The Same Cloth

The first beast struck the eastern wall hard enough to shake the entire clan compound.

Stone cracked.

Warriors shouted.

A second impact followed.

Then a third.

Leo stood in the center of the courtyard with lightning crawling across his arms.

Celine stood to his left.

Catherine stood to his right.

For several seconds, none of them moved.

Then a horn sounded from the main fortress.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

The alarm.

Every warrior in the clan began moving.

Doors opened.

Weapons were drawn.

Elemental energy erupted throughout the compound.

Marcus Vale appeared at the end of the courtyard.

His expression was immediately grim.

“Celine!”

She turned.

“Father!”

Marcus looked at the wall.

“Get your sister inside.”

Celine shook her head.

“No.”

Marcus’s eyes narrowed.

“That wasn’t a suggestion.”

“We can fight.”

“You don’t know what we’re dealing with.”

“We’ve trained for this.”

“You’ve trained against other young warriors.”

He pointed toward the wall.

“That thing isn’t a training partner.”

Elara appeared behind him.

She looked frightened for only a moment.

Then the fear disappeared.

“Catherine.”

Her daughter looked at her.

“Mother.”

“Are you seeing anything?”

Catherine closed her eyes.

The world around her seemed to slow.

She reached into the flow of time.

Nothing.

Then—

A flash.

Blood.

Fire.

A ruined courtyard.

Leo standing alone.

Celine screaming.

Catherine opened her eyes.

“No.”

Elara stepped closer.

“What did you see?”

“I don’t know.”

Marcus grabbed his sword.

“Then we’re moving them inside.”

Leo stepped forward.

“Wait.”

Marcus looked at him.

“Leo.”

“Something is wrong.”

“We know.”

“No.”

Leo looked toward the forest.

“This isn’t random.”

Marcus’s expression changed.

“What do you mean?”

“The beasts aren’t attacking the wall.”

He pointed.

“They’re gathering.”

Marcus looked.

Leo was right.

The creatures weren’t behaving like ordinary beasts.

They weren’t attempting to break through at random points.

They were concentrating on one particular section of the eastern wall.

As if they knew exactly where they wanted to go.

Marcus’s face hardened.

“Everyone back.”

The wall exploded.

A massive creature came through.

Warriors scattered.

The beast landed in the courtyard.

It was enormous.

Its body was covered in black fur and stone-like armor.

Its eyes glowed red.

Leo raised his hand.

Lightning struck.

The creature barely flinched.

Leo’s eyes widened.

Celine immediately opened a spatial rift.

“Leo!”

He understood.

He stepped through.

The rift deposited him above the beast.

Leo slammed both hands down.

Lightning exploded into the creature’s back.

This time it staggered.

Celine appeared beside him.

“Again!”

Fire erupted from Leo’s left hand.

Lightning from his right.

He brought them together.

The two elements merged.

Plasma formed.

Leo thrust his hand forward.

The blast struck the beast directly in the chest.

The creature screamed.

It fell.

Leo landed.

He stared.

“I did it.”

Celine smiled.

“You did.”

Then the beast moved.

Leo’s eyes widened.

The creature rose.

“That’s impossible.”

Marcus charged.

His earth affinity erupted beneath him.

Stone wrapped around his arms like armor.

He struck the beast.

The impact sent it crashing backward.

“Leo!”

Leo moved.

Lightning surrounded him.

Celine distorted space.

Catherine slowed time around the creature.

For one perfect moment, the beast became trapped between them.

Marcus drove his fist into the ground.

A massive stone spike erupted beneath the creature.

Leo followed.

Plasma exploded.

The beast collapsed.

This time, it didn’t move.

Silence.

Leo breathed heavily.

Marcus stared at him.

“You’ve improved.”

Leo nodded.

“Thank you.”

Marcus looked toward the forest.

“Don’t celebrate yet.”

More roars answered him.

Dozens.

Then hundreds.

Elara’s face went pale.

“How many?”

Marcus shook his head.

“Too many.”

Lance arrived with the clan’s senior warriors.

His expression was grim.

“What happened?”

Marcus pointed toward the forest.

“That.”

