Chapter 2: Whirlwind of Memories.

Elara ran, her breath coming in sharp, frantic bursts as the dense jungle swallowed her whole. She pushed through the thick brush, ignoring the pain in her side, her legs burning with exhaustion. Every time she dared to glance over her shoulder, she saw nothing but shadows, no sign of the men who had been pursuing her. It was too quiet, too still. But even though she didn't hear the sounds of pursuit, she couldn't bring herself to trust the silence. There was something insidious about it, like the calm before a storm.

The memories from the past few days, the last few years, collided in her mind. She couldn't make sense of them all, each one tangled with the next like an unraveling thread. Riven. That name twisted like a knife inside her chest, causing her to stumble over her own feet. He had been there, at her side, when she had needed him the most. Or so she thought. He had been there when Kael had disappeared, when she had desperately clung to the hope that she would find her brother, only for Riven to coldly crush that hope with a single line.

He is no more.

Her breath hitched as she recalled that moment—Riven's face, cold as stone, as he spoke those words. No hint of emotion, not a flicker of sympathy or sadness for her brother's loss. Not even a glance of concern. It had been like talking about the weather. Casual. Indifferent. How could he be like that? How could he not care when Kael had been like a brother to him? Elara had believed in him, trusted him—up until that moment. After that day, there was nothing left between them but silence.

But now, after everything, Riven was back. And he was helping her. Why? Why now, after all these years of lies? Why was he offering a lifeline now, when she was at her lowest, trapped in the jungle with no one else to turn to? She didn't know if she could trust him. She didn't know if she could ever trust him again.

But one thing she did know for certain was that she had no choice but to move forward. She couldn't stop. She had to keep going, for Kael's sake.

He is alive.

The words echoed in her mind, as they had since Riven had spoken them to her. He was alive. Her brother, the one she had believed dead for two long years, was still out there. She had to find him. She would find him. No matter what.

Elara shook her head, trying to banish the thoughts that threatened to consume her. She couldn't afford to focus on Riven now. She had more important things to worry about—like the fact that her body was on the brink of collapse. The exhaustion, the aches, the pain of running without rest. But still, she pushed on, each step more difficult than the last.

The jungle around her grew denser, the trees towering above her, their thick trunks blocking out much of the light. She had no idea where she was going, only that she had to keep moving. Keep running. But with each step, her vision began to blur. The world tilted, and the ground beneath her feet seemed to shift. The pain in her head intensified, her skull feeling as though it was splitting in two. She staggered, struggling to keep her footing, but the forest seemed to close in on her, the shadows creeping along her body, suffocating her.

Then, she collapsed.

Her knees hit the rough ground mercilessly, sending a jolt of pain up her spine. She gasped, the breath rushing out of her. Her hands were numb as the dagger she had gripped so tightly slipped from her fingers, the heavy metallic object falling with a soft thud on the ground beside her. It was eerily quiet, the only sound the faint ringing in her ears. The dagger shone faintly, its metallic surface reflecting what little light managed to pierce the thick canopy overhead.

Elara's surroundings were unnervingly dark and silent. The kind of silence that pressed in on you, wrapping around your chest, squeezing the air from your lungs. She didn't have the strength to care. Her mind was a whirlwind of memories, each one breaking through her consciousness in rapid succession.

She was 18 again, sitting stiffly in the family sitting room. The curtains were drawn, dimming the light, though she could still see the ornate details of the space—the plush armchairs, the polished table inlaid with her family's crest, and the rows of bookshelves framing the walls. A single letter trembled in her hands, its neat script betraying the calm, reassuring tone of her elder brother, Kaelion.

Her turquoise eyes scanned the words again, though she already knew them by heart:

"Elara, by the time you read this, I'll be gone. It's a mission—one I can't explain. I know you'll hate me for it, but trust me when I say it's important. Please, don't worry. Just live normally until I return. You've always been stronger than you think, and I need you to hold onto that strength. For me."

Her fingers tightened around the paper, crumpling its edges. The weight of the letter pressed against her chest, constricting her breaths as tears welled in her eyes.

Behind her, the walls were decorated with memories—pictures that captured fleeting moments of joy. Most were of her and Kael, their bond evident in every shared laugh and mischievous smile. Her icy black locks stood in stark contrast to his unkempt silverish-blue hair, though their identical turquoise eyes reflected the same spirit.

One picture drew her gaze: a family portrait taken when she was only 8. Her younger self grinned brightly, her small hand gripping Kael's sleeve as he stood tall and confident beside her. Their father, with Kael's silver-blue hair and calm demeanor, stood behind them, while their mother, elegant and serene with pale lavender hair and eyes, rested a hand on Elara's shoulder.

It was a portrait of a happy family—a life that felt like a distant dream now.

Her reverie was broken by a quiet shift of movement. Across the room, Riven sat in a chair, silent and stoic. His casual attire—a simple jacket and jeans—felt out of place in the grandeur of the room. But then, Riven had always been an anomaly, a shadow in her life. He had been Kael's partner for four years, a trusted ally who somehow remained a stranger to her.

"You were his partner," Elara said suddenly, her voice trembling as she turned to face him. "How can you not know where he's gone? How long he'll be away?"

Riven didn't look up, his violet-grey eyes fixed on a spot just beyond her. He shrugged, the motion irritatingly casual. "That's what they call a secret mission. No one can know."

Her jaw tightened, and her grip on the letter grew fiercer. "What am I supposed to do now?" she demanded, her voice rising in frustration. "He's left me all alone!"

