**FLASHBACK – YEARS AGO – THE DEEPWOOD OUTSKIRTS**
Before she became a ghost in Ember’s mirror, her name was **Eira**.
Born under the same moon cycle as Ember Wellesley, just hours apart, on opposite ends of the forest. The healers whispered it was a blessing—that the Goddess had blessed the Peak with twins of power.
But only one was claimed.
Ember was marked.
Eira was not.
She watched from the trees that first night, barely five years old, as the villagers gathered for Ember’s moon-naming ceremony. Lanterns floated into the air. Wolves howled. Magic surged.
No one noticed the other child watching—her small hands clenched, her face streaked with tears.
Her mother died giving birth. Her father drank himself into a whisper. The Elders never came for her. Never tested her blood.
She
