Lianne's tired eyes watched as the sparks from the flames flew up and disappeared into the air. The dancing fire flickered between her, Amra, and Faolin. It was already far into the morning and the fire had burned all night, warming the ones that had slept.

Lianne had stayed awake, not being able to sleep. A storm raged inside her mind, and nothing seemed to make sense to her. Kendel's proposition, seeing Edwin, Amra's state, and Faolin. Lianne had tried to practice the sealing magic through the night, to keep all those thoughts at bay.

The morning sun shone through the branches, casting beams of light on their camp. The darkness of the night had disappeared and the forest was alive. Birds sang somewhere close by and occasional rustles of small animals filled the air along with the crackling of the fire. Lianne had changed on her spare clothes, her bloodied shirt and trousers now piled up on the ground.

Amra had tossed and turned in her sleep all night. Lianne had kept an eye on her, ready to wake her up if she would have seen a nightmare. Faolin had been lying still, his back toward Lianne. She wasn't even sure if he had been asleep or not.

Amra groaned softly while opening her eyes. She blinked a couple of times before turning on her back and rubbing her face to wake herself up.

"Good morning," Lianne said silently, not wanting to wake Faolin up too.

Amra stared at the sky peeking behind the trees as if she wasn't sure where she was. Then she turned her eyes on Lianne. "Morning," she said while sitting up slowly, still half asleep. She ruffled her short hair, trying to get rid of the last bits of sleepiness.

"How did you sleep?" Lianne asked, looking at Amra's unfocused eyes.

Amra shrugged. "Fine, I guess," she answered and stretched her arms. Her movements were slow and tedious, but she had gotten colour back on her cheeks. She wasn't as pale as she had been before and her eyes were clearer already. She looked surprisingly good despite everything.

"Are you feeling any better?" Lianne asked.

Amra thought for a moment, slightly moving her body as if she was trying to get the feel of it. Then she nodded. "Much better than yesterday."

"That's good," Lianne replied as she leaned back and stretched her legs, feeling her tired muscles relaxing.

"I should be alright to travel today," Amra said, but Lianne shook her head.

"No, you're too weak."

"I'm much better," Amra said, but Lianne pursed her lips and shook her head again.

"You lost a lot of blood. Your body needs to heal," Lianne said, but when Amra tried to protest, she continued. "We wouldn't get far before the night since we'd have to take breaks all the time. We don't know when we'll find another shelter."

"She is right," Faolin said as he sat up, participating in the conversation. Either their talking had woken him up, or he hadn't been asleep at all. Faolin didn't look as if he had gotten a good rest last night. His usually observant eyes were tired and unfocused.

Amra thought for a moment before she slouched her shoulders. "Alright," she said disappointed and then she frowned. "I wanted to head to the mountains already."

"You do not have to push yourself," Faolin said while combing his fingers through his dark hair, straightening loose strands.

"A day doesn't make a difference," Lianne added before letting out a deep sigh.

Amra glanced at Lianne, seeing her sluggish demeanor. "You look tired. Didn't you get any sleep?"

Lianne shook her head. "No."

"Why?"

"I had a lot of things on my mind," Lianne shrugged as if it was nothing.

"About what?" Amra kept on questioning her.

Lianne's body tensed up as she turned to look at her hands. She fiddled her fingers nervously, feeling her heartbeat quickening. She was sure of what she had seen, but it felt strange to speak about it. "I saw Edwin. He was the man in the wagon," she said hesitantly as she glanced at Amra, watching her reaction closely.

Amra flinched. The gesture was barely visible, but Lianne saw the small twitch in her body as if something had shaken her. Amra's expression faltered for the shortest moment before it changed back to how it was. "What?" she asked with a repressed voice.

"Your brother?" Faolin asked while leaning on his legs, closer to Lianne. "Is he not supposed to be dead?"

Lianne nodded, once more glancing at Amra from the corner of her eye. "Yes, but I'm sure it was him. I've been going through this a thousand times in my mind. He was the man in the wagon," she said, believing every word. It had to be Edwin, or otherwise the darkness had completely taken over her, making her lose her mind.

"How?" Amra asked baffled, her wide eyes staring at the fire.

