Chapter 12: Cracks in Loyalty

POV: Lila

The hush after the cave tremor is heavy. Dust still floats in the air like ash after a fire. I keep my back against the chilly wall, chest heaving, claws clenched, heart racing. Cassian is standing a few steps away, watching me…but he doesn't move to fight. Not this time.

"You think vengeance will fill you?" he asks calmly, his voice steady but not cold.

I turn my head gently toward him. My eyes narrow. "What else is left for me to feel?"

He takes a little step forward. "Vengeance won't bring her back. It won't make the agony go away. It'll only keep it alive."

"You don't get to talk about pain," I growl. "You didn't lose everything."

Cassian shakes his head. "You're not the only one who lost something. I lost you, Lila."

I leap forward before I even think. My hand grabs his collar and throws him hard against the wall. His head hits the stone, and he grunts, but he doesn't fight back. Blood trickles down from his broken lip, and still, he doesn't move a hand to stop me.

"It's all I have left," I gasp, voice quivering with wrath. "Don't take that from me."

Cassian glances into my eyes, grief and patience flowing in his gaze. "Mira never betrayed you."

The words impacted me harder than any physical blow could. I go utterly still.

"You're lying."

"No. You just haven't seen the truth yet."

I step back, my heart thumping. "She left me! She disappeared when I needed her. She knew what they were doing to me and did nothing!"

"She tried to protect you. She made a deal—to keep them away from you."

I shake my head, refusing to believe it. "That's not true."

"She gave up everything for you, Lila. She ran so they wouldn't come after you. She carried the blame so you wouldn't be marked."

"Stop." My voice cracks, but I don't want him to hear it. I want to stay strong. I want to stay angry. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I do," he says. "I saw it. I helped her."

The floor under my feet suddenly feels unstable—like the ground itself is rejecting the wrath I've stood on for so long.

"She chose them over me," I mumble, but even I don't sound sure anymore.

"No. She chose you above herself."

The agony in my chest sharpens. I step back more into the darkness, away from Cassian, away from his words. But the doubt he planted is already sprouting like a weed through the gaps in my rage.

"Why didn't she tell me?" I inquire, my voice quiet now, shattered.

"Because she knew you'd try to stop her. Because she didn't want you to shoulder her burden."

I put my back against the stone, forcing my eyes tight. My mind swirls with thoughts of Mira—her grin, her laugh, the way she used to vow we'd always be together. Could all of it have been true? Could I have been wrong?

I open my eyes and stare at Cassian. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because the person you're becoming isn't the Lila I knew. And so it's not too late to come back."

Another rumble rocks the cave, stronger this time. Cassian looks toward the dark passage behind us. "This place isn't safe. We need to move."

But I don't move. I just stand there, caught between the wrath I've fostered for so long and the truth that's threatening to break it apart.

Cassian stretches a hand toward me. "Come with me."

And then… a scream resonates from the depths of the cave.

Mira's scream.

I freeze. Cassian's eyes expand.

"She's in trouble," I whisper.

Without hesitating, I turn and run toward the sound, deeper into the dark.

And this time, Cassian runs with me.

We race down the tight tunnel, our footsteps echoing in the solitude. The air turns colder the deeper we go, and the smell of damp earth fills my nose. But that's not what has my heart racing. It's the scream. Mira's scream. I heard it. I know it was her.

Cassian keeps close by me, but neither of us talks. There's no time for words, yet too much hangs in the quiet.

We reach a fork. I pause, sniffing the air. Her perfume stays on the left side—fresh, wild, piercing with dread.

"This way," I whisper, and we rush left.

I don't think. I just run. Each footfall pounds like a war drum in my chest. My legs ache, but I force them to keep moving. I can't lose her again. I won't.

Finally, we enter a wide cavern. The earth descends into a natural pit, and at the center, Mira stands…surrounded.

Three figures circle her. I identify them instantly. Shadowcloaks. Rogues from the outside clans. Merciless, silent, and deadly. They stalk her like wolves.

Mira hugs the bright crystal close to her chest, shivering.

