Page 46 of Shadows Rising

And now?

Now, I don't even know what's real anymore.

Chapter 23

Finn

The tension in the Hall of Echoes lingers long after Kaia storms out.

No one moves. No one speaks.

I feel the bond now—really feel it. Like something has snapped tight inside me, threading through my ribs, settling deep in my chest where it pulses with a life of its own. But it’s not just my emotions churning through me anymore. Kaia’s anguish crashes through the connection in waves, raw and devastating. Her rage burns like acid, but beneath it… beneath it is a grief so profound it steals my breath.

I press a hand against my chest, trying to steady myself against the onslaught. My chaos magic sparks erratically, responding to the storm of emotions I can’t control—mine, hers, all of it tangled together until I can barely tell where I end and she begins.

And judging by the way the others look, the rigid tension in their shoulders, the pain bleeding through their carefully controlled expressions, I’m not the only one drowning in it.

“You had no right.” Torric’s voice breaks the silence, low and dangerous. His fire rune still glows beneath his shirt, the brand visible through the singed fabric. “No fucking right.”

Aspen steps forward, and for once his calm facade is completely shattered. Frost patterns spread across his arms where his ice rune flares, the cold radiating from him in waves. “We trusted you,” he says, each word sharp as winter. “Kaia trusted you. And you took that choice from her. From all of us.”

Torric’s fists clench so tight his knuckles go bone-white, trembling with barely contained fury. “You don’t even know half of what she’s been through. How many choices were stolen from her. And you did this anyway?”

Malrik hasn’t stopped watching the door Kaia disappeared through. Doesn’t look away, doesn’t move to follow her, doesn’t do anything. Just stands there like a statue, his silver eyes unreadable while his shadows writhe restlessly around his feet.

And Kieran—Kieran, the one person who knew exactly what this place would do, hasn’t moved at all. Just stands there like he’s carved from stone, golden eyes fixed on nothing.

I exhale through my teeth, shoving a hand through my hair. Usually, this is where I’d crack a joke. Make everyone remember how to breathe. Step in when things feel too heavy and remind people that the world hasn’t actually ended.

But right now? I don’t feel like breathing. I feel like putting my fist through something.

And unfortunately for Kieran, he’s the closest available target.

I take a step forward, slow and deliberate, chaos magic crackling faintly around my fingers. His golden eyes finally snap to me, and I see him brace himself. He knows what’s coming.

“Tell me something,” I say, my voice lighter than I feel. “At what point did you decide this was a brilliant idea?”

Kieran doesn’t answer.

“Was it before or after you realized Kaia was going to hate you for it?” I press, letting the words slip out smooth and easy, like I’m not two seconds from putting him through the nearest wall.

“Finn,” Malrik warns, but I barely glance at him.

“No, really,” I continue, tilting my head with mock curiosity. “Because I’d love to know what was running through that ancient brain of yours when you decided to trap us all in this.” I gesture vaguely at the space between us, at the weight sitting in my chest like a stone, at bonds none of us were ready for.

“The bonds were already forming,” Kieran says quietly, his voice carrying centuries of exhaustion. “You all felt it.”

“And that gives you the right to force it?” Aspen demands, his voice sharper than I’ve ever heard it. Ice crystals form in the air around him as his power responds to his anger. “To take away our chance to let it happen naturally?”

Torric takes a menacing step forward, heat radiating from him in waves. “You knew what this would do to her. To all of us. And you did it anyway.”

Kieran’s hands flex at his sides, but his voice remains steady. “The bonds were always meant to form.”

I let out a sharp laugh that echoes off the ancient stones. “Right, right.Meant to. And that makes it okay?”

His jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. “It was already happening.”

“Yeah?” My magic flares brighter, chaotic energy dancing between my fingers. “Well, guess what? Now Kaia hates you. So tell me, Kieran—was it worth it?”

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