"I don't know. I thought he was dead," Lianne raised her voice anxiously, feeling bothered about the whole thing. The night she had tried to revive Edwin, she had lost consciousness. After she had woken up, she hadn't seen him anymore and Amra had told her they had buried him during that time.

"He's dead," Amra said while averting her gaze, a perplexed expression on her face.

"I don't think he is, not anymore. Or that he ever was," Lianne said and rubbed her forehead frustrated. She had a hard time trying to make sense of her own thoughts. "I know what I saw," she added, emphasizing every word.

"Are you sure? Maybe it was because of your state?" Amra asked, disbelief clear on her face.

"I'm sure. That's why he didn't kill me when he had the chance," Lianne said, raising her voice again, her every muscle tense. She was on the edge, losing her confidence with every doubting question from Amra.

"It's unbelievable," Amra shook her head, which irritated Lianne.

"Yes, well, I'm sure of what I saw, whatever you say," she replied with a deprecating tone, even if it wasn't because of Amra, but since she didn't know the truth. A doubt had already formed on Lianne's mind and she had a hard time trying to get rid of it.

"How did your brother actually die?" Faolin suddenly asked, his eyebrows raised, his gaze expectant.

Lianne glanced at Faolin, realizing that she had only told him about her attempt to revive her brother. She hesitated at first but decided to tell him. "He got killed in a fight," she said silently, her voice barely reaching the others.

"What fight?" Faolin asked, his eyes closely watching Lianne who cleared her throat uneasy.

"Before he died, there were strange disappearances in the village," Lianne said while turning her gaze on the trees, reminiscing. "People disappeared at night and nobody knew what was going on. Their belongings were found in the morning but nobody saw anything. Because of his skills in magic, my brother stayed up every night to try to catch the culprit..." Lianne spoke before her voice trailed off, remembering how taxing those days had been. She had stopped fiddling with her fingers as she stared at the trees, her eyes unfocused.

Amra continued on speaking when Lianne stopped. "Edwin tried to catch the one behind those disappearances, and one morning we found him dead. He had clearly fought...and lost," she ended with a low voice.

"We were going to bury my brother when I met Yugtrass," Lianne whispered, her voice breaking even if she tried to stay strong. "He had been dead less than a day when I tried the spell."

"Yugtrass arrived so soon after his death?" Faolin asked, knitting his eyebrows.

"What of it?" Lianne asked, surprised by his question.

"That does sound odd to me," Faolin replied, scratching his chin, his fingers trailing the markings on it.

Lianne stared at the small movement of his hand. Her attention shifted to the dark markings winding down his throat and disappearing under his shirt. "Why?" she asked.

Faolin shrugged. "I wonder whether he was there to begin with."

Lianne nodded and closed her eyes. She had never even thought of that. Sometimes she couldn't comprehend all that was going on. She felt as if she was only a pawn to be played with, the games messing up her mind. She had never thought that Amra would lie to her, and she hated that she suspected her now. She must have already lost a huge part of herself to the darkness, and she wondered how much more would she lose.

Lianne let out a deep sigh and stood up, her legs wobbly. She was thirsty, hungry, and tired, but right now she wanted to take time to think alone. "I'll get some wood for the fire," Lianne said and turned her attention to the forest surrounding them.

"I'll-" Amra started to say, but Lianne sharply glanced at her, stopping her from coming along.

"I'll be back soon," she said while walking past Faolin and further between the trees, even if she didn't have to go deep. There was enough wood close to the camp, but she wanted to get away from the other two for a moment.

Lianne walked ahead, squinting her eyes as the bright light shone through the trees. Small flying insects buzzed around her and the rustling of her steps echoed in the surroundings. The dark forest from last night was gone and replaced with a living and breathing entity.

Lianne took notice of a standing dead tree near an overgrown shrubbery. She stopped, spotting dark red berries growing in clusters below it. The berries looked good and smelled fresh, but she didn't want to try them out. She took a couple to her hand, thinking of asking Amra or Foalin if they were edible.

Lianne continued to walk, but as she moved, she started hearing another sound from the forest. Faint rustles and crackles followed her trail as if someone was coming after her.

Lianne stopped and turned around, but didn't see anyone there. She listened carefully for a moment, but the sound was gone. The forest was empty and she couldn't see any birds or small animals that could have caused it. She knew Amra nor Faolin weren't following her because they respected her wishes to be alone.