"Mira!" I shout.

She turns, relief blazing across her face—but it's swiftly replaced by terror. "Lila! No! Stay back!"

But I don't.

I leap into the hole, landing in a squat between her and the closest assailant. He snarls, thrusting a blade toward me. I duck and stab forward with my claws. Blood sprays as he falls.

Cassian joins the fight, tackling the second rogue to the ground. The third hesitates for a second too long, and I take him down with a strike to the chest.

It's over in seconds.

Breathing fiercely, I turn to Mira. "You okay?"

She nods shakily. "I think so. They...they were seeking this." She holds up the gemstone.

I frown. "What is it?"

"I don't know. It beckoned to me," she whispers. "It was hidden in the cave, deep near the pool. When I touched it… I saw flashes. Visions. Memories that weren't mine."

Cassian crawls out of the pit, rubbing his shoulder. "What kind of visions?"

"Lila," Mira whispers, her gaze riveted on me. "I saw your mother."

I freeze. "What?"

"She was here. In this cave. She grasped the same crystal. And she… she was with him."

I already know who she means. "My father."

Mira nods. "They were arguing. About you. About what you were supposed to become."

My hands quiver. "Tell me everything."

Mira glances at Cassian, then back to me. "They said you were part of something bigger. A relationship between light and shadow. A prophecy. But something went wrong."

Cassian moves uncomfortably. "I've heard stories. Legends. A child born of two opposing bloodlines. Destined to establish equilibrium or destroy everything."

Mira nods. "They thought it was just myth. But now I'm not so sure."

I step back, overwhelmed. My my life, I felt I was just… broken. Abandoned. But what if I was more?

"What does this crystal have to do with it?" I ask.

"I think it holds memories," Mira explains. "Pieces of the truth. I've just seen pieces. But there's more. So much more."

Cassian looks at the walls. "This cave is ancient. If your parents were here, maybe there's something hidden. A message. A clue."

"I don't want clues," I snap. "I want answers."

"We all do," Mira says softly.

I stare at her then…really look. Her face is pale, eyes wide, but her voice is steady. She doesn't appear like someone who betrayed me. She looks like someone who's afraid and trying her best.

And suddenly, all the hate I've been carrying starts to melt away.

"You really didn't betray me," I whisper.

"No," she says, tears forming. "I never stopped looking for you. I never stopped caring."

The anguish in my chest breaks wide, and I can scarcely speak.

"I'm sorry," I choke. "I didn't know."

"I don't blame you," Mira adds. "You were hurting."

Cassian places a hand on my shoulder. "The truth has cracks, Lila. And that's where the light gets in."

I glance down at the gem still burning weakly in Mira's palms. "Then let's find the rest of the truth."

But before anyone can answer, a fresh sound echoes from behind us.

Clapping.

Slow, mocking claps.

We turn sharply.

A figure emerges out from the shadows at the far end of the cave. Tall, wrapped in black, his face veiled by a mask of bone. His voice is soft and cool.

"Well, well. The broken child. The disloyal girl. And the foolish boy."

Mira steps back, her hand tightening around the crystal. Cassian moves to stand protectively in front of us.

"Who are you?" I demand.

The man removes his mask carefully. His face is pallid, eyes gloomy as darkness.

"I'm the one who watched you grow from the shadows, Lila," he continues. "The one who whispered in your nightmares."

I recognize the voice.

"You're the one from the chamber," I say. "The one who said I was running from the truth."

He grins. "And now, you're running straight toward it."

I sneer. "What do you want?"

"I want what's mine. That crystal. Your power. Your bloodline."

"You can't have any of it."

He laughs. "You don't even know what you are yet. But you will. Soon."

The crystal in Mira's hand begins to pulse faster, brighter. The cave walls tremble.

"What's happening?" she yells.

The man lifts a hand. "Time to wake up, little wolves."

A wave of darkness blasts from his palm.

Cassian tackles Mira, sheltering her. I try to dodge, but the wave smashes me right in the chest.

Pain bursts through every part of me, and everything goes black.