Eghiss stumbles toward the bed at the back of the cave, her steps unsteady. The pain from her wound is too much. As soon as Kundra leaves, she collapses. She can't take it anymore.
Kundra returns and lifts her into his arms. Her remaining wing droops over his shoulder, the tattered edges trembling. The wound where her other wing used to be is blackened and rotting, the scarred flesh cracked.
She sits down, drawing in the Var around her, absorbing it from the air. Then, she presses a hand over the wound, flooding it with Var. Slowly, the skin begins to mend, the raw injury knitting itself back together. The pain eases—I can tell from the way her shoulders relax.
Kundra moves behind her, placing his hand over the wound. He channels his Var into it, and the healing shifts. It no longer just regrows flesh—it restores. The sensation must be strange, unlike ordinary healing.
His Var doesn't simply repair; it returns. The wound doesn't just close—it rewinds, the flesh regaining its original state, as if the injury never happened. The pain lingers for a moment before fading, like an echo of the past dissolving into nothing.
Though the wing remains gone.
WHOOSH.
Before I can sit down, I look around the cave.
Kundra has returned—with Ryllie.
Ryllie won't meet Eghiss eyes. And Eghiss won't meet hers either.
Part of me wants to ask. What happened? What caused this pain? How did she lose her wing? How did the fight go? Why did they lose?
But another part of me doesn't want to say a word. I want to stay quiet. I want them to speak first.
Kundra says nothing. He just drops Ryllie off in the cave and leaves. No words. No explanations. Maybe it's time for her to hunt. Maybe she's leaving us to our own vices.
Silence stretches between Ryllie and Eghiss, thick and unbearable. Then, finally, Ryllie speaks.
"I'm sorry." Her voice is small, fragile. "I didn't mean to hurt you."
Eghiss doesn't respond.
Ryllie clenches her fists. "I—" She takes a breath, steadies herself. "I swear, I didn't want this."
Eghiss stares at the cave floor. "It's not your fault." Her voice is empty.
Ryllie shakes her head. "It is."
"It's not your fault." Eghiss repeats the words. Then again. And again. A mantra, lifeless and automatic.
Ryllie steps closer. "Eghiss, please."
"It's not your fault."
Ryllie flinches. Her hands tremble. She looks like she wants to say more. She doesn't.
Kundra sighs. "How about we just stop?" His voice is firm but calm. "This isn't helping either of you."
Silence.
Eghiss still won't look at her. And Ryllie stops trying.
There's nothing left to say.
Silence filled the room. Thick. Heavy. Unbearable.
"What happened?" My voice cuts through the stillness.
Eghiss tenses. Ryllie flinches. Neither of them speak.
"Fine. You want to know?" Kundra's golden eyes darken. "Then listen."
He glances at Eghiss before speaking again. "It started with the cub."
"We chased it into the forest, cornered it," he continues, voice steady. "But then—the bear appeared. A mother protecting her child."
"It wasn't just any bear." Eghiss's voice is low. Measured. "Old. Scarred. Bigger than any I've seen. A beast that fought hundreds of dragons and survived every single one."
"We should've left it alone." Ryllie swallows hard, eyes locked on the ground.
"But we didn't," Kundra says. "Ryllie thought we could take it down. She went in first—fast, sharp. Her claws tore across its side, and for a second, it looked like it would fall." His jaw tightens. "It didn't."
Eghiss closes her eyes.
"The bear swung." She gestures slowly, as if reliving it. "I stopped the attack."
"But…" Kundra shakes his head. "It caught her wing. Clawed straight through the bone. Tore the membrane apart like it was nothing."
I try to imagine it. The sound. The pain. But I can't.
Kundra's voice darkens. "It didn't stop there."
I glance at Eghiss. Her face is unreadable.
"We tried to pull it off," Kundra says. "Ryllie struck first, but the bear threw her aside. I got in a few hits, but it wasn't enough." He looks at Ryllie. "Then she lost control."
Ryllie shudders.
"You burned too much Var," Kundra says, his tone sharper now. "You let the fire take over. You hit the bear. You hit Eghiss."
My stomach sinks.
Ryllie clenches her fists. "I—"
Kundra cuts her off. "The fire weakened it. But it also burned Eghiss's wounds. She couldn't move."
Eghiss's gaze hardens. "I couldn't move."
Silence.
"The bear left after that," Kundra continues. "It stumbled off into the forest."
"And we left the forest without it," Ryllie adds quietly.
Then, a forced laugh. "Luckily, I killed it." He smiles—too wide, too fake.
Kundra doesn't react. His expression is solemn. He never liked lying to his siblings, but… he wanted them to feel safe.
"You killed it?" Ryllie asked surprised.
Yeah," I nods quickly. "I was there."
"Is that what that wound was?" Eghiss asks, her voice quieter now.
I nod. "He came just in time."
Silence filled the room. Heavy.Thick. Unbearable.
Eghiss buries her face in her arms. She's tired.
We all are.