Lianne wondered but continued walking ahead, the same sounds echoing behind her again. She frowned and without stopping this time, turned around, only to find the forest empty.

Lianne continued and when the sound started again, she knew who it was. It had to be the person who was hard to sense and whose steps were so light that they barely made a sound.

Lianne stopped and turned around again, folding her arms. "Kendel, come out," she said, looking around, trying to guess where he was hiding. She was sure that Kendel would appear from behind one of the trees without a sound. Lianne didn't understand how he could keep himself so well hidden.

"Oh? How did you guess?" Kendel's voice rang out, but not from where Lianne thought he would be. He stepped out from behind a large rock on her right, walking casually closer. His steps only made light sounds as the moss crumbled under his feet.

"Who else could come undetected," Lianne answered annoyed, disturbed by his presence again.

Kendel laughed as he stopped a couple of steps away. "I'm starting to like you more and more."

"What are you doing here again?" Lianne asked, instantly on the defense. She didn't know what he wanted this time, but him showing up again was a red flag to Lianne.

"Are you sure you won't take up on my proposition?" Kendel asked again.

"I already told you yesterday," Lianne answered firmly.

Kendel shook his head. "I heard your partners speaking, but not yourself," he said while taking a step closer.

Lianne squeezed her arms closer to her body. She wasn't sure how to react to Kendel. He irritated her, but he was also right. Lianne had already thought of whether she made the right decision by turning him down.

"Why do you need me? Can't you deal with your problem on your own?" Lianne asked while backing away a couple of steps.

Kendel put his hands on his hips and shrugged. "I saw how you broke out of his magic. That is hard to do," he said while grinning.

Lianne frowned. "So what if I can?"

"Oh?" Kendel raised his eyebrows in interest. "You're confident, aren't you?"

"Stop that. What do you want me to do?" Lianne demanded. Her patience was already nearing its end.

"I need you to get rid of that man," Kendel said, stepping closer to her, his gaze piercing. "If you kill that man for me, I will take you to Clandmere. I promise."

Lianne stared straight at Kendel. "Who?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"You know who I'm talking about. The man whose magic you breached," Kendel repeated.

"Why..." Lianne started, her voice drowning in her throat. Did he want her to kill Edwin? He couldn't know who he was, could he? He couldn't know about their connection?

Lianne cleared her throat, and spoke again, "Why do you need to get rid of that man?"

"My reasons don't concern you. All you need to know is what you have to do," Kendel replied, avoiding the question.

"Why can't you do it yourself?" Lianne continued on questioning him.

"As I said, I cannot break his magic, but I know you can," Kendel repeated again, his tone starting to get irritated.

Lianne quietened down, inspecting Kendel's face. His curly blond hair was a mess and he seemed to always smile, masking his real feelings behind it. His strikingly blue eyes were observant, making her feel that he could see right through her.

Lianne's heart beat fast as a certain kind of desperation started to take over her. She wanted to take up on Kendel's offer, but she couldn't kill Edwin, even if that would be her ticket to Clandmere. She had come all this way because of her brother and now he was standing in the way of her cure. That was the cruelest irony she could think of.

Lianne let out a deep sigh as she sat on a stump, feeling faint. Everything was a struggle. She had never thought that getting to Clandmere would be easy, but now she felt as if she would never make it there.

"You're an asshole," she whispered to Kendel, who let out small laughter in response.

"Why do you say that? I'm only making you an offer," Kendel said with a light tone as he walked next to her and leaned against a tree, folding his arms.

"I already told you no," Lianne said while lightly squeezing the berries in her hand, frustrated about everything.

"I heard you, but I know you're hesitating. What would you do if you wouldn't have to obey the others?" Kendel asked while opening his arms and shrugging.

"It's not like that. We're a team. We decide together," Lianne retorted.

"Oh?" Kendel commented curiously. "Are you sure about that?"

"What are you implying?" Lianne asked while glaring at Kendel. "If you have something to say, then say it. I'm sick of your games," she added firmly.

Kendel sat down on the ground, leaning his back against the tree trunk. "How alone you must feel when that elf didn't respond to your feelings and that friend of yours clearly has a secret," he said, flashing a mischievous smirk. "Maybe they are hiding something together."

Lianne glared at Kendel. She knew that it wasn't true. He was only messing with her mind. "You don't know anything," she sharply retorted.

