Alara had always been the quiet one in their group, but after her trial, the silence felt different. It was heavier, like the air around her was thick with unspoken thoughts and emotions. Torin noticed it right away, his gaze lingering on her as they left the Hall of Trials.
"Alara," Torin began, his voice gentle, "are you—"
"I'm fine," she cut him off abruptly, her eyes focused straight ahead. Her voice was steady, but there was an edge to it that hadn't been there before. Torin exchanged a concerned glance with Rina, who walked beside them, equally puzzled by Alara's sudden shift.
The three of them made their way through the dimly lit corridors of the Blackthorn estate. The trial was over, and they had all passed. Yet, instead of feeling relief, there was a palpable tension hanging between them.
Rina, always the more empathetic of the group, couldn't shake the feeling that Alara had seen something in her trial that had deeply unsettled her. But she didn't press. She knew better than to pry into Alara's past, a past the woman guarded more fiercely than any weapon.
Elias Blackthorn had given them the night to rest before their next meeting. After their trials, he'd mentioned that they had earned his trust, but Rina could sense that the enigmatic leader of the Blackthorn family still held much back. His eyes held secrets, layers upon layers of plans that they were not yet privy to.
As they arrived at their assigned quarters, a set of lavish but dimly lit rooms in the far corner of the estate, Torin cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence that had followed them since the trials.
"Alright," he said, forcing a smile. "We've earned a night's rest. Tomorrow, we'll get some answers."
Rina nodded, though her eyes kept darting toward Alara, who stood by the window, staring out into the moonlit gardens below. The flickering light from the lanterns outside cast eerie shadows across her face, making her expression unreadable.
"I'll see you both in the morning," Rina said softly, glancing once more at Alara before slipping into her own room. She wanted to offer comfort, to ask Alara if she was truly okay, but something held her back. Perhaps it was the look in Alara's eyes—the one that said she needed space, not sympathy.
Torin lingered a moment longer, watching Alara from the doorway of his own room. "If you need to talk—"
"I don't," Alara replied, her tone curt but not unkind. She turned slightly, her face bathed in shadow. "Get some rest, Torin. We all need it."
He hesitated but eventually nodded. "Goodnight, Alara."
The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Alara alone in the silence of the night. Her heart was still racing from the trial, though her outward appearance gave nothing away. She clenched her fists by her side, trying to steady herself, but the memories—no, the visions—she had witnessed in the trial swirled in her mind like a storm.
Elias Blackthorn had known exactly what her trial would entail. He had chosen it with purpose, forcing her to confront her past in a way she had been avoiding for years.
Alara closed her eyes, her mind flashing back to the moment in the trial when the world had shifted, and she had found herself standing in the familiar woods of the Whispering Isles. Her home. Or at least, it had once been.
She had seen the faces of those she had lost—the people she had failed to save. The decisions she had made, the alliances she had broken, all came crashing down on her in that single moment. And then, there had been him. The man she had once trusted, the one who had betrayed them all.
The pain of it hit her again, as fresh as the day it had happened. Her hand instinctively reached up to the pendant she wore around her neck, a simple silver chain with a small, dark stone. It was all she had left of her brother, a reminder of what she had sworn to never forget.
But the trial hadn't just been about the past. It had shown her glimpses of the future—of what was to come if she continued down this path with Torin and Rina. She had seen the devastation, the betrayals, the blood. And the worst part was, she knew some of it would be inevitable. To succeed, to survive, they would have to make choices that would haunt them forever.
Alara took a deep breath, pushing the visions aside. She had survived the trial, but Elias had made it clear that survival was only the beginning. There was more at stake than any of them realized, and Alara couldn't afford to let her emotions cloud her judgment.
A soft knock at the door broke her from her thoughts. She tensed, her hand instinctively moving toward the dagger hidden beneath her cloak.
"Alara," came Rina's voice from the other side. "Can I come in?"
Alara hesitated but eventually moved to the door and opened it slightly. Rina stood there, her expression filled with concern.
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay," Rina said softly. "I won't stay long, but… if you need someone to talk to…"
"I'm fine, Rina," Alara said, her voice steady. "Really. I just need some time."
Rina nodded, though her eyes lingered on Alara for a moment longer. "Okay. But if you ever want to talk, you know where to find me."
"Thanks," Alara muttered, offering a small, strained smile before closing the door gently.
As she leaned back against the door, Alara let out a slow breath. She appreciated Rina's concern, but talking wouldn't help. Not now. There were too many things she couldn't say, too many secrets she had sworn to keep.
She walked back to the window, her eyes scanning the gardens below. Somewhere out there, Elias Blackthorn was planning his next move, pulling the strings of a game they were all caught up in.
And then there was the matter of her visions. Alara had seen glimpses of something far darker than any of them realized. She had seen the truth behind Elias's plans. The truth that could either save them all—or doom them.
Alara's fingers tightened around the pendant once more as she stared into the night.
Whatever happened next, she would be ready.