As the trio moved further into Runom's Departure, the path dissolved beneath their feet, shifting like mist. The twilight realm around them thickened, a murky fog swirling up from the ground, creeping into their minds, bringing with it memories… memories they had each tried to bury.

As the fog coiled thick around him, Kale found himself back in Khor'vel, every corner darkened with the heavy shadow of corruption. The familiar faces of the fallen bladeweavers lay before him, eyes staring vacantly as if accusing him even in death. He'd killed his own brothers and sisters in arms, to save what he could, to give them peace, but it had given him the opposite. The faces of those he'd cut down shifted in the mist, melding together, each one a reminder of the price he'd paid, a price they had all paid.

Whispers seeped into the air around him, insidious and venomous, weaving through the fog with an unforgiving persistence.

"They were your brothers and sisters, and you killed them."

Then he saw Thalmar, brave and loyal, standing beside him again. A flicker of light, a shout, and Thalmar was leaping in front of Kale, taking the brunt of the spell that should have killed him. The memory felt as raw as the day it happened, Thalmar's body disintegrating, Kale left to face the aftermath.

"He died so you could live. His children cry for him at night. And you… what have you done with the life he paid for in blood?"

He staggered forward, reliving the weariness that had haunted him after that day, only to find himself back in House Bloodthorn. His heart sank, a feeling of dread building as the scene sharpened around him.

He saw the child again, a frail thing, no older than seven, looking up at him with wide eyes. This time told her to hide, led her to a closet to hide in, and for a moment, he'd thought she'd make it. She'd looked up at him, gratitude in her voice. "Thank you, mister." Her voice echoed now, cruelly, through the empty expanse of Runom's Departure.

But then, he watched it play out again, his legs unable to move, his hands frozen. A Keeper moved through the room, cutting down the child without hesitation, without even a pause. As if she were nothing. And he was powerless to stop it, powerless to shield her, to shield anyone. The child's voice faded, that tiny, "Thank you, mister," whispering in his mind like a hollow echo, a thanks that felt like a thousand needles.

"Thank you, mister." The whisper twisted the words, dripping with mockery. "Thanks for what?"

And then, another face appeared, Liliana's, lifeless. He reached out, but the fog swallowed her, and the memory shifted to the look in her eyes as she'd fallen for him, sacrificing herself to save him.

"She gave everything for you. How long until you fail her again?"

Kale gritted his teeth, the memories suffocating, pressing in from all sides, dragging him down with every reminder of his failure. The mist seemed to whisper the words, "Thank you…thank you…thank you," until it was all he could hear.

The whispers surrounded Liliana like a tide, each murmur pulling her deeper into the harsh echoes of her past. Her father's face appeared in the shadows, harsh, unyielding, a constant force shaping her in those early years. She remembered his relentless lessons, the pain of being pushed past her limits again and again. Each time she stumbled or fell, he was there, not to lift her, but to drive her harder, his eyes cold and unforgiving.

"You carry my name. That means you do not get to be weak," his voice echoed. "You think the world will care about your pain? Show weakness, and it will devour you."

Once, during one of those brutal lessons, she had turned to her mother, hoping for some comfort, for some sign that she didn't need to bear this alone. But her mother only looked away. The disappointment was as sharp as any wound.

"They taught you love didn't exist," the whisper taunted. "Only obedience. Only usefulness. You were never a daughter—just a tool."

The memory shifted, and Liliana found herself back on a familiar hillside, the setting sun casting everything in warm, golden hues. She was laughing, her friend beside her, the two of them sharing secrets and dreams, leaning into each other like sisters. The laughter still echoed in her ears when her friend suddenly nudged her toward the figure lying on the ground nearby, a person curled up and whimpering, shrouded in shadow.

Without a thought, Liliana knelt, her hand reaching out in instinctive kindness. But then something hard struck her from behind, knocking her to the ground. She gasped, disoriented, tasting dirt as she struggled to rise, only to hear a cold, mocking laugh from behind.

Her friend's laugh.

Liliana looked up, confusion and hurt flashing in her eyes as she met her friend's gaze. But instead of the warmth she was used to, there was a cruel amusement. And that's when she noticed them, the men standing over her. Before she could react, rough hands grabbed her arms, dragging her toward a waiting wagon.

"Why?" she cried, her voice breaking as she was hauled backward. Her friend stood unmoving, watching the scene unfold with detached interest.

"Power isn't given," her friend said with a smirk, arms folded. "It's taken, with blood."

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Liliana's heart twisted, a bitter pang that sank deeper with every step, every inch that pulled her further from what she'd once trusted. She didn't fight, she couldn't. Shock held her frozen as she was dragged into the wagon, the world tilting with betrayal.

A dark whisper wound through her mind. "Trust is for fools, Liliana. "They are using you. They always do."

The memory shifted again, and Liliana found herself in a quiet room bathed in soft light, the smell of parchment and ink filling the air. Little Emeria was there, her face alight with that familiar, bright smile, her tiny hands clutching a doll made of scraps and ribbons. Her eyes were wide and filled with admiration as she looked up at Liliana.

"Lili, look!" Emeria held up the doll as if it were a grand weapon, her little face proud. "One day, I'm gonna be strong, just like you!"