Kendel pointed at his ear again, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "As I said, the trees have ears."

"You're only messing with me," Lianne quickly said, not wanting to hear any more of his silly theories. "Who are you even?" she asked. Kendel was way too informed about a lot of things to be considered a common man.

Kendel ran his hand through his hair, pushing the strands back. His gaze turned almost tempting as he spoke, his voice low. "I'm only a humble man who has walked across this land-" he started speaking when Lianne interrupted him.

"Right," she scoffed. "I'm not going to listen to your stories."

Kendel's smile didn't falter but only widened. "I was born in Clandmere," he said, silencing Lianne immediately.

Lianne's eyes widened as she stared at Kendel, trying to read his expression. Was he making fun of her, or was he telling the truth? She couldn't trust him, but his expression wasn't giving his lies away either. "So, you were born evil?" she asked even if she knew how naive that sounded.

Kendel instantly burst out laughing, so hard he almost toppled on the ground. He held his stomach, shaking from the intense chuckle, the high-pitched sound startling birds into flight from nearby trees.

When Kendel got himself together, he wiped tears from his eyes. "I knew you'd have no idea what Clandmere was," he said and grabbed his stomach again. "Evil..." he continued to laugh.

Lianne frowned. He was making fun of her and it made her irritated. She wished she could stop his laugh with a flick of her finger. She imagined how wonderful it would be if she could control his blood now and make him suffer a bit.

The bursts of laughter escaped Kendel's mouth mockingly. Lianne squinted her eyes and focused on his reddening cheeks and pale lips curved in a wide smile. Her attention shifted to his moving throat and then to his chest that heaved with his laughs.

Lianne imagined how Kendel's blood would move under her control. She wanted him to feel what it was like to be the pawn in this game. She wanted to stop his laughing, and if possible, hurt him.

Suddenly Lianne heard a calm heartbeat in her ears and the blood moving inside Kendel. She could see every vein that pulsed underneath his skin and she knew his blood would obey her. A rush of thrill traveled through Lianne's body, surprising her how good it felt.

Abrupt energy shot through her body, and at the same time, Kendel jerked as if he had gotten a muscle cramp. It was so small that he didn't react to it, but Lianne sensed that the blood flowing inside Kendel's veins now moved to her will.

A few drops of blood suddenly dripped from Kendel's nose and Lianne flinched. She immediately stopped focusing on him as a sudden fear took a hold of her. She felt cold and a wave of nausea went through her body, stopping her from breathing.

Kendel stopped laughing and touched his nose, the tips of his fingers painted with blood. He turned to look at Lianne and grinned widely. At the same time, Lianne started feeling a horrible sting in her heart. Her ears pounded with a fast thumping rhythm as the darkness inside her woke up.

"Good girl, I knew you could do it," Kendel said, but his voice muffled in Lianne's ears as the pain spread to her body. Droplets of sweat formed on her forehead as she gripped her chest, battling the pain. She had felt that before when she met Yugtrass in the village of the elves, even if the pain wasn't as bad now. Her body had adjusted, accepting what was happening more readily.

"Not again..." Lianne gasped with ragged breaths as she pressed her palm on top of her heart. She tried to focus only on the energy flowing inside her, wanting to seal the spreading darkness as Faolin had taught her. A pulse of pain shot through her and she bit her lip while clenching her other hand into a tight fist.

"Let the darkness flow freely and the pain will ease soon," Kendel said. He leaned closer to Lianne and took a hold of her hand to try to pull it off her chest.

Lianne slapped his hand away. "Leave me alone!" she yelled, squeezing her eyes shut while pressing her hand harder to her chest as a pulse of pain shot through her. She screamed, sending another flock of birds flying off into the air from the trees above.

"Now, now, I'm only trying to help," Kendel said in a condescending tone, but Lianne didn't listen to him anymore. She groaned, her body doubled up as she tried her hardest to transfer the energy from her palm to her heart. The pulsing blood moved like waves, but in the middle of the roaring sea, she felt the warmth of her magic.

"Lianne!?" Faolin's voice echoed from the forest as his fast steps moved closer. Lianne opened her eyes and saw that Kendel was nowhere to be seen anymore.

"Lianne?" Faolin yelled again as he ran into sight. He noticed Lianne sitting on the stump and sprinted to her. "What is wrong?" he asked hastily.

