Page 81 of The Shattered Rite
“…Glad to know judgment runs in the family,” she rasped, wiping her cheek with her sleeve.
You stood in your truth,Vaeronth said gently, quieter than before. Proud.
“She was so strong,” Eliryn whispered. “Both of them were.”
And now you are,Vaeronth said.Because strength is not the absence of pain. It is the decision to move through it.
Eliryn walked on, her body heavy but her steps steady. She let herself breathe.
“Okay,” she muttered. “One emotional breakdown down. How many more to go?”
Vaeronth wisely didn’t comment. But she felt his presence coil closer, protective and steady.
Her hand tightened on the hilt of her blade, the weight of it both grounding and sharp.
And then—laughter.
Not cruel. Not mocking.
Joyful.
She froze.
It was the kind of laughter she hadn’t heard since her seventh summer, barefoot and sunburnt, racing through the golden hills of Lirin’s Edge.
She turned.
And saw them.
Children. A dozen or more. Some she remembered from games beneath the orchard trees, others she barely recognized—faces she’d glimpsed only once at village gatherings. They danced around a bonfire, ash smeared on their cheeks, hands sticky with honey, chasing each other with wild abandon.
And at the front of the crowd… herself.
Younger. Freckled. Barefoot. Wild-haired and free. No sword. No shame. Just a girl, smiling so hard her whole face glowed.
Before her eyes changed.
Before the village turned cold.
Before they whispered things about her when they thought she couldn’t hear.
Eliryn’s throat closed. She took a step back.
“I don’t want to see this,” she whispered, sword lowering.
But you need to,Vaeronth murmured in her mind, voice gentle as rain on ash.The maze shows you your burdens.
The younger Eliryn stepped forward, grinning.
“You don’t belong anywhere,” the girl said softly, tilting her head. “Not here. Not in the trials. Not even with the dragon.”
Eliryn’s chest tightened. “Stop.”
The girl’s smile sharpened, cruel in its innocence.
“They hated you before you left. You think they’ll welcome you back if you survive?” Her eyes gleamed obsidian-dark. “There’s nothing waiting for you. No love. No family. No home.”
“No—” Eliryn’s voice cracked. “That’s not true.”