Liliana's heart tightened as she remembered the warmth in her sister's voice, the unwavering confidence in her. She knelt down, brushing a stray lock of white hair from Emeria's face, and gave her a soft smile. "You don't need to be strong, Emmy. Just be you."

But even as she spoke, the memory twisted, the scene darkening, the warmth replaced by a chill that crept into her bones. Liliana saw herself turning away, the young Emeria watching her leave with a look of quiet longing, as if willing her to stay. And Liliana left, over and over, walking toward her own goals, her own ambitions, always with the thought that she'd return when it was safe… when the world was better… when she was stronger.

But when she returned, the doll lay alone, discarded in a darkened room. Emeria was gone, her small voice echoing in Liliana's ears like a haunting memory.

The world shifted again, and there was Emeria, older now, standing just beyond her reach, her eyes hard and full of something dark. Her once-bright smile was gone, and her voice sounded as if it came from far away.

"You abandoned me, Lili," she whispered. "You left me to die."

Liliana's heart hammered in panic, in regret. She reached for Emeria, her fingers brushing empty air as her sister stepped back, shadows cloaking her.

The whispers returned, slicing into her with ruthless malice.

"You abandoned her, knowing the world would devour her."

"And now… she's gone, because of you."

Liliana's hands trembled as she reached into the darkness, her voice breaking. "I'm so sorry, Emeria. I'm so sorry…"

But the memory faded, leaving only the ache of loss and a hollow emptiness, her sister's words lingering like a curse she could never lift.

Sadek stood alone on the blood-soaked battlefield, the air thick with the silence of the dead. His gaze fell upon bodies scattered across the field, men and women who had fought at his side, some he had called friends. But his eyes stopped on one figure, a presence that still felt imposing even in death. His father.

Arion, the Endless Storm. Not just a parent, but a force of nature. A man who had shaped Sadek's life with an immense pride, raising him to be stronger, fiercer, and worthy of the blood they shared. Sadek could still see him as he was, clad in storm-marked armor, wielding power that seemed to tear the skies apart.

And yet, even the storm had its end.

Sadek's mind replayed his father's final moments, the flash of steel, the crushing blow he couldn't stop. He saw his father stagger, his hand gripping his spear one last time, his eyes locking onto Sadek. A single wordless command passed between them in that fleeting moment: Stand strong.

But how could he stand strong when he'd been helpless?

How could he carry on when his strength hadn't been enough?

"You were his hope, his legacy. And you failed him. Left him to die alone."

The memory twisted, dragging him to the heart of a village reduced to ash, the charred remains of homes and lives stretching out before him. It was meant to be a victory, a battle fought and won with every ounce of his power. But now, the memory replayed a different truth. He saw the faces of the villagers, the innocent caught in the path of his fury, people he'd sworn to protect. His lightning, unleashed with all the force he could muster, had scattered indiscriminately, burning his own people, their faces frozen in horror as the storm devoured them.

"Protector? You unleashed the storm, and they burned for it. Their last breaths cursed your name."

Sadek clenched his fists, each memory stabbing deeper, his failures laid bare. His strength had always been a double-edged blade. Never enough when it mattered, yet too overwhelming to protect those who needed him most, too unchecked to spare his allies from its wrath.

The scene shifted again, and he was back in the ruined keep. The walls crumbled as Carrion Voss crashed through them, and Sadek could only stand there, paralyzed. Velanna was hurled across the room, her body slamming into stone. He watched as she crumpled to the ground, his throat seizing with a terrible, helpless rage. He hadn't even drawn his power, hadn't dared to unleash the storm within him for fear of turning it against his own, for fear of losing control as he had in the village. And that hesitation had cost him everything.

"Hold back," the voices sneer, "and let them die. Better they face the enemy than suffer you."

Sadek's throat tightened, his past failures crushing down on him. His shoulders sagged, and he could feel the fear clawing its way up from within. The fear of himself, of the storm raging inside him, of becoming the ruin he sought to prevent.

And yet, as the memories closed around him, he gripped them tight, forcing himself to look, to feel every regret and every wound. His failures haunted him, but he knew, as surely as he knew anything, that he could not allow them to stop him again. Because next time, he wouldn't hold back. Next time, the storm would rage for his enemies alone.

As Kale stumbled through the twisted echoes of his past, a voice pierced through the darkness, a woman's voice, faint and broken.

"Help me… please…"

He froze, straining to see through the shifting shadows. The whispers around him fell silent, retreating just enough for that voice to reach him again.

"Don't… don't leave me…"

Every instinct told him it was another trick of this cursed place, but he felt himself moving, drawn toward the sound, each step deeper into the shadows as the voice grew softer.

Liliana's head snapped up, her eyes darting frantically around the shifting landscape. "Sadek…" she whispered.

Kale wasn't there. The realization hit like a physical blow. Her pulse quickened as she scanned the area, desperate to catch even a glimpse of him, a movement, a shadow, anything.

Where is he? He was just here.

The landscape seemed to mock her, its strange, shifting patterns offering no answers. Her mind raced with possibilities, each one worse than the last. Did something take him? Was he trapped in the same nightmares they had just escaped? Or worse, did Runom's Departure claim him?

She forced herself to focus. This wasn't the time to panic. They needed to find him. Quickly.

"Sadek…" she repeated. "Where's Kale?"

Sadek's looked across the vast, empty expanse. "He was here."

But there was no sign of him. Just silence and shadow stretching endlessly before them.

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