Eclipse of Shattered Throne

The Crack in the Mirror

The crack in Hayuni's collar spread.

Not slowly. Not delicately.

Like lightning.

One second, Payune was staring at the fracture—the next, the mirrored surface shattered, glass shards embedding themselves in Hayuni's throat.

She didn't scream.

She laughed.

A wet, guttural sound that wasn't entirely hers.

"Finally," she gasped, blood trickling from the wounds. "I've been waiting for this."

The fox spirit screeched, its blue fire turning violet as it lunged—not at the threat, but at Hayuni herself, fangs bared.

Payune moved on instinct.

Dragonrend slammed into the spirit, sending it tumbling through the air. The blade howled in protest.

"FOOL! IT'S TRYING TO SAVE HER!"

Then the thing inside the collar crawled free.

It wasn't liquid. Wasn't smoke.

It was memory given form—a swirling, silver-black mass that dripped from the broken collar and pooled in Hayuni's palm.

The voice that came from it was their mother's.

"You were always my clever girl," it whispered. "Now finish what I started."

Hayuni's eyes rolled back, her body going rigid as the substance surged up her arm, veins turning black beneath her skin.

The fox spirit recovered, hissing, its tails lashing.

"We have to go," Payune growled, grabbing Hayuni's wrist. "Now."

Her sister's head snapped toward her.

Her eyes were gone—replaced by swirling silver voids.

"Oh, Payune," Hayuni murmured, her voice layered with something older, hungrier. "Running won't help."

Then she collapsed.

The vision hit Payune like a dagger between the ribs.

—A younger Dragonlord standing over a chained woman (Mother?)

—A blade of moonlight pressed to her throat

—"You will give me what I need," he hissed

—The woman spat blood in his face

—"Take it from my corpse."

—The sword moved—

PAYUNE JOLTED BACK, gasping, the memory burning behind her eyes.

Dragonrend vibrated in her grip, its voice giddy.

"SEE? SEE WHAT HE DID?"

Hayuni convulsed at her feet, the black veins spreading to her jaw.

The fox spirit circled them both, its growl low and warning.

Payune made a decision.

She slammed Dragonrend's pommel into the glass shards still embedded in Hayuni's neck.

The reaction was instant.

Hayuni arched off the ground, a scream tearing from her throat as the black substance came pouring back out, hissing like acid as it hit the dirt.

The fox spirit pounced, blue fire incinerating the remnants.

Silence.

Then—

"Well," Hayuni croaked, her eyes her own again, though blood still trickled from her nose. "That was... new."

The Crow's Warning

He appeared between one blink and the next—the Silent Crow, his gold mask reflecting the carnage.

"You should not have done that," he murmured.

Payune raised Dragonrend. "Try me."

The Crow tilted his head. "The collar was a gift. A compromise." His gaze shifted to Hayuni. "Now he will come for you himself."

Hayuni wiped blood from her lips, her grin feral. "Good. I've been wanting to stab him for years."

The Crow said nothing.

Then he vanished, leaving behind only a single black feather—and the sound of distant wings.

What Comes Next

The sisters didn't speak as they gathered their supplies from the wreckage.

Hayuni's hands shook—just slightly—as she adjusted the ruined collar, now just a band of broken glass and twisted metal.

Payune watched her. "You knew."

Hayuni's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Not everything."

Dragonrend hummed, its voice softer now.

"She lies. She knew enough."

The fox spirit growled, tails flicking.

A gust of wind carried the scent of burning flesh from the Tournament grounds.

They were close now.

Too close.