Chapter ten : Brothers in shadows
739 Words
🌌 Chapter Ten: Brothers in Shadow
The sanctuary lay quiet. Elara slept near the Veilwater, her breathing steady, her face soft in the glow of the crystals.
But the brothers did not sleep.
Kael paced like a caged beast, firelight flickering faintly around his fists. “She unleashed power none of us could match. If she loses control again, she could burn the whole cavern down.”
Riven, lounging against a pillar, smirked. “Funny. I thought she saved us.”
Kael spun on him, eyes blazing. “You treat this like a game, Riven. It isn’t.”
Riven’s grin faded, his gaze flicking toward Elara’s sleeping form. “I know that. Better than you think.”
Theron, ever calm, poured water from his hands back into the pool, ripples shimmering across its surface. “Both of you are right. She is dangerous… but she is also hope. Without her, the prophecy dies. And so do we.”
In the far corner, Darius spoke at last, his voice low, threaded with darkness. “You’re all fools if you think hope comes without a cost.” He stepped forward, the shadows curling at his feet. His eyes lingered on Elara. “That girl is a weapon. And weapons are meant to be wielded.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “Don’t speak of her like that.”
Riven’s laughter was sharp, a shield for something rawer beneath. “Look at us — fire ready to burn her, shadow ready to use her, water ready to worship her. No wonder the prophecy bound us all to the same star. It’s cruel, really.”
Theron’s gaze darkened. “Not cruel. Necessary.”
For a moment, the weight of silence pressed on them all. The Veilwater shimmered faintly, reflecting five figures — four brothers awake, and one girl asleep who would decide the fate of them all.
Kael broke the silence, his voice low and fierce. “Whatever the prophecy means, whatever comes — she’s under our protection. If anyone tries to take her, they’ll answer to me.”
Riven’s smirk returned, though softer this time. “Careful, brother. You almost sound like you care.”
Kael didn’t answer, but his eyes never left Elara.
And in the shadows, Darius’s expression was unreadable.
Kael
He lingered by the firestone embers, fists tight at his sides. She had looked at him tonight — really looked — as though she could see through the walls he had built brick by brick. It terrified him. And worse, it tempted him.
She deserves someone gentle, not a blade wrapped in flame, he thought bitterly. Yet when she had touched his wrist, warmth had bloomed in a place he thought long dead.
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Riven
Flat on his back beneath the crystals, Riven stared at the ceiling, lips curved in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He lived for laughter, for mischief, for freedom. But the way her smile had lit up when he made her laugh tonight? That wasn’t a game. That was dangerous.
If she ever sees past the jester’s mask… gods help me, I won’t let her go.
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Theron
Kneeling by the Veilwater, Theron let ripples pass through his fingers. Elara’s reflection shimmered there, peaceful in sleep. She had touched the water earlier and seen her future self, radiant and strong.
He believed in that vision more than she did. But belief carried its own burden.
If my calm steadies her, I will bear it. Even if she never knows that every quiet word I give her is a prayer.
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Darius
From the shadows, Darius watched her chest rise and fall, her lashes dark against her cheeks. She looked so fragile… and that fragility enraged him. Not because she was weak, but because the world would seek to break her, and he knew he might have to be the one to stop it if she faltered.
She is light, he thought, and I am the darkness that will swallow it if I must. Yet still… still, I want her to look at me the way she looks at them.
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The cavern hummed with unspoken truths, the Veil itself bending faintly to their tangled emotions. None of the brothers slept that night.
And though Elara dreamed peacefully, her starfire stirred restlessly in her veins — as if sensing that love, loyalty, and danger had begun to weave together in ways none of them could escape.
- Writer
