The thorn crown

The forest slept.

Kael, too curled near the fire like a prince carved from ruin. His breath shallow, steady.

But I didn't sleep.

Couldn't.

The magic inside me pulsed. Slow. Alive.

And beneath it…

Whispers.

At first, I thought it was wind.

Then I heard my name.

Ariya…

Not aloud. Not even a voice. Just a hum inside my bones, like memory bleeding through skin.

I stood.

The trees shifted.

Leaves rippled without wind.

The fire didn't flicker.

Time felt… sideways.

This isn't real, I told myself.

But I moved anyway.

Barefoot. Silent.

Drawn to something old in the air.

Then I saw her.

A little girl.

Standing just ahead in the clearing.

Dressed in white. Hair like Kael's, but eyes hollow. Flickering.

She smiled at me.

Not sweet.

Not cruel.

Just knowing.

"You're not supposed to hold him," she said.

Her mouth didn't move.

My breath caught.

"I don't know who you are," I said.

She tilted her head.

"He used to sing to me," she whispered. "Before the curse. Before the fire."

And then....

I knew.

His sister.

The one who died screaming.

"I saw you in his mind," I said, heart pounding. "You're dead."

The girl blinked.

"No one stays dead if they're loved enough."

She reached out.

Touched my chest.

Ice slid into my ribs.

"You're waking things up," she said. "Things that want out."

"I didn't mean to."

"Doesn't matter."

Her voice grew smaller. Fainter. "He's a key. You're the door."

Then her smile cracked.

Split across her face like porcelain shattering.

Her skin blistered.

Her eyes caught fire.

And she screamed.

Not a sound....

an emotion.

Pain. Endless. Unfiltered. A soul flayed raw.

I fell to my knees.

Clawed at my chest.

The girl melted into ash before my eyes.

And the whispers rose.

Faster. Louder. Frantic.

"She's opening."

"She's cracking."

"Let us out."

"Let us in."

I covered my ears. It did nothing.

Kael's magic roared inside me, panicked.

Flaring like it recognized something I didn't.

Run, it said.

But I couldn't move.

My hands trembled.

My vision warped.

And somewhere in the dark…

Something else opened its eyes.

Watching.

Waiting.

And smiling.