Part One: Sparks is Not Alone Anymore
Sparks hovered alone in the empty corridors of her own mind.
Or… what used to be hers.
Once, it had been all light and flickering laughter. A place where ideas flared like matchsticks and memories danced like embers in the wind.
Now?
Now the flame whispered.
Not like her usual zingers or wild thoughts—this was something deeper. Older. It spoke in languages she never learned, hummed lullabies in reverse, and remembered fires she had never lit.
She tried to joke once.
"Great. I've got a squatter in my consciousness."
But no one laughed.
The dream realm training hadn't just impacted Grim. Something about being in the dragon's realm… had cracked her too.
It started subtly. She'd flicker in and out, forgetting words she created. Her thoughts trailed off into ashes.
And then—the mirror incident.
A reflection inside her own flame. Not her shape. Not her eyes.
Red eyes. A voice like molten glass.
"You're just a shard," it whispered. "I was the spark that came first."
She tried to push it away.
But now, whenever she closed her eyes, she saw herself, smiling wrong. Standing inside her thoughts like they belonged to her.
She didn't tell Grim. Not yet. Not while he was suffering. Not while he needed her.
But soon…
She might need to exorcise herself.
Or worse—
Let it in.