Finn lay awake, staring up at the endless night sky.
The stars flickered above like distant memories—glimpses of something lost but never truly gone.
He could hear the steady breathing of his companions. Quinn and Lyric slept soundly by the fire, their bodies curled toward each other in unconscious comfort. Kael sat against a tree, sword resting across his lap, his face shadowed in the dim light. Aria lay a few feet away, her expression peaceful, her dark lashes fanning against her cheeks.
Finn wished he could find the same peace.
But his heart felt heavy, weighed down by something unseen.
For weeks, he had felt… off. His magic had become unpredictable, responding to something unknown. His dreams had been haunted by whispers, voices that faded just as he woke.
And tonight—
"Finnian…"
His blood turned to ice.
He bolted upright, heart hammering against his ribs.
The voice was soft. Distant. Yet unmistakable.
His fingers clenched around his cloak as he scanned the darkness. Nothing. Just the rustling of trees. The crackling embers of their dying fire.
And then—
"Come back to me, my son."
A sharp pain lanced through Finn's skull. His breath caught. His vision blurred—
And suddenly—
He wasn't in the present anymore.
---
A Forgotten Childhood...
He was small again.
The Healers' Guild was exactly as he remembered it—warm, safe, filled with the scent of lavender and burning incense. The marble floors gleamed beneath the golden light streaming through stained-glass windows.
Finn sat on a wooden stool, his tiny legs swinging as he watched his mother work.
She was beautiful. Not just in appearance, but in presence. She moved with quiet grace, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders like spun sunlight. Her silver eyes held an endless gentleness, a kindness that could heal more than wounds.
"Healing is not just about magic, Finnian," she murmured, guiding his small hands over a vial of shimmering blue liquid. "It is about the heart. It is about understanding pain—so you can ease it."
Finn grinned up at her. "Like you, Mama?"
Her laughter was soft and musical. She leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Yes, little one. Like me."
He had been happy then. Safe. Loved.
He never imagined it would be the last time.
---
The Night Everything Changed...
Fire. Smoke. Screams.
The walls of the Healers' Guild shook as explosions ripped through the halls. Spells crackled in the air, sending waves of heat and destruction.
Finn clung to his mother's cloak, heart pounding.
"Mama, I'm scared!"
She knelt before him, gripping his shoulders. "Listen to me, Finnian. You must run. Find safety."
Tears welled in his eyes. "But—"
"GO!"
A blast of magic surged from her fingertips, hurling him backward. The last thing he saw was her standing between him and the shadows that swallowed the room.
Then—
Darkness.
---
When Finn woke, he was somewhere unfamiliar.
Cold stone walls. The scent of old magic.
Saraphine stood before him.
"You are safe now, little one."
He had sobbed, begged for his mother.
But Saraphine had stroked his hair, her voice dripping with false comfort.
"She is gone, Finnian. She did not survive."
His world collapsed.
He had no one.
And so, he had clung to Saraphine, believing she had saved him.
Believing she had cared.
---
Back to the Present...
Finn jolted awake, gasping for breath.
His hands were shaking. His magic buzzed violently beneath his skin.
"She's alive."
The truth crashed into him like a tidal wave.
Saraphine had lied.
His mother—his real mother—had never died. She had been taken.
Twisted.
A figure stirred nearby.
Aria.
She sat up, her dark eyes studying him with quiet concern. "Finn? What's wrong?"
His chest tightened.
He had never been good at showing weakness. He was the one who made jokes, who lightened the mood when things got too heavy.
But not now.
"My mother is alive, Aria." His voice cracked. "Saraphine took her."
Aria's expression sharpened. "Then we find her."
Finn exhaled. "It won't be that simple. If she's alive… Saraphine did something to her."
Aria's hand found his. A small gesture. Steady. Unshaken.
"Then we'll fix it. Together."
For the first time that night, Finn felt his breathing steady.
But deep down, a seed of fear remained.
Because if his mother had been under Saraphine's influence all these years—
Who had she become?
---
Elsewhere…
Deep in the ruins of an ancient fortress, Saraphine stood before a chained figure.
A woman.
Her golden hair was dulled, her once-bright silver eyes hollow with sorrow.
Saraphine circled her like a vulture, dark magic crackling at her fingertips. "You need him, don't you?"
The woman stiffened.
Saraphine smirked. "Your beloved son."
Silence.
Then, hoarse, broken: "What do you want?"
Saraphine knelt, her voice dripping with poisoned honey.
"A Seeker and her friends stand in my way. Destroy them—and I will give you Finn."
The woman trembled.
A single tear slid down her cheek.
Saraphine leaned in. "It is a small price, isn't it? For your son?"
A long, breathless pause.
Then—
The woman lifted her head.
Her silver eyes gleamed with something new.
Darkness.
---
Back at the campsite, Finn sat by the fire, lost in thought.
Something still didn't make sense.
Why had Saraphine taken him?
Why had she lied?
A whisper from the past surfaced in his mind—one he had buried long ago.
"Your mother was a fool, Finnian. Just like Celeste Evercrest."
His breath caught.
His mother had known Aria's mother.
Which meant—
This was bigger than just him.
It was about Aria, too.
And the truth?
It would change everything.