The hall of the Isle seemed smaller now, too small to contain the weight of what had been spoken and what was still to come. Every shadow along the wall seemed to bend closer, as though the roots of Evilside herself listened through the stone.Deem knelt in the center of the gathering, the cold marble gleaming beneath her. Her voice trembled at first, but then steadied as if she were reporting to her commander once more, not begging for her life.“I was sent,” she began, “by Curse Liroid, commander of the Liroid spies, daughter of Voices Liroid, head of the intelligence guild. It was my first assignment beyond the borders of the Isle. My task was clear: infiltrate Tan’s court, learn of his dealings with the Mogros, his alliances, his weaknesses, his ambitions.”Her eyes flickered briefly toward Snake and Dragon, who stood silent as marble. “It was during that time,” she continued, “that word reached us of the Meris campaign, of the king who fell to Liroid blades. Curse was pleased; sh

The weight of judgment had passed. For the first time in many moons, the great hall of the Isle exhaled a breath of uneasy peace.Snake stood near the balcony, looking out toward the silver waves that lapped the obsidian shore, when Flavor’s deep laughter broke the silence behind him.“Come now, Rebellion,” Flavor said, clapping his brother on the shoulder. “You’ve grown too grim. Tell me, how fares my troublesome nephew, Ash? Has Tsunami driven him completely mad yet?”Rebellion’s lips curved faintly, that ghost of a smile that meant affection hidden behind stoicism. “He endures. As always. Though I hear Forbidden has started a wager with the hunting dogs on who can sire the most heirs before the next moon’s turn.”Flavor groaned, rubbing his temples. “That boy is the death of my patience.”Snake chuckled, shaking his head. “Runs in the family.”“Tamy deserves all the credit,” Rebellion said with rare warmth, turning to Flavor’s beloved concubine, who sat quietly near the hearth. “Yo

The roots of Cellok whispered that night, an ancient murmur rippling through the halls beneath the goddess’s throne. Candles burned blue, their flames bending toward Evilside as she sat in her seat of thorns, her gaze lost to the shadows that dripped from the high vaults like liquid night.Heartless stood before her, arms crossed, her silver eyes bright with restrained frustration.“You knew,” she said quietly. “You knew Snake kept the truth of what happened on the Isle of Darkness from you, and yet you said nothing.”Evilside’s gaze did not waver. “I did.”Heartless took a step forward. “Why, Mother? He defied you. He concealed treason. Any other Liroid would have been stripped, chained, or…”“Silenced?” Evilside’s voice was soft but cut like obsidian. “And in silencing him, I would have sealed my own fate.”Heartless’s lips parted, but no words came. Evilside rose, her roots spilling over the floor, the black roots at her feet curling like serpents at her command.“Rebellion once pr

And it did not take long for the edges of the knives to be out in the open.Evening bled gently over Kindraloy, turning the sky to violet fire. The air smelled of bread, spiced meat, and the faint sweetness of the river flowers that bloomed only when magic slept. The city’s towers shimmered softly beneath the fading light, their stones reflecting mortal peace, that strange, borrowed quiet the Liroids could never truly claim.Snake and Dragon crossed the threshold where power died. Their marks dimmed, the divine hum leaving their blood like a sigh of exhaustion. Only skill remained, mortal grace and immortal memory.Passion warned them yet again, seeing as they were slow to hurry home. As they all waited by the gate of the snake's home, her crimson hair caught the sun. “You took your time,” she said, half smile, half scold.Snake glanced around warily. “It smells like a trap.”Dragon grinned. “A domestic ambush. My favorite kind.”Passion chuckled. “Then prepare yourselves. Rage and Tr

Kindraloy’s dawn was soft, the kind of quiet morning that pretends the night before never happened.Mist curled over the red-brick rooftops, and the sound of distant bells drifted like ghosts.In the corner room of the inn, Trina sat by the window again, her eyes tracing the waking streets below. The world looked unchanged. But she was not.The door creaked open. She didn’t turn; she knew that silence.Snake stood there, the same calm shadow he had always been, his cloak still carrying the scent of the forest. For a heartbeat, neither spoke.Then Trina’s voice trembled, fragile but steady. “You didn’t have to humiliate me.”Snake’s eyes softened. “If I hadn’t, you would be dead by now. Dark was close to drawing her blade, and the others were not far behind.”Trina faced him, tears glistening but unshed. “You raised your voice at me, Snake. You’ve never done that. Not even when I broke your oath by praying to Tan.”He stepped closer, his tone lower, almost a whisper. “Because this time