"Peeble, I think we found this iteration's Elle. We must be near an exit."
Peeble looks at me skeptically. "And how do you know that?"
"I can hear her."
We keep walking, and the signal gets stronger with every step. She's arguing with someone, but I can't make out who. Her voice is familiar and strange at the same time—the same cadence, the same stubborn edge, but pitched differently. Younger, maybe. Or angrier.
Up ahead, a sliver of daylight appears in the tunnel wall. I take off running toward it. There's a loose pile of rocks blocking the opening, and I start digging through them, pulling stones free and tossing them aside until the gap is wide enough to squeeze my body through.
I pull myself out into the open air and shield my eyes. Sunlight hits me full force after hours in the dark, and for a moment all I can see is white.
Then my vision adjusts.
Mountains. Hundreds of them, stretching in every direction as far as I can see, their peaks sharp against a pale sky. Trails wind along the cliffs far below, thin as thread. We're high up. Very high up, and the wind is strong enough to make me brace my feet.
"We definitely didn't make it to the Wyrmwood," I say.
Peeble lands on my shoulder and scans the horizon. "Nope! Look! There's Axis Peak over there." They pause. "Wow, it really isn't as large as people said. Stupid fae males, always overcompensating."
I'm about to ask what that means when I catch movement on a ridge below us. My heart stutters.
I see the whole crew. Bryx. Sarnyx. Vasheal. Nimor. Eltriene. Kevin buzzing in wide circles overhead. And there's Elle and Kaelren.
No Peeble, though. That's weird.
I take a closer look, squinting against the wind. Elle and Kaelren are arguing. Even from up here, I can see the tension in their bodies: him rigid and closed off, her gesturing with an aggressive energy. Looking at the style of their clothes, the way they carry themselves. This is definitely one of the earlier iterations.
"Ohhhh, who is that handsome fella down there?" Peeble's wings buzz with interest.
"That's Kaelren. I'd think the scowl would've given him away."
"No, no. Gross. Not him." Peeble's antennae swivel. "I'm talking about the blue-winged one flying near bug boy."
I squint harder. "Oh, that's Kevin. He's Bryx's bee."
"Hubba hubba. He can buzz me anytime."
I rear back. "Okay, now who is eww?
I study the scene below us more carefully, trying to read the body language, the energy between the group. This is not my Kaelren. The way he holds himself is different—sharper,more hostile. There's no warmth buried under the scowl, no protectiveness hidden in the stiffness. Just cold. His corruption is also covering about ninety percent of his body.
"Ooh!" Peeble shakes excitedly. "I wonder if we ask them if they've seen the new Kaelren. They could point us in the right direction!"
"Hold on, Peeble." Something in my gut is telling me to stay put. "I have a feeling we shouldn't interact just yet. Plus, if we get separated, I don't think we'll be together again."
"Why is that?"
"Because I know where we are now." The pieces click into place: the arguing, the crew, the hostility. "This is Iteration Three. Kaelren and Elle don't get along here. If I remember correctly—" my stomach turns. "He shoves her off a cliff."
Peeble freezes. Then their entire body puffs up like an angry cat, wings buzzing at a pitch I've never heard before.
"EXCUSE ME?" they shriek. "Oh, hell no. We need to warn her!"
"Peeble, wait—"
But they're already gone. Launched off my shoulder at full speed, a jewel-encrusted bullet of righteous fury aimed directly at Kaelren's head. I can hear them ranting as they close the distance, mandibles clicking, voice carrying across the mountain air in a stream of outrage that would be impressive if it weren't about to cause a disaster.
Kaelren whirls around. Even from up here, I can see the look on his face. Pure terror at the sparkling, shrieking insect hurtling towards him. He starts swatting at Peeble, arms flailing, stumbling backward—
