Aiden woke to the sound of rain tapping against the glass.
The room smelled of storm and ash, as if the world outside had been quietly burning all night.
He blinked, disoriented. His body ached, his skin cold.
When he sat up, the blanket slid off his shoulders and revealed faint golden marks trailing down his arms.
They pulsed like slow lightning, alive under his skin.
Elias was sitting beside the window, cigarette between his fingers, the smoke curling lazily in the pale morning light.
He hadn't slept. His eyes were sharp, but there was something softer beneath the exhaustion.
"You've been out for almost twelve hours," Elias said quietly.
Aiden rubbed his temples. "It felt like longer."
"Did you dream?"
Aiden hesitated. "Yes. About the sky."
Elias looked at him. "The sky?"
Aiden nodded slowly. "It wasn't just clouds. It was… watching me. Like it knew my name."
He shivered, pulling the blanket closer. "There were wings. A thousand of them, made of light. They sang my name until it didn't sound like mine anymore."
Elias exhaled a long breath. "That wasn't just a dream, was it?"
Aiden glanced down at his arms. The faint marks were still there, glowing softly. "No. I think something's waking up."
Outside, thunder rolled across the horizon.
The world seemed to hum, faint but constant, like a warning.
Elias stood and crossed the room, leaning against the edge of Aiden's bed. "You need to tell me everything you remember."
"I remember dying," Aiden whispered. "I remember fire, and a crown of glass. I remember the sky screaming when I fell."
Elias's hands clenched. "Ariselle's memories?"
Aiden looked at him sharply. "How do you know that name?"
Elias froze for a heartbeat, then looked away. "I've heard it before. Somewhere."
"You're lying," Aiden said softly. "Every time you say her name, your heartbeat changes."
Elias didn't answer.
Aiden reached out, his fingers brushing Elias's wrist. "Who are you, really?"
The air between them grew heavy, charged with something unspoken.
Elias finally said, "Someone who failed you once. And I won't do it again."
Lightning flashed, illuminating his face the sharp lines, the scar beneath his jaw, and the fleeting sadness in his eyes.
Aiden swallowed. "What do you mean?"
Elias turned to the window. "The night you died, I wasn't your enemy."
Silence filled the space between them.
Aiden's voice trembled. "Then who were you?"
Elias looked back at him, and for the first time, the mask cracked. His voice dropped, low and aching.
"I was the one who begged you not to go to war. I was the one who held you as the fire took everything. I was the one you called by a name that no longer exists."
Aiden's breath caught. "Then…"
Elias stepped closer, his hand lifting to touch Aiden's cheek. "Yes. I was there, Ariselle. I saw you die."
The storm outside raged harder, thunder shaking the window frames.
Aiden didn't move. The air around them shimmered faintly, and the marks on his arms began to glow brighter.
"Then tell me," Aiden whispered. "Why am I here again?"
Elias's fingers trembled slightly against his skin. "Because you were never meant to die. The gods sent you back, but they didn't send you alone."
Aiden's heart pounded. "What do you mean?"
Elias's gaze met his. The lightning outside flared like a heartbeat in the clouds.
"I followed you."
Aiden froze, unable to breathe.
Before he could speak, a sudden crack split the air. The window shattered, and a blinding light poured through the room.
Elias shielded him instinctively, pulling him close.
Outside, the storm had formed into a spiral clouds twisting, lightning forming symbols that burned across the sky.
Aiden's name echoed in the thunder, spoken by a thousand unseen voices.
The heavens were calling again.
And this time, they were coming down to find him.