Western Mountains – Nightfall]
The campfire cracked quietly in the dark.
The storm had passed hours ago, but the sky still hummed—like it remembered the fight.
Coker sat cross-legged, poking at the flames with a stick. Naia dozed beside him, her head resting against a tree. Elira stood watch, eyes scanning the forest, blade never far from her hand.
And the new girl—still silent—sat alone.
She hadn't shared her name.
She hadn't asked for theirs.
She just stared into the fire like it was trying to tell her who she used to be.
"You ever feel like you're borrowing your own body?" Coker asked quietly.
She looked up, eyes shining faint violet.
"…All the time."
He nodded. "Same."
Elira finally spoke from the shadows.
"We're being watched."
Coker stiffened. "Again?"
Naia opened one eye. "You're sure?"
"I don't see anything," Elira said. "But the trees are wrong. The wind's too still."
Naia stood up slowly, hair lifting in the night air.
Violet Girl—let's call her that for now—was already on her feet.
She pointed toward the ridge above.
"There."
And then they felt it.
Another mark.
Not red. Not blue. Not violet.
This one was black.
It didn't burn. It sank.
Heavy. Cold. Deep.
From the cliff above, a figure stood cloaked in smoke.
Face hidden beneath a dark hood. Long coat torn by travel. His arms were crossed—but his presence filled the valley like thunder.
Coker's mark pulsed in warning.
Naia stepped forward, lightning crackling faintly.
Elira's blade was already drawn.
But the figure didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't blink.
Violet Girl raised her voice first.
"Another Vessel?"
The figure finally nodded—barely.
"You felt me," he said, voice calm and deep. "Good. Then you understand why this can't work."
"What can't?" Coker asked.
The figure stepped forward once.
"You're waking them up. You're drawing the King."
Naia frowned. "So are you."
"No," he said. "I've been hiding. You're doing the opposite."
He looked at each of them.
"You think gathering the Vessels will make you stronger. It won't. You're just making it easier to be found. To be used."
Elira narrowed her eyes.
"Who are you?"
The wind blew.
And for just a moment—
The shadows peeled back.
His hood fell.
And they saw his face.
He looked no older than Coker.
Black hair. Grey eyes. A scar across his mouth.
And on his neck, glowing faint beneath his collar—
A broken seal.
Half-faded. Jagged.
Coker gasped.
"That mark—"
The boy spoke before he could finish.
"I'm not like you."
His hand moved fast—too fast.
And the fire between them went out.
Darkness fell.
And the next second, he was gone.
Not running.
Not flying.
Just… gone.
The group stood frozen for a long moment.
Then Violet Girl broke the silence.
"I've seen that kind of power before."
Naia nodded. "Me too. But only in nightmares."
Coker stared at the empty ridge.
"What did he mean… a broken seal?"
Elira's voice was low.
"I don't know. But if that was the Fourth…"
She turned to face them all.
"He's not with us."
Far away, in a quiet stone cave, the boy sat alone again.
He placed his hand on his mark.
It flickered. Weak. Flickering like a dying candle.
"Too late," he whispered.
"They've already begun to bond."
He looked at the sky, where no one could see him.
"Then I'll end this myself."