Lance looked at the dead beast.

Then toward the wall.

“How did they get through?”

“Someone—or something—made them.”

Lance looked at Marcus.

“You think they’re being controlled?”

“I think they’re behaving with purpose.”

Lance’s eyes narrowed.

“Like the beasts that killed Lawrence.”

The words hit Leo like a blade.

He turned toward Lance.

“What did you say?”

Lance looked at him.

“I said—”

“I heard you.”

Leo stepped closer.

“What did you mean?”

Lance hesitated.

“The attack four years ago.”

Leo’s hands began trembling.

“You said that like you know something.”

“I know what everyone knows.”

“Do you?”

Marcus looked between them.

“Not now.”

Leo didn’t move.

“Tell me.”

Lance’s expression hardened.

“Leo.”

“Tell me!”

Lightning erupted.

Celine grabbed Leo’s arm.

“Leo.”

He looked at her.

His breathing was heavy.

Lance stared at the lightning.

Then he looked toward the forest.

“We have a more immediate problem.”

Leo wanted to argue.

Then another explosion shook the compound.

The moment passed.

But the question remained.

What had Lance meant?

The battle continued for hours.

The clan fought desperately.

Marcus commanded the eastern defenses.

Elara moved between the wounded, using her water affinity to heal burns and stabilize injuries.

Celine and Catherine stayed with Leo.

The three fought as a single unit.

Celine opened portals.

Leo attacked through them.

Catherine manipulated timing.

They became almost impossible to predict.

A beast lunged at Leo.

Celine opened a portal.

Leo disappeared.

He emerged behind it.

Lightning.

Fire.

Plasma.

The beast fell.

Another charged.

Catherine slowed it.

Leo struck.

Another.

Celine redirected it.

Again.

And again.

They fought until Leo could barely stand.

Catherine was pale.

Celine’s breathing was ragged.

Then the forest went silent.

Every beast stopped.

Leo lowered his hands.

“What?”

Marcus looked toward the trees.

“Fall back.”

Nobody moved.

“Marcus?” Lance asked.

Marcus raised his sword.

“Something is coming.”

The trees parted.

A man stepped out.

He looked completely ordinary.

Tall.

Thin.

Dressed in a dark cloak.

No weapon.

No visible elemental aura.

He walked casually through the battlefield.

The surviving beasts moved aside for him.

Leo stared.

“Who is that?”

Nobody answered.

The man stopped.

His eyes moved across the battlefield.

Then settled on Catherine.

Catherine froze.

Her face became white.

“It’s him.”

Celine grabbed her hand.

“The man from your vision?”

Catherine nodded.

The stranger smiled.

“At last.”

Marcus stepped in front of his daughters.

“Who are you?”

The stranger ignored him.

His eyes remained on Catherine.

“You have seen the door.”

Catherine couldn’t speak.

Marcus raised his sword.

“Answer me.”

The stranger finally looked at him.

“You are not part of this.”

Marcus’s expression hardened.

“I decide that.”

The stranger smiled.

“No.”

He raised one hand.

The ground beneath Marcus cracked.

Elara immediately stepped forward.

Water surged around her.

“Marcus!”

She attacked.

The stranger barely moved.

A wave of invisible force struck Elara.

Marcus caught her before she hit the ground.

“Elara!”

“I’m fine.”

She pushed herself upright.

Marcus looked at the stranger.

For the first time, genuine fear appeared in his eyes.

“Everyone…”

He tightened his grip on his sword.

“Get away from him.”

Leo stepped forward.

“No.”

Marcus turned.

“Leo.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“You don’t understand.”

“I understand enough.”

Leo’s lightning erupted.

The stranger watched.

Then smiled.

“There it is.”

Leo froze.

“What?”

“That power.”

The stranger tilted his head.

“Lawrence’s son.”

Leo’s blood ran cold.

“How do you know my father?”

The stranger smiled.

“Because I knew exactly how he died.”

Everything stopped.

Leo stared at him.

“What?”

Celine grabbed his shoulder.

“Leo, don’t.”

The stranger’s smile widened.

“Your father was stronger than the beast that killed him.”