"My heart," Lianne was able to say before another pulse went through her and she let out a suffocated groan. Her magic tried to repel the darkness, but it was a battle.

"Let me help," Faolin said while putting his hands on top of Lianne's, but she shook her head and pushed his hands aside.

"No. You can't always save me," she said through gritted teeth while pressing her palm hard against her chest. She tried pushing the pain back while focusing on the warmth that lingered through her heart. She had practiced it and she was stronger. It calmed and soothed her, slowly forcing the pain to move aside.

Faolin looked at Lianne, unsure of what to do. "Please, let me help," he said while lifting his hands again, but Lianne declined.

"Faolin, no," she said firmly before she winced, another pulse of pain traveling through her body. "I need to do this," she said firmly.

Faolin hesitated, his hands hovering over Lianne's chest as his eyes darted from her body to her face. He didn't know what to do, but eventually pulled his hands back and squeezed them into tight fists.

"Thanks," she whispered before focusing on the spreading warmth that pushed the pain away. Lianne should have been too tired to do anything by now. She hadn't slept and it hadn't been long since the darkness had controlled her, but she felt more awake than ever. Her blood rushed with powerful pulses, making her feel stronger. She knew the darkness had taken a bit of her again, but she didn't mind.

Lianne's heart finally started to beat a normal rhythm as the pain subdued. She could breathe freely again even if she felt incomplete. Her body was between light and shadow, her substance fleeting and fragile.

Lianne took her trembling hand off her chest and stared at it, her mind trying to comprehend what she had done to Kendel. She had used the power of the darkness without it controlling her. "I did it..." she whispered with ragged breaths, her chest heaving heavily. She had controlled Kendel's blood but also sealed herself from the pain. She had done them both.

"You did well," Faolin said calmly while lifting his hand and brushing it against her cheek. It felt cool to the touch, her own skin burning. She felt it comforting, but also invigorating.

"Lianne!?" Amra's voice echoed from the woods as she ran to them with staggering steps, her speed slow. "What happened? Why did Faolin leave?" she yelled as she almost stumbled to the ground in front of Lianne, breathing rapidly. She wasn't in any state to run yet.

"I-" Lianne started saying when Amra stopped and gasped, looking at her horrified. Amra's knees buckled under her and she fell on the ground, still panting hard.

"Lianne..." Amra whispered, and she knew what was wrong.

"Is it my hair?" Lianne asked. The last time she had felt that kind of pain, a part of her had changed.

Amra nodded and Lianne let out a deep sigh. She had met the people who were changing too, so she knew what was happening to her. "Is it all ashen?" she asked.

Amra nodded again, her eyes empathetic. "Yes."

Lianne closed her eyes while combing her other hand through her hair, feeling the strands between her fingers. She knew that the darkness was growing and the gap between it and her normal self was getting smaller. The abnormal was turning normal and she was getting closer to the Shadows.

Suddenly Faolin gasped. "Are you bleeding?" he asked while taking a hold of Lianne's tightly squeezed hand and opening it.

Lianne knitted her eyebrows as she looked at a dark red liquid that covered her hand. For a moment she tried to recall where she had gotten wounds until she realized what it was. "No, those are berries I found. I was going to ask you if they were edible," she whispered.

Faolin gently wiped the crushed berries out of her hand, his warm skin making Lianne feel better. "They are," he said silently.

"What happened to you?" Amra asked, still staring at Lianne's hair.

Lianne turned her attention from Faolin's gentle touch and glanced at Amra. She had used her powers without the darkness controlling her and that was a step closer to losing her humanity. "Kendel was here," Lianne said and both Faolin and Amra turned to look at her baffled.

"Again?" Faolin asked perplexed.

Lianne nodded. She didn't want to hide what had happened. "He wants me to kill Edwin. I didn't agree," she said before hesitating. "At least, not yet."

"You can't-" Amra started saying when Lianne lifted her hand, wanting to continue.

"I was able to control his blood without changing," she said, averting her gaze as if she was ashamed. She didn't want to see the looks on Amra's or Faolin's faces, even if she felt more powerful than ever. The darkness and her normal self were mixing into one existence. She was changing, and she had a big decision ahead of her. She needed to get to Clandmere, even if it was through her brother.