She thought she saw a flicker of something in Riven's expression—a crack in his cold mask—but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"He must have written that in his letter too," Riven replied evenly. "What you're supposed to do until he comes back."

Elara's lips parted in a bitter laugh. "He told me to live normally. How can I live normally without him? How can he expect me to—"

Riven cut her off, standing abruptly. His hands slipped into his pockets as he turned his back to her. "Do exactly what he said," he said, his tone firmer now. "Practice daily. Eat on time. Study hard. Go out with your friends. That way, when he comes back, he won't fuss over you."

His voice was steady, but he avoided her gaze, his profile betraying a tension she rarely saw in him.

Elara stared at him, her emotions churning. For four years, this man had been a constant presence, always distant, always cold. His features—so similar to her own, with their sharp lines and cool detachment—reminded her of herself more than her actual brother. Yet she could never bring herself to see him as family.

Riven hesitated before adding, "If you need anything... or if someone bothers you... call me."

His words caught her off guard, and before she could process them, he turned on his heel and left the room, leaving her alone with the letter and the suffocating silence.

After that the memories were fragmented and a rushed blur. She sitting alone at the dining table in their house, four plates set before her, but only one occupied, the others cold and untouched. Her head hung low as she asked someone, her voice small, "When will he come back?" Her parents had died when she was barely 12 , and now Kael, her only anchor in this vast world, had been gone for weeks, leaving Elara alone to sit in the silence of their home.

The memory shifted, and now she was standing at the door of their house, backpack slung over her shoulder, coming back from college, only to hesitate at the threshold. She didn't have the courage to step further into the empty house. She could almost hear the quiet echo of her footsteps in the empty halls as she crouched down, sobbing softly, her body shaking with the weight of the loneliness that pressed down on her.

Then, the scene shifted again, to her practicing with a wooden sword in their garden, alone. The sun was setting, casting long shadows as she concentrated on the movements Kael had taught her, her face a mask of determination. She pushed herself, over and over, until her arms ached, until the night grew too cold to continue.

And then there was the cafeteria, bustling with life, the noise of chatter and laughter filling the air. But Elara was alone at a corner table, her food untouched, her eyes focused on the window, staring out into the distance, lost in thoughts of Kael, wondering if she would ever see him again.

Finally, the memory shifted again to the sitting room. This time, she was twenty-one, far more calmer and mature than she was before as she sat across from him—Riven.

It had been three years since she'd last seen him. Three years of silence from the cold, stoic man who, despite her best efforts, always unsettled her. Elara still couldn't shake how much he resembled her. If a stranger had walked into the room, they would've mistaken them for siblings. But they weren't. They couldn't be.

The silence between them stretched, heavy and taut. Elara's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to decipher the reason for Riven's unexpected visit. Could it be? Could her brother be coming back?

Hope bubbled in her chest, tentative and fragile. She gulped as Riven drained the last of his water, his movements as calculated and detached as ever. Straightening in his chair, he finally looked at her, his cold eyes meeting hers.

She waited, breathless, for his words.

"Kaelion is no more."

Four words. Simple, empty words that tore through her chest, leaving nothing but a hollow ache.

The hope she had dared to feel crumbled in an instant, turning into sharp needles that pierced her from the inside. Riven had spoken the words so casually, so devoid of emotion, as if he were commenting on the weather. There was no sympathy, no pity, no sadness for the loss of his best friend.

It didn't matter to him.

Elara barely registered the rest of his words. The world around her muted, her ears refusing to process the cold explanation that followed. Her mind clung desperately to the one detail that shattered the veil of shock: "We couldn't find his body."

Her thoughts swirled. If they hadn't found his body, how could they be so sure? How could they say her brother was gone?

No, she couldn't believe it. She wouldn't.

Kael wasn't gone. He couldn't be. He was alive somewhere—he had to be. He was playing one of their games, just like the hide-and-seek they used to play as children. She just needed to find him.

That day, she had sat there in the dim light of the sitting room, unmoving. Hours passed, and her back ached from sitting hunched over, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. When she finally looked around, she realized Riven was gone.

He had left her alone.

Again.

The only reason he had come back into her life after three years was to tear it apart once more. Just when she had begun to adjust to Kael's disappearance, Riven had taken her fragile stability and shattered it.

 Elara blinked, shaking herself free from the memory's grip. Her knees throbbed, and the dagger's faint glimmer caught her eye again, grounding her in the reality of the dark jungle.

Her resolve hardened as she pushed herself to her feet. No matter how deep the jungle, no matter the danger that lay ahead, she will get out of here alive, for she still has to find her brother.

Elara staggered as a sudden, violent ache erupted in her head. The pain was searing, sharp enough to blur her vision and send the world spinning uncontrollably around her. She clutched at her temple, her breath hitching as her balance wavered.

Her earlier rest had only made her battered body feel heavier, her limbs sluggish and uncooperative. The weight of exhaustion bore down on her, and her knees buckled beneath her. She crumpled to the ground, the rough earth unforgiving against her skin.

From the corner of her eye, through the disorienting haze of pain, she noticed something strange. Even in the suffocating darkness, a faint, shimmering light caught her attention. It wasn't the dagger. It was something else.

Loose strands of silver floated lightly across her face as she sank into the cold embrace of the ground. They gleamed faintly in the dim light filtering through the canopy, but Elara was too drained to linger on the thought.

Her thoughts faltered, confusion and exhaustion overtaking her. Darkness crowded the edges of her mind, and as her consciousness slipped further away, the faint glimmer of light faded into nothingness.