on their knees in the study. My father’s sword shattered beside him. My mother’s hand clutched his, like she could keep him alive by sheer will.
The Sentinels loomed behind them. They gave a single, wordless command. The blades fell.
I screamed so hard I felt something tear in my throat.
“No—NO—”
I tried to crawl, tried to reach them—but the chains only tightened, metal digging into skin, into bone.
I wasn’t a Shade.
I wasn’t a commander.
I was a child.
Watching everything I loved die.
Then—
The world shifted again.
Faster. Violent.
And the battlefield unfolded.
The ground was black and scorched. The air stank of magic and rot.
Leo’s body was the first I saw—his throat torn open, face frozen mid-laugh like he hadn’t seen it coming.
Phoenix, curled on his side, flames still eating at his body.
Slade, standing just long enough to meet my eyes before a blade burst through his chest from behind. He dropped with a grunt. Didn’t rise.
And then—
Elira.
Alone.
On her knees. Her hair clung to her cheeks. Blood dripped from her mouth. She was shaking.
She looked up at me.