Leo’s face went pale.

“That’s impossible.”

“It was.”

“Then how did he die?”

The stranger said nothing.

Leo took another step.

“How did my father die?”

The stranger finally answered.

“Because he was betrayed.”

Leo’s lightning exploded.

Celine shouted his name.

But before Leo could attack, Catherine screamed.

The world fractured.

For an instant, everyone saw something that wasn’t there.

A stone doorway.

Ancient symbols.

A vast darkness beyond it.

And Lawrence.

Standing before the door.

Alive.

Leo stared.

“Father…”

The vision vanished.

Catherine collapsed.

Elara caught her.

The stranger smiled.

“Now you understand.”

Marcus raised his sword.

“You will not take my daughters.”

The stranger looked at him.

“I don’t need to.”

He disappeared.

The beasts followed.

Within seconds, the forest was empty.

The battlefield was silent.

Leo stood frozen.

His father.

Alive.

Four years ago.

Standing before a door.

And the stranger had said he was betrayed.

Leo turned toward Lance.

“Uncle.”

Lance didn’t answer.

“Uncle.”

Lance looked at him.

“Did you know?”

Lance’s expression changed.

“No.”

Leo stared at him.

“You hesitated.”

“I didn’t know.”

“You know something.”

Lance remained silent.

Leo’s voice broke.

“My father didn’t just die fighting beasts, did he?”

Nobody answered.

Leo’s hands began shaking.

“Tell me.”

Lance looked toward the ground.

“I found something.”

“What?”

“Records.”

“What records?”

“About a place called the Hollow.”

Catherine slowly opened her eyes.

“The door.”

Everyone looked at her.

She was crying.

“I know where it is.”

Marcus knelt beside her.

“Where?”

Catherine looked toward the northern mountains.

“There.”

Her voice trembled.

“The Hollow.”

Leo looked at the mountains.

His heart was pounding.

For four years, he had believed his parents died because they weren’t strong enough.

Now he was beginning to wonder whether that had ever been true.

He looked at Lance.

“I’m going there.”

Lance immediately shook his head.

“No.”

“I’m going.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“My father went there.”

“We don’t know that.”

“The vision showed him.”

“Visions can be misleading.”

Leo stepped closer.

“I don’t care.”

His eyes filled with tears.

“I spent four years thinking he died because I wasn’t strong enough.”

He wiped his face.

“If there’s even a chance that someone knows what happened to him, I’m going.”

Celine stepped beside him.

“So am I.”

Catherine pushed herself upright.

“And me.”

Marcus stared at his daughters.

“No.”

Celine looked at him.

“Father.”

“No.”

Marcus’s voice was firm.

“Whatever is inside that place killed Lawrence.”

Leo looked at him.

“Then I need to know why.”

Elara placed a hand on Marcus’s shoulder.

He looked at her.

She shook her head.

“Let them go.”

Marcus stared at her.

“Elara.”

“You know what happens when we try to hold them back.”

He looked at Celine.

Then Catherine.

Then Leo.

His expression softened.

“I know.”

He looked toward the northern mountains.

“But I don’t have to like it.”

Elara smiled sadly.

“Neither do I.”

Marcus approached Leo.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then he placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder.

“Your father was my friend.”

Leo looked up.

“I know.”

“No.”

Marcus’s voice became quiet.

“You don’t.”

He looked toward the mountains.

“Lawrence saved my life more than once.”

Leo swallowed.

“Then help me find out what happened to him.”

Marcus closed his eyes.

When he opened them, the decision had been made.

“I’ll take you there.”

Lance looked shocked.

“Marcus—”

“No.”

Marcus turned toward him.

“If Lawrence was betrayed, we need to know by whom.”

He looked at Leo.

“And if that man knows the truth…”

Marcus tightened his grip on his sword.

“Then we’ll find him.”

Leo looked toward the mountains.

For the first time in four years, he felt something stronger than grief.

Not hatred.

Not yet.

Something else.

A question.

What really happened to his parents?

And deep beneath the northern mountains, behind an ancient stone door, the answer was waiting.

Along with something that had been waiting four years for Lawrence’s son to come looking.

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