Brent stood at the edge of the forest, the spires of the academy barely visible through the mist and trees. His heart beat steady now—not like the frantic hammering of survival, but the quiet rhythm of resolve.
He was alive.
He was changed.
But he wasn't the only one.
Change One: A New Hero in His Place
As Brent approached the outskirts of the academy, cloaked in a tattered robe and hidden hood, he overheard chatter from students on patrol. They spoke of a new prodigy, a surprise rise—someone who had "stepped up" after Brent's supposed death.
"Kalen," Brent whispered, teeth clenched.
The coward who'd stabbed him, who ran when their lives were on the line—had returned as a hero. Claimed that Brent died protecting him. Said Brent chose to sacrifice himself.
Statues were being carved. Honors granted.
He was being remembered… as a martyr.
While Kalen basked in the light that wasn't his.
Change Two: Rae… Missing
Brent managed to slip inside the academy walls under the cover of night. He avoided the outer dorm guards with shadow-steps and slipped into a rarely used observatory tower, watching and listening.
That's when he heard it.
"Rae Ellanor… hasn't returned."
"Still missing?"
"She vanished after they came back. Some say she blamed herself. Some say… Kalen silenced her."
Brent's heart sank.
She had stayed.
And now she was gone.
Change Three: The Headmaster Was Replaced
The academy had changed in more ways than one. The old headmaster—stern, but fair—had vanished without explanation weeks after Brent's "death."
In his place stood a man cloaked in red and silver robes, with cold eyes and a serpent's smile.
Lord Vaelrick.
Kalen's father.
Officially appointed by the capital. Backed by mysterious funding and "royal approval."
Brent watched from a rooftop as Vaelrick addressed the students, speaking of strength through blood, evolution through pain.
His presence oozed with something Brent recognized now—not just ambition.
But corruption.
And shadow that didn't belong to this world.
Change Four: The Darkness Knows Brent is Alive
That night, Brent dreamed.
But it wasn't a dream.
The codex of Duskborne pulsed against his chest. A voice—low, ancient, coiled in shadow—whispered through his mind.
"The Pale Flame sees you, Twilight Child. You carry both torch and dagger… and you are no longer hidden."
"He is coming."
Brent awoke with sweat streaming down his brow. His shadow was moving on its own, twitching in the moonlight.
Something woke up when he touched the book.
Something bigger than Kalen. Bigger than Vaelrick.
Something that had been watching the world through dead gods' eyes.
Final Change: Rae Is Alive… and Changed
Late one evening, while scouting the outer woods, Brent found signs of a fight—burned trees, twisted ground, and at its center, a girl's broken dagger.
Rae's.
He followed the trail, heart pounding, until it led to a cave hidden behind a waterfall.
Inside… was her.
Unconscious, barely breathing. And surrounded by roots of a strange glowing tree—its bark black, its sap silver.
As he stepped close, her eyes snapped open.
But they were no longer green.
They were silver and gold, shifting like flame and starlight.
And she spoke with two voices.
"Brent… it's inside